Provence: Places to Explore

Like a tiny illumination in a medieval manuscript, Aigues-Mortes is a precise and perfect miniature fortress-town contained within symmetrical crenellated walls, its streets laid out in geometric grids... Read more

Gracious, posh, cultivated, and made all the more cosmopolitan by the presence of some 44,000 international university students, the lovely old town of Aix (pronounced ex) was once the capital of Provence... Read more

If you were obliged to choose just one city to visit in Provence, lovely little Arles would give Avignon and Aix a run for their money. It's too chic to become museumlike, yet has a wealth of classical... Read more

Avignon is anything but a museum; it surges with modern ideas and energy and thrives within its ramparts as it did in the heyday of the popes—and, like those radical church lords, it's sensual, cultivated... Read more

Although its name means wine to most of the world, Bandol is also a popular and highly developed seaside resort town. It has seafood snack shacks, generic brasseries, a harbor packed with yachts, and a... Read more

The most impressive of the Luberon's villages, Bonnieux rises out of the arid hills in a jumble of honey-color cubes that change color subtly as the day progresses. The village is wrapped in crumbling... Read more

This rambling backcountry hill town, crowned with a medieval château, is the market center for the wines of the Var and the crossroads of this green, ungentrified region—until now, that is... Read more

Stretching to the horizon for about 800 square km (309 square miles), the vast alluvial delta of the Rhône known as the Camargue is an austere, flat marshland, scoured by the mistral and swarmed... Read more

Surrounded by vineyards and monumental cliffs, guarded by the ruins of a medieval castle, and nestled around a picture-perfect fishing port, Cassis is the prettiest coastal town in Provence. Way back in... Read more

The main reason to come to this tiny village, named after France's most notable soldier-hero of the 16th century, is to stay or dine at its hotel, the Hostellerie de Crillon le Brave. But it's also pleasant—perched... Read more

Gordes was once merely an unspoiled hilltop village; it's now a famous unspoiled hilltop village surrounded by luxury vacation homes, modern hotels, restaurants, and B&Bs. No matter: the ancient stone... Read more

Off the southeastern point of France's star and spanning some 32 km (20 miles), this archipelago could be a set for a pirate movie; in fact, it has been featured in several, thanks to a soothing microclimate... Read more

Crisscrossed with lazy canals and alive with moss-covered waterwheels that once drove its silk, wool, and paper mills, this old valley town retains a gentle appeal—except, that is, on Sunday, when... Read more

Of all the marvelous hilltop villages stretching across the south of France, this tiny ziggurat of a town may be unique: it's 100% boutique-and-gallery-free and has only one tiny old épicerie (small... Read more

When you first search the craggy hilltops for signs of Les Baux-de-Provence (pronounced lay-bo-duh-pro-vance), you may not quite be able to distinguish between bedrock and building, so naturally does the... Read more

Marseille may sometimes be given a wide berth by travelers in search of a Provençal idyll, but it's their loss. Miss it and you miss one of the more vibrant, exciting cities in France, which is... Read more

Famous as the former home base of A Year in Provence author Peter Mayle (he has since moved on to another town in the Luberon), the town of Ménerbes clings to a long, thin hilltop over this sought-after... Read more

With one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world and a near-perfect Roman temple, Nîmes beats out Arles for the title of "French City Best Able to Cash In on the Roman Empire's Former... Read more

In shades of deep rose and russet, this quintessential and gorgeous hilltop cluster of houses blends into the red-ocher cliffs from which its stone was quarried. The ensemble of buildings and jagged, hand-cut... Read more

There are other towns as pretty as St-Rémy-de-Provence, and others in more dramatic or picturesque settings. Ruins can be found throughout the south, and so can authentic village life. Yet something... Read more

The principal town within the confines of the Parc Régional de Camargue, Stes-Maries is a beach resort with a fascinating history. Provençal legend has it that around AD 45 a band of the... Read more

This ancient town thrives as a modern market center yet retains an irresistible Provençal charm, with medieval backstreets, lively squares lined with cafés, and, as its name implies, the... Read more