As November lists towards the holiday season, Provence begins to unfurl the tinsel and bright nods to Noël are building. Christmas in Provence has many traditions to observe during the three full days of it – from the cacho-fio to the 13 desserts and beyond. The real magic, however, lies …

Provence climate is Mediterranean with warm, dry summers, primarily mild winters, and well-suited soil for vineyards, olive groves and lavender. So it’s no wonder that the wine regions of Provence are well known for producing some of the best wines in France – and around the world. The following reference …

Whether this is your first trip to the French Riviera or you are a regular visitor to the Côte d’Azur, the only problem is overwhelming choices. Where should you start? In alphabetical order, we have highlighted ten (10) of our favourite places to visit along (or near) the coast. However, …

The Luberon is a great area to explore on foot. There is a wonderful network of well-marked hiking trails, with many of the villages having their own circular walks too. While, in the height of summer, it can be too hot to really walk any distance, and many of the …

Calling all nature and bird lovers! During your trip to Provence, you won’t want to miss the family-friendly Parc Ornithologique de Pont-de-Gau. This birding hot spot in the Camargue is near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where you will see pink flamingos and many other birds. See Flamingos and More This is far from …

My wife and I live part of the year in St-Rémy-de-Provence, a town famous for its Roman ruins, Vincent van Gogh, and its fabulous weekly market. I’ve written two guidebooks about the area, plus hundreds of articles, so I get many questions from people planning a visit. While this isn’t …

When we first arrived in Provence, it was early October. That year delivered a relatively mild start to the month, and I honestly wasn’t focused on the flowers that came later. Cycling under sunny skies in the Camargue, we passed by rice fields that were being harvested and visited the …

This is a reference guide, a list of the Markets of Provence and the Côte d’Azur, and additional travel tips. Below is a regional directory for daily markets by department (Alpes Maritimes, Bouches du Rhône, Luberon, Vaucluse, and Var) within Provence. We will add details for Alpes de Haute Provence …

Provence’s Roseraie de Gérenton has 300 Rose Varieties! Cultivating any garden takes time, patience, and lots of challenging work. In early 2015, Sylvie and John Brun bought a property near Bédoin in the Vaucluse. Although the property was previously an agricultural plot about 50 years ago, the old grapevines and …

Throughout the Luberon region, the landscape is peppered with fields of small, round-shaped lavender bushes, which for almost nine months of the year lie dormant like sleeping hedgehogs. In the spring, they begin to sprout, and from about the middle of June, their fragrant flowers bloom, fanning their purple fronds …