Provence
Where to eat 2
The truffle winter in Provence – the markets in Richerenches and Carpentras
From November to March, black truffles are sold at markets in Vaucluse: Richerenches and its truffle mass, Carpentras on Fridays, Apt and…
Provence wines – from Châteauneuf-du-Pape to Bandol
A guide to the wines of Provence and the southern Rhône: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bandol's mourvèdre, Côtes de Provence rosé, Les Baux and Château La…
Itineraries 6
The Côte Bleue – Marseille's other calanques, by train and on foot
The Côte Bleue west of Marseille: Niolon, Méjean and La Redonne, the 1915 coastal railway with its viaducts, the Sentier des Douaniers and…
From the Vieux-Port to Notre-Dame de la Garde – a walk through 2,600 years of Marseille
Marseille from the Vieux-Port to Notre-Dame de la Garde: the Phocaean harbour, Norman Foster's Ombrière, and the basilica's 11.2-metre gilded Virgin.
A week in Provence – from Avignon to Aix day by day
A seven-day Provence itinerary: Avignon, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue's Sunday market, Gordes and the Luberon, Saint-Rémy and Les Baux, Arles and Aix – timed…
Lavender season in Provence – when and where it blooms
When the lavender blooms in Provence, week by week: Valensole, Sénanque and the Luberon, Sault and the Albion plateau – plus lavender versus lavandin.
48 hours in Aix-en-Provence – the fountains, Cézanne and Sainte-Victoire
Two days in Aix-en-Provence: Cours Mirabeau, the old town and market, the Quartier Mazarin, Cézanne's studio, Sainte-Victoire and Château La Coste.
Gordes and the villages of the Luberon – a day from the rock to the ochre
A day in the Luberon: Gordes on its rock, the abbey of Sénanque, Roussillon's ochre trail, lunch in Ménerbes and Lourmarin's château, with VERA PI's…
What to see 18
The Pont du Gard – the Roman aqueduct that dropped 2.5 centimetres in 456 metres
The Pont du Gard: a Roman aqueduct bridge of three tiers, 48.8 m high, that carried water 50 km from Uzès to Nîmes. Its history, engineering and…
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer – the Camargue's fortress church, its pilgrims and Van Gogh's boats
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the Camargue's capital: its fortified church, the May pilgrimage to Saint Sara, Van Gogh's 1888 visit and gardian…
The flamingos of the Camargue – when and where to see them
Where to see flamingos in the Camargue: the Pont de Gau bird park, the Étang de Vaccères, courtship season from December and the delta's white horses.
En-Vau and the Calanques National Park – how to reach the cove between Marseille and Cassis
The Calanques National Park between Marseille and Cassis: how to reach En-Vau on foot or by sea, summer fire rules, Sugiton quotas and Cassis wine.
The Mucem, Marseille – a museum of concrete lace at the mouth of the Old Port
The Mucem in Marseille: Rudy Ricciotti's concrete-lace museum of 2013, the 130 m footbridge to Fort Saint-Jean, the migration garden and the rooftop.
Roussillon and the ochres of the Luberon – a village built on colour
Roussillon in the Luberon: the Sentier des Ocres through old ochre quarries, the Okhra ochre factory, Rustrel's Colorado provençal and Samuel Beckett.
Mont Ventoux – three roads up the Giant of Provence
Mont Ventoux, the Giant of Provence: three roads to 1,910 m from Bédoin, Malaucène and Sault, the Tom Simpson memorial, the mistral and Petrarch's…
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse – the deep spring of the Sorgue and Petrarch's valley
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse: the source of the Sorgue, France's biggest spring, explored to 315 m, and the riverside house where Petrarch spent his best…
Sénanque Abbey – Cistercian silence and lavender in a valley near Gordes
Sénanque Abbey near Gordes: founded in 1148, a Cistercian church whose apse faces north, a Romanesque cloister, and the lavender the monks still grow.
Martigues – the Venice of Provence, where the Étang de Berre meets the sea
Martigues, the Venice of Provence: the island quarter on the Caronte canal, the Baroque Madeleine church, Notre-Dame-des-Marins and the beaches of…
Vaison-la-Romaine – a Roman town, a 2,000-year-old bridge and the Dentelles de Montmirail
Vaison-la-Romaine in the Vaucluse: Puymin and La Villasse, the Roman bridge that survived the 1992 flood, the medieval Haute-Ville and the Dentelles.
Aigues-Mortes – Saint Louis's walled port in the salt marshes of the Petite Camargue
A king who wanted his own Mediterranean port built a town in a swamp. Louis IX sailed from Aigues-Mortes on two crusades; his walls still enclose the…
Gorges du Verdon and Moustiers – Provence's great canyon
The Gorges du Verdon, 25 km long and up to 700 m deep: the roads along the rim, Lac de Sainte-Croix, and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie with its star and…
Château La Coste – the vineyard where the architects were given free rein
Château La Coste north of Aix-en-Provence: a vineyard with buildings by Tadao Ando, Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano, an art walk and Villa…
Les Baux-de-Provence – the clifftop village that gave bauxite its name
Les Baux-de-Provence in the Alpilles: the castle ruins, the village that named bauxite, the Carrières des Lumières and three-star L'Oustau de…
Avignon – when the popes lived by the Rhône
Avignon in brief: the popes' Gothic palace of 15,000 m², the half bridge of Pont Saint-Bénézet, the Festival d'Avignon since 1947 and the Collection…
Arles – the Romans, Van Gogh and Gehry's silver tower
Arles in brief: the Roman arena from AD 90, World Heritage since 1981, Van Gogh in 1888–1889, the Rencontres d'Arles and Frank Gehry's LUMA Tower.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence – Van Gogh's year in the Alpilles
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence: Van Gogh's year at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, Roman Glanum, the Wednesday market, the Alpilles and VERA PI's property figures.
Where to shop 2
The markets of Provence – the week day by day
Provence's markets day by day: Saint-Rémy on Wednesday, Lourmarin on Friday, Apt on Saturday, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on Sunday and the winter truffle…
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue – the town of antique dealers by the river
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Provence's antiques capital: over 300 dealers, the Sunday market along the canals, the Easter and August fairs and the water…
