Carolyne Kauser-AbbottExploreLocals Travel Tips

Top Local’s Picks in Provence by Author Mary Lou Longworth

Author Mary Lou Longworth and her family have lived in Provence for nearly 20 years. They long ago fell under the spell of the natural Provencal beauty studded with olive trees, vineyards and cobalt sky. Life in France has included a few expat struggles and the birth of series of murder mysteries set in the region. Read the rest of Mary Lou’s story here.

We could not resist asking Mary Lou Longworth for her where the “locals” go tips for your next visit to Provence.

DISCOVER

Have a drink or coffee in a café on Aix en Provence’s Cours Mirabeau. There are better coffees in town, but this has the best view to people watch.

Cours Mirabeau #AixenProvence @PerfProvence

Drive out (or take the bus) to see Mont Sainte-Victoire, Cézanne’s obsession.

Walk and wander around the medieval streets of old Aix en Provence, looking at the fabulously well-preserved architecture and do a little window shopping.

TASTE

Provence isn’t a gourmet capital as Burgundy, Alsace and Lyon are: it has always been too poor and its terrain too rugged. Try to eat fresh local lamb chops grilled, with rosemary and lemon, accompanied by a local red or rosé.

Olives!

Fish in Marseille

Olives in Provence #Provence #Olives @PerfProvence

RELAX

Café lounging and people watching: The best coffee in Aix en Provence is at la Brûlerie, Place Richèlme (hot chocolate too). The nicest ambiance is le Grillon on the Cours, especially inside. Order anything other than coffee.

Place Richeleme Market #AixenProvence @PerfProvence

Splurge with a half-day spa treatment at Aix’s Roman thermal springs.

Take a boat ride, to visit the Calanques, it leaves from Cassis and for less than 20 Euros you can visit three of the famous fjord-like bays. It is corny and touristy and really fun.

Calanque En Vau #Calanques in #Provence @PerfProvence

 

Please share this with friends and family.

All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication Information
Affiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous post

Maubec - Pure Enchantment

Next post

Street Art in Aix-en-Provence

Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).

2 Comments

  1. blank
    Hot Sauce
    April 5, 2016 at 2:07 pm — Reply

    Well done Carolyne. All very interesting, and makes us want to live there.

    • blank
      April 6, 2016 at 12:19 am — Reply

      Yes Aix-en-Provence is easy to love and Mary Lou’s “locals” tips are great

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.