An Introduction to Provence
My own five day visit was all too brief, but while there I developed a passion for the places I visited which I'd like to share with you here. I'll introduce some top travel destinations, foods, and local products of the Provence region.
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Images of the Region
This is a random sampler of photographs taken across the region generated by flick photosharing.
Suggested Tour Route
We used Isle-sur-la-Sorgue as our base. It is a quaint town full of antiques shops and cafes, split by the Sorgue River. There are many "gites" (bed and breakfast inns)in the area, and it is located within a few hours' driving distance of almost any Provencal destination.
There is a great drive in the area which takes you to the top of Mont Ventoux. The scenery is stunning, and the climate change between the base and summit, at 6,263 feet, is extreme.
Next we followed the famous drive along the Gorges du Verdon, a steep forested canyon.
I honestly don't remember the order in which we visited the list below, so I have described them in order of distance from l'Isle. We returned to our gites nightly, but you may choose to stay in each town if you want to spend more time there (recommended).
Avignon, location of Palais des Papes (Papal Palace)
Saint-Remy-de-Provence and Les Baux (close to Roman town of Glanum; Les Baux is a medieval hilltop town)
Salon-de-Provence is the birthplace of the famous Nostradamus. The town has some interesting stone fountains.
Aix-en-Provence, famous for delicious "calissons d'aix" (a frosted marzipan sweet), is an interesting walled town.
Arles has many Roman ruins, and bull fights continue to be held in the ampitheatre.
Nimes, known to the Romans as Nemausus, is full of Roman sites, including the nearby Pont-du-Gard aqueduct.
Itinerary Map Link
If you click on the link below, it will take you to a map of all the towns we visited. This is a good itinerary, but by no means all-inclusive of sites you might want to see!
View Larger Map
Please scroll down to view touring suggestions and see more photos!
Regional Guidebooks from Amazon
Full of good information and colorful photography, they are indispensible travel resources!
Sites in the area of Nimes
Roman Ruins in Provence
Probably the most famous are the Pont-du-Gard aqueduct outside Nimes, and the village of Glanum by St-Remy-de-Provence. However, most of the area's cities still have a Roman amphitheater, often used for a Provencal style of bull-fighting or for concerts.
There are also examples of temples and even sarcophagi in Nimes and Arles.
Sites around Arles
Sites in Aix-en-Provence
Sites in Avignon
Other Titles You Might Enjoy
Peter Mayle's Provence: Included A Year In Provence and Toujours Provence
Amazon Price: $29.24 (as of 07/11/2009) ![]()
Usually ships in 24 hours
Provencal Products I Recommend
The modules below showcase some of my personal recommendations.
Provencal Soaps
I love the scents and textures of these bath products from Provence!
French Fabrics
Provencal fabrics are richly colored, usually yellows and blues reminiscent of the region's skies and sunflowers, greens and reds, or a combination of all these. Typical designs include sunflowers, "cigales" (cicadas), olives, and paisleys.
The eBay module below includes auctions of fabrics with the tag "French Fabric". Unfortunately, I couldn't bring up anything specifically Provencal...yet.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byOther Regional Provencal Goods
Moulin de la Brague Provence Herbs - Herbes de Provence
Amazon Price: $13.50 (as of 07/11/2009) ![]()
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
NEW! Video Tour of Provence
Come see Roman ruins, lavender fields and the birthplace of Nostradamus as we walk the ancient alleys and boulevards of Provence's most scenic towns.-
Virtual Tour of Provence
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Provence is an a popular tourist area in southern France with a long and rich history, scenic beauty, and numerous cultural attractions. The area produces a number of unique quality products which are sought after by visitors, from local wines and he...
Useful Links
- Nimes Tourist Office
- Official site for the "Office de Tourisme" in Nimes.
- Arles Tourism Office
- Official site for Office of Tourism in Arles.
- Avignon Tourism Office
- official site
- Aix-en-Provence Tourism Office
- official site
- Provence Web
- This is a portal to many informative links about the region.
Links to Provencal Festivals and Events
- Provence Festival Calendat
- A list of special events in Provence by month.
When to Go...
In mid-September, the weather is still very comfortable, but the flowers have been harvested and the lanscape is much more muted.
Plan a Provencal Getaway!
find travel deals from Orbitz!
Most flights to the region come into Marseille, a port city on the southern coast. From there, it is easy to rent a car to reach your Provencal destinations.
Visitor Guestbook
Please drop me a note to tell me what you thought of my page, or about any experiences you had in Provence! Thanks!
BrianS wrote...
Hi, really interesting lens, you came very close to the region I live in when you visited Nimes which is one of the principal cities of Languedoc-Rousillion. Lensroll is a good idea as we have a lot of common interests in these lenses.
EditionH wrote...
Nice Lens,Provence is a great place to go,can`t wait until the next visit !
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