Provence holidays

Well-connected to the rest of Europe by train, many travellers can make their trip to Provence flight-free. Once you’re here, don’t just look to the Cote d’Azur: it’s just a tiny part of the region. The rest creeps up when your back is turned. Inland of Marseille there’s Aix en Provence; inland of Nice there’s the Alpes Maritimes; and the bright blue splendour of Les Gorges du Verdon is inland from Cannes. The west of the region is bound by the River Rhone and its vineyard-rich valley and nearby towns like Avignon and Orange. From here you might look to the coast again, to the Camargue at the river mouth, with its salt flats, flamingos, and wild horses. At the heart of the region is the lovely Luberon, with its perched villages and lavender fields.

Its name comes from the Romans – and you can still see Roman ruins in the area, such as the amphitheatre at Orange. Yet Provence’s way of life is all its own. This region has a strong identity within France, its own accent, language and traditions. For tourists who flock here, it’s known for its fantastic weather, dishes like bouillabaisse, pissaladière and ratatouille, and markets with produce in every shade of pink and purple – from lavender to dark, plummy wine, to lovely pale rose. Lighting the hillside from the end of June to the end of August in upper Provence, lavender is Provence’s famous export. Valensole Plateau is an important producer and has a lavender festival in July.

There’s something more ineffable that draws the crowds – the light. It’s this light that has inspired film directors and which painters have tried to capture correctly for centuries, not least Cezanne, who worked out of Aix en Provence. Our holidays make the most of the Provencal sunshine – whether you’re practising yoga and relaxing on a terrace, or hiking in the hills.

Leave the shore to the yacht-spotters, the interior of Provence is where you’ll find us. Our walking holidays take on the Alpes-Maritimes region where the temperatures are cooler than on the coast, or the Upper Provence region, to nose your way through lines of lavender, away from the crowds and traffic, to explore the flower’s purple reign at your own pace. The Provencal hills require a Provencal appetite – luckily the cuisine delivers on both quantity and taste with its Mediterranean ingredients. Walking through a local market is a great way to pick out a picnic to fuel you for an afternoon in the hills.

If walking is all about getting the local lie of the land, let that extend to where you stay, too. Our walking holidays include both small group trekking trips, and self-guided walking, but whichever you choose we favour family-run, independent accommodation which operates responsibly – by using biodynamic and organic produce, renewable energy and local suppliers.

Provence is a hub for professional cyclists: the climb up Mount Ventoux is Provence’s most well-known contribution to road cycling and a famous feature of many a Tour de France. Road cyclists can challenge themselves on the region’s hills, but by no means are all our cycling holidays here as tough as Le Tour. The area is welcoming cyclists of all abilities. You can enjoy flat rides, such as following the Via Venaissia cycle path or going along the Rhone Valley. More ambitious rides go further, climbing through vineyards and into the hills.

Our holidays include luggage transfers, locally-run accommodation and come with brilliant recommendations for family-run restaurants. Increasingly we are able to offer e-bikes on many tours, too, so you can travel with more confidence.