Provence, France

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An Introduction to Provence

Provence is a popular region southwestern France, geographically diverse, yet with a mostly mild climate. Its scenery ranges from the marshy coastal plains of the Camargue to the towering mountains of the Alps.

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.

The of the Bull by _vtcl_
20110812_1813_iPhone by graphia
20110812_1920_iPhone by graphia
20110813_1920_iPhone by graphia
20110808_0909_iPhone by graphia
20110814_1702_iPhone by graphia
20110814_1105_iPhone by graphia
20110812_1257_iPhone by graphia
20110817_1650_iPhone by graphia
20110814_1048_iPhone by graphia
20110807_1045_iPhone by graphia
20110813_1052_iPhone by graphia
20110806_1409_iPhone by graphia
20110819_1750_iPhone by graphia
20110812_1025_iPhone by graphia
automatically generated by Flickr

Suggested Tour Route

I can suggest an itinerary based on the places we visited. This route is do-able with only 5 days, but I highly recommend taking much longer if you can. And of course, please look into locations I haven't mentioned here, as we would have done much more if we'd had more time!

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

Our trip stayed mainly in the Haute-Provence and Vaucluse regions.
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

If you are not already familiar with the region, you might consider finding at least one of these books before your trip.
Full of good information and colorful photography, they are indispensible travel resources!
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Sites in the area of Nimes

France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
France. Nimes by ostromentsky
automatically generated by Flickr

Roman Ruins in Provence

The area now called Provence was once the Roman region Gallia Transalpina, or "Gaul beyond the Alps". Its capital was Nemausus, now Nimes, and the entire region is dotted with amazingly well preserved Roman ruins.
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

The of the Bull by _vtcl_
20110812_1813_iPhone by graphia
20110807_1045_iPhone by graphia
20110812_1920_iPhone by graphia
20110813_1052_iPhone by graphia
20110813_1920_iPhone by graphia
20110806_1409_iPhone by graphia
20110808_0909_iPhone by graphia
20110814_1702_iPhone by graphia
20110814_1105_iPhone by graphia
automatically generated by Flickr

Sites in Aix-en-Provence

Training avec Dominique Valéra by voyages provence
Des gauffres ! by marlèned
La fontaine de la Rotonde, gelée by marlèned
La fontaine de la Rotonde, gelée by marlèned
La fontaine de la Rotonde, gelée by marlèned
La fontaine de la Rotonde, gelée by marlèned
P2010108 by marlèned
P2010109 by marlèned
Snowy rose blossoms by marlèned
La fontaine de la Rotonde, gelée by marlèned
automatically generated by Flickr

Sites in Avignon

formation de services du CG84 OSM (FR84,AVIGNON) by jean-louis zimmermann
Couleur Lavande : Saint-Valentin by CouleurLavande.com
Couleur Lavande : Saint-Valentin by CouleurLavande.com
Avignon Francia by Joaquín Martínez Rosado
Couleur Lavande : Noël provençal by CouleurLavande.com
Couleur Lavande : Noël provençal by CouleurLavande.com
Couleur Lavande : Noël provençal by CouleurLavande.com
Couleur Lavande : Noël provençal by CouleurLavande.com
Couleur Lavande : Noël provençal by CouleurLavande.com
Couleur Lavande : Noël provençal by CouleurLavande.com
automatically generated by Flickr

Other Titles You Might Enjoy

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Provencal Products I Recommend

Provence is famous for its lavender, sunflowers, herb blends, natural soaps, brightly colored fabrics, and food.

The modules below showcase some of my personal recommendations.

Provencal Soaps

Naturally hand-milled soap is a major export of the region.
I love the scents and textures of these bath products from Provence!
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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.
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Other Regional Provencal Goods

Herbes de Provence, Calissons d"aix, and more...
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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.
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Useful Links

There is a surplus of online information regarding Provence. I will try to offer a selection of useful links to each of the towns I named in this lens.
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...

Provence is beautiful year round. However, if you want to catch the colors of the lavender and sunflower fields at their peak, the best time to visit is between June and September.
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.

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