Summers are special in Provence. During this time, usually-sleepy hilltop villages are bustling with activity, the cicadas are singing, and the surrounding fields are bathed in a majestic purple (lavender) and gold (sunflowers). Yes, it’s hot (the temperatures during this time of the year can get up to 40°C!), but none of that seems to matter when you’re strolling around the French countryside with some lavender ice cream in hand. Here’s my guide to visiting lavender fields in Provence.

Note: A version of this article first appeared on DameTraveler.com. To see the original post, click here.

Length: 7 Days | Budget: $$$

7 Days in Provence

Our 7-day road trip through Provence started in Les Baux de Provence and ended in Aix-de-Provence, and took us through some of the most charming French towns I’ve ever seen. Each town had its own distinct character and personality. We visited in early July with the hopes of seeing the iconic lavender fields of the area in full bloom, and we were not disappointed! Let this Provence photo diary inspire your next trip to France. Just make sure to book your trip in the summer season to catch the lavender fields at their best!

Les Baux and Saint-Remy de Provence

Our first stop in Provence was the medieval village of Les Baux-de-Provence. It’s a small town but worth visiting, as there’s a lot to see and do in the village. Towering over the village are the ruins of the Castle of Les Baux, which is built upon the hill and offers sweeping views of the countryside. The castle grounds are large, and we spent a few hour exploring them.

At the foot of the town is the world-famous Carriere des Lumiere museum. This museum is unlike any other – it’s built within the mountain and paintings are projected onto the surrounding rock surfaces! The exhibits are an absolute feast for the eyes.

A short 20-minute drive away from Les Baux is the charming village of Saint-Remy de Provence, a town where artist Vincent Van Gogh spent much of his time. Saint-Remy is full of cute boutique shops and cafes, and we spent a lazy afternoon roaming the village.

TIP: A popular way to see the village of Saint-Remy is the Van Gogh route. This easy, self-guided walk takes you from the center of the village to the hospice where Van Gogh lived. Along the way, you’ll see the sites that inspired Van Gogh.

We also treated ourselves to an assorted box of chevre cheese (a local specialty), from the town’s local cheese shop La Caves aux Fromages. These little drops of heaven were almost too pretty to eat!

L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue Sunday Market

Sunday is a large market day in Provence, and the village of L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue offers one of the largest Sunday markets in all of France.

The food stalls at the L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue market are filled with local produce, huge wheels of cheese, freshly-baked breads and pastries, barrels of olives, and homemade jam and honey. The ‘flea market’ section is an antique-lovers dream, featuring all types of vintage furniture, porcelain, cutlery, clothing, and other unique finds.

We explored the market with a large straw basket in hand, picking up items along the way for a hearty picnic along the Sorgue River. I’ll admit, we did go a bit overboard with our picnic – which consisted of a full rotisserie chicken, a basket of nectarines and cherries, two baguettes, a jar of cassis jam, a wheel of camembert cheese, a bag of sun-dried tomatoes and olives, a slice of vegetable quiche, and two very-pretty patisserie (passion fruit cheesecake and a raspberry tart!) for dessert. When in Provence right?

Avignon

We explored the town of Avignon, most famous for previously being the center of Roman Catholic power in the early 1300s. We took a tour through the UNESCO World Heritage site, Palais des Papes (a.k.a the Pope’s Palace), a large Gothic palace that served as the residence of the Popes. We also visited the Pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon’s most famous bridge over the Rhone river.

And while the bridge and palace were impressive…the highlight of our visit was the airy box of chouquettes I bought while roaming the cobbled streets of the town. I’m  officially obsessed!

Gordes and the Red Town of Rousillon

Gordes is perched on a rocky and dramatic hillside (for the best views of the town, stop at the lookout point along the D15/D2 heading into the town), and it is absolutely beautiful! Here, we walked up and down every tiny alleyway (we needed a way to burn off all the calories we consumed on our picnic!), and enjoyed panoramic views of the surrounding vineyards.

A short 5-minute drive outside of town is the famous Senanque Abbey, which is an iconic place for pictures of perfectly-arranged lavender fields. To be honest, I wasn’t that impressed with the lavender fields at Senanque (the ones on the Valensole plateau and around Sault are much better!). I could imagine the Senanque Abbey being a peaceful place to visit in the mornings, but because we visited during midday, the grounds were swarming with tourists and tour buses.

Afterwards, we visited the neighboring village of Rousillon, famous for its orange and blood red ochre rock deposits. If you happen to visit Rousillon, make time for the Sentier des Ocres, an hour-long trail that takes you through the ochre cliffs of the town.

TIP: Dinner was at a charming little restaurant/B&B called Le Petit Cafe, in the village of Oppede. I couldn’t recommend this restaurant enough! The food was delicious, and the setting and Provencal-style decor was oozing with charm.

Lavender Fields of Valensole

There are lavender fields scattered all over the region of Provence, but the most famous of them are located on the Valensole plateau, specifically around the Lavandes Angelvin (a tiny lavender-focused shop located along the Route de Manosque). The lavender fields at Lavandes Angelvin are absolutely breathtaking – and the way the plants line the gentle slopes makes it seem like the lavender fields go on for forever! A word of warning though, the fields near Lavandes Angelvin are quite popular so if you want to avoid the crowds….go earlier or later in the day!

If you’re lucky, you might even find a neighboring sunflower field in the area. The only thing better than frolicking in a lavender field, is frolicking between a sunflower and lavender field!

Truffle Hunting with Les Pastras in Cadenet

One of our favorite activities in Provence was going on a truffle-hunting tour in the village of Cadenet with Les Pastras. I had always been a truffle fan, but didn’t know much about the growing/hunting/manufacturing process. Did you know that truffles take around 7 years to come to fruition?! And once they are mature, they are only fresh for 1-2 weeks. The tour was absolutely fascinating, and I now have a greater appreciation for truffles (and a better understanding for why they are so expensive)!

During the tour, we got to follow two truffle-hunting dogs (Eclair and Mirabelle) around, while they sniffed and examined the ground for truffles. I was so impressed with how quickly they found the truffles (and even more impressed that they didn’t eat them). Apparently, truffle-hunting used to be done with pigs, but the pigs loved the truffles so much that they would end up biting the fingers off of the truffle hunters in an attempt to eat them! Our guide explained that dogs are much better truffle-hunting companions – they don’t actually like the taste of truffle…they just like the treats that come after they find one!

Of course, the best part of the tour was the sampling of the fresh truffles. We got to try fresh truffle with cheese. Truffle on buttered toast. Truffle-infused honey and olive oil. Truffle salt. Truffle ice cream! So good.

Rejuvenation and Relaxation in Provence

There are places you visit with a packed back-to-back itinerary. But there are also places where it’s okay to relax and ‘do nothing’, Provence being one of them. Although there are several attractions and sites to see in the region (a few of them already mentioned in this post), make sure to have time reserved for relaxation.

We woke up late. We enjoyed leisurely breakfasts of homemade jams and bread. We took naps. We strolled around quaint villages with no set itinerary, no specific agenda.

We were lucky enough to stay in a rustic provencal farmhouse (complete with windows and doors painted a tres particular lavender blue) with a kitchen, so we even took a night off of eating-out, and spent a few hours preparing and cooking a nice dinner for ourselves. There’s really nothing better than a home-cooked dinner and a chilled glass of wine in the garden, under the stars.

Next summer, you know I’ll be dreaming of lavender fields in Provence.

Have questions, or need help planning a trip to Provence? Leave me a comment below!

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