Provence Overview

While Paris has world-class paintings, it’s Provence that inspired them. One of France’s most diverse regions, Provence boasts ancient Roman ruins, luxurious hilltop castles, endless fields of lavender, and much more. Fierce mistral winds cut through olive groves in the north, while pink flamingoes, black bulls, and white horses gallop freely in the marshy Camargue to the south. With 2600 years of tumultuous history, Marseille is France’s second largest city and an energetic melting pot of French, African, and Middle Eastern cultures. The former stomping ground of medieval popes, Avignon combines a fun student vibe with a lively arts scene and world-renowned theater festival. Throughout the Lubéron and the Vaucluse, tiny towns brim with local legends and bold character. The countryside might look familiar, given that masterpieces by Cézanne, Matisse, and Van Gogh—to name a few—have immortalized Provence’s beauty. Come summertime, Parisians head to Provence to “escape” the city while foreigners come to see if there’s any truth behind all the hype. What they find keeps visitors coming back year after year—a dip in the jewel-green sea, a stroll through earthy vineyards, and a taste of la vie en rose.

Pretend You’Re Pope in the Palais des Papes, the immense Gothic palace built by the French popes in Avignon during their 39-year boycott of Rome.
Do As The Romans Did and see a show at the Théâtre Antique in Orange , home to one of the world’s three remaining Roman stage walls.
Find Your Inner Van Gogh or your new favorite photographer in the artist haven of Arles —but hold on to your ears.

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