Provence

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.

Bill Bryson

Exploring Provence

The South of France is hands-down one of my favourite places I’ve ever been to. It was everything I had hoped for and certainly lived up to its reputation for rolling countryside, delicious food and wine and fantastic weather.

Where is Provence?

Provence covers a large region of Southern France, from the left bank of the lower Rhone to the west and the Italian border to the east. It incorporates the towns of Avignon, Marseille and Nice and stretches almost as far north as Grenoble. This gives you a huge range of options for exploring the area, including choosing to spend time both inland and on the famous coastline.

Getting to Provence

Marseille and Nice have international airports but if you’re travelling from the UK or mainland Europe I would recommend getting the train. Aix-en-Provence and Avignon are big transport hubs with good connections, particularly on the TGV Mediterranee line. My friends and I took the Eurostar from London. Outbound it was a direct train to Avignon but returning home we had a change in Paris. All fairly straightforward though and easy to navigate, as long as you don’t have too much luggage with you. At Avignon station we hired a car which we had pre-booked online, and from there hit the open road.

Provence – Things to See and Do

My experience of Provence wasn’t typical. I avoided all the big cities and didn’t visit the coast, and I still had the most amazing holiday. My friends and I stayed in a house in a place called Faucon – one of those picture-perfect medieval villages perched on top of a hill. It had all the simple things we wanted from a holiday in rural France including a sweet little boulangerie with tables overlooking sweeping countryside, a local “cave” (winery) with free wine tasting at any time of the day, and plenty of local walking trails. When we felt like getting out of the village we jumped in the car and visited nearby towns, bought fresh produce from the markets, and swam in the area’s rivers. If you’re looking for some peace and rejuvenation, I would highly recommend a few days’ getaway in Provence.

Favourite memory of Provence: Going for long evening walks and enjoying the peaceful summer warmth and picturesque surroundings

Best food in Provence: Visit the local markets to purchase all the fresh ingredients you need to whip up a delicious Salad Nicoise