Marseille
This teeny tiny art gallery, located along a narrow sloping road in the historic neighbourhood of Le Panier, offers a platform to emerging artists and a…
Must-see attractions in Provence
Marseille
To the west of the Vieux Port lies Abbaye St-Victor, the birthplace of Christianity in Marseille, built on a 3rd century BC necropolis. It's €2 to visit…
Les Calanques
The largest calanque hit headlines in 1991 when diver Henri Cosquer from Cassis swam through a 150m-long passage 36m underwater and into a cave, only to…
Réserve Géologique de Haute-Provence
Parc National du Mercantour
It's hard to believe, but millions of years ago the Alps sat at the bottom of a vast temperate sea, leaving behind millions of fossils pressed into the…
Var
This sanctuary protects one of France’s most endangered species, the Hermann tortoise (Testudo hermanni) today found only in the Massif des Maures and on…
Parc National du Mercantour
With its towers, turrets and ramparts, this medieval village looks like a relic from a Monty Python film set. In the late 14th century, the valleys around…
Marseille
The old maritime neighbourhood of La Joliette, moribund since the decline of the 19th-century docks, has been revitalised by bars, shops and restaurants…
Arles
Named for Arles' semi-mythical first archbishop, this Romanesque-style church, built over a 5th-century basilica, was a cathedral until the bishopric…
Marseille
Visionary modernist architect Le Corbusier redefined urban living in 1952 with the completion of this vertical 337-apartment tower, popularly known as La…
Monastère Notre Dame de Ganagobie
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Ganagobie’s otherworldly monastery is an essential stop. Founded in the 10th century, it’s still home to a working Benedictine community, whose products,…
The Luberon
Occupied since prehistoric times, the site of this clifftop fortress commands an incredible view over the surrounding valley. Abandoned in the 17th…
Camargue
Located on the Petit Rhône, this manade (bull farm) lets visitors enter the world of the gardians ('cowboys'), watching their strenuous work from the…
Vaucluse
The Forêt de Venasque, criss-crossed by walking trails (including long-distance GR91), lies east of Venasque. Cross the Col de Murs mountain pass (627m)…
Cathédrale de Marseille Notre Dame de la Major
Marseille
Standing guard between the old and new ports is the striking 19th-century Cathédrale de la Major. After its foundation stone was laid by Napoleon III in…
Marseille
Around nine kilometres west of Marseille lie the dyke-linked limestone islands of Ratonneau and Pomègues, known jointly as the the Îles du Frioul…
Camargue
Inside a 19th-century sheep shed 10km southwest of Arles, this museum evokes traditional life in the Camargue, with exhibitions covering history, culture,…
Camargue
Glowing a peculiar pink in the sunlight, the vast, flat salt pans that stretch southwards from Aigues-Mortes have for centuries produced the region's…
The Luberon
Beehive-shaped bories (stone huts) bespeckle Provence, and at the Village des Bories, 4km southwest of Gordes, an entire village of them can be explored…
The Luberon
Situated 6km north of Bonnieux, near the junction of the D36 and D900, is one of the Luberon’s most impressive Roman landmarks. Dating from around 3 BC,…
Var
This 16th-century fortification contains historical and natural-history exhibits, and its tower has lovely island views. Much of the building dates from…
Vaucluse
Following the course of a vanished underground river, this 230m-long cave was accidentally discovered in 1902 during mining works. Marvels include a mound…
Avignon
This impressive vast square surrounding the Palais des Papes provides knockout photo ops. On top of the Romanesque 17th-century cathedral stands a golden…
Var
A private residence of the president from 1968 to 2013, the Fort de Brégançon is now an accessible national monument. Located on a scenic peninsula 20…
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Forming part of the 12th-century fortified castle built by the Simiane-Agoult family, who were one of the region's most powerful medieval dynasties, this…
Marseille
Donated to the city by the sculptor Jules Cantini on his death in 1916, this 17th-century mansion-turned-museum conceals some superb art behind its…
Aix-en-Provence
In 1895 Cézanne rented a cabanon (cabin) at the Carrières de Bibemus, east of Aix, where he painted 27 works. Atmospheric one-hour tours of the ochre…
Bouches-du-Rhône
Reopened after an expensive program of renovations, this impressive Renaissance hôtel particulier was built in 1513 by Balthazar de Sade (ancestor of the…
Marseille
Intended as much to control the citizens of Marseille as guard them from external threat, Fort St-Jean was built by Louis XIV in 1660 on the site of a…
Vaucluse
King Philip the Fair (aka Philippe le Bel) wasn’t messing around when he built defensive 14th-century Fort St-André on the then border between France and…
Parc National du Mercantour
It’s worth the trek (and metered traffic) to reach Europe's largest alpine lake, Lac d’Allos (2226m; inaccessible fall to spring). From Allos, narrow,…
Parc National du Mercantour
Originally built to protect the French border from invasion, and later used as part of the Maginot Line during WWII, this hillside fortress 18km northeast…
Marseille
This eye-catching white structure next to MuCEM is no ordinary ‘villa’. Designed by architect Stefano Boeri in 2013, the sleek white edifice sports a…
Toulon
North of the city, Mont Faron (589m) towers over Toulon, and the views are, as you would expect, epic. Near the summit the Mémorial du Débarquement de…
Var
Picturesque plantations spread out around this farm at the foot of Callas, where Andrew, Mathieu and Anthony Bérenguier are the fourth generation of an…
Var
Built over an earlier Christian structure (itself sitting on the foundations of a Roman villa), this 12th-century Benedictine Romanesque abbey has been…
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
If all the olive groves around Provence have inspired your curiosity, head 15km southeast of Foraclaquier to Volx, where this intriguing eco-museum…
Vaucluse
Perched on some precipitous cliffs, the 11th- to 14th-century Forteresse de Mornas, 12km north of Orange, makes a dramatic backdrop for the pretty village…
Parc National du Mercantour
Opened in 2015, this new museum in Digne explores Provence's lavender-growing culture through a mix of multimedia displays, explanatory panels, archive…
Gorges du Verdon
This hillside chapel sits high above Castellane at an altitude of 903m, wedged into a cleft between the mountains and offering a panoramic view across the…
Parc National du Mercantour
This valley lies east of the Gorges du Daluis. It's a dramatic drive, but perhaps lacks the scenic wow-factor of its neighbour – but if you combine the…
