David joined Virginie and her family for a French immersion homestay in July. He wanted to incorporate some sporty challenges while learning French so Virginie suggested hiking to the summit of Mont Sainte Victoire. David wrote the following bilingual text as an exercise to test his written French. Find out …

Students who join me in Provence for a French immersion experience want to improve their French and explore the region. Our home and Mas de Trois Pins studio are in Rousset, a village near Mont Sainte Victoire. This article highlights a few of the hiking trails on this mountain. It …

We were on the French Riviera for a week, staying at a lovely apartment in Villefranche-sur-Mer, and one of the things on my to-do list was hiking the Nietzsche Trail to Eze Village. There are many great things about the French Riviera, including the access to public transit, which makes …

Yesterday we awoke to freezing temperatures in Provence with bright blue skies and decided that it was far too cold for a bike ride, so instead, we would take Millie on a walk that we hadn’t done before. I know I have mentioned the fantastic walks here in previous posts, …

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 …

Access to the Calanques National Park is controlled again this summer due to damage to the ecosystem caused by the burgeoning number of visitors and increasing fire risks.  The Calanque de Sugiton, which used to attract up to 2,500 people daily, is limited to 400 entries. Pre-booking one of the …

When most people think of the Côte d’Azur, they visualize elegant, glittering cities like Cannes, Nice, St. Tropez or Antibes. Grand hotels and opulent beaches. Extravagant villas, splendid boulevards and stylish promenades. Of course, all of this is true but what many people who never venture very far from the …

The massif looks like a fortified stone ridge or a sharp triangle pointing to the sky, depending on how you approach Mont Sainte-Victoire. Regardless of the time of day or season, the only certainty is that the mountain, located on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, never looks the same twice. Artists …

Only 35 minutes from the Nice Airport at 550m above sea level, the peaceful village of Châteauneuf-Villevieille is a clear contrast to the dynamic French city. Set against the flank of Mont Férion in the préalpes, Châteauneuf-Villevieille is an excellent base for an active holiday near the French Riviera. The …

I woke up this morning with a plan, and it seemed a good one too. After a week of doing lots of long walks with the dog, I had decided that we could both do with a slower day, so I planned an early drive to the market at L’Isle …