Var
The simplest but most beautiful of 'The Sisters' (a trio of great Provençal Cistercian abbeys including Silvacane and Notre-Dame de Sénanque), Thoronet,…
Must-see attractions in Provence & the Côte d'Azur
Aix-en-Provence
The Caumont is a stellar art space housed inside the Mazarin quarter’s grandest 18th-century hôtel particulier (mansion). While there are three quality…
Côte d'Azur
An over-the-top, belle-époque confection, this villa was commissioned by Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild in 1912. She was an avid art collector…
Parc National du Mercantour
For an arresting insight into the forces of nature, a hike up to these massive, fractured stone blocks above the town of Annot is well worth the effort…
Var
Growing continuously since its conception in 1910, this stunning garden, with plants from all Mediterranean climates, is wonderful for a stroll or a…
Parc National du Mercantour
The grey wolf was hunted to extinction in France by 1930, but in 1992 two 'funny-looking dogs' were spotted near Utelle, presumably having loped across…
Vaucluse
Beneath the limestone cliffs an easy 1km walk from the village, the magical spring after which the village is named gushes forth at an incredible rate –…
Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins
Côte d'Azur
The brainchild of compulsive art collector and British entrepreneur Christian Levett, this outstanding museum contains 600 works spanning 5000 years. The…
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Situated 4km south of Forcalquier near Mane, this peaceful priory dates from the 13th century. It’s well worth a visit to wander around its medieval herb…
Vaucluse
Wandering around Vaison-la-Romaine's wonderful medieval quarter, you could be forgiven for thinking you've stepped into a forgotten set from Monty Python…
Côte d'Azur
Irish modernist architect Eileen Gray designed this tour de force of a Mediterranean villa, complete with highly inventive furniture and fixtures, in the…
Pays d’Aix
The vine-clad slopes, woods and and olive groves of this Provençal estate are graced by harmonious examples of art and architecture, including work by…
Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau
Camargue
Flamingos are a dime a dozen in the Camargue, but this park is one of the best places to see the many other migratory and seasonal species that thrive in…
Camargue
This remote nature centre, 12km south of Salin de Giraud, organises fantastic forays through 702 hectares of protected marshland, scrubby glasswort,…
Parc National du Mercantour
This alpine garden is probably the last thing you'd expect in tiny Roure. It's a pet project of Monaco's Prince Rainier, who's covered 15 steep-sided…
Vaucluse
For bird's-eye views of the theatre – and phenomenal vistas of Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail – follow montée Philbert de Chalons or montée…
Var
The protected Vallon Sourn, where the swift waters of the Argens have cut a picturesque canyon from the soft rock, is a haven for for walking, cycling,…
Marseille
Ships have docked for millennia at Marseille’s birthplace, the vibrant Vieux Port. The main commercial docks were transferred to the Joliette area in the…
St-Tropez
Shrug off the hustle of the port in St-Tropez’ historic fishing quarter, La Ponche, northeast of the Vieux Port. From the southern end of quai Frédéric…
Musée International de la Parfumerie
Grasse
This whiz-bang museum is a work of art: housed in an 18th-century mansion enlarged with a modern glass structure, it retraces three millennia of perfume…
Var
Over 2000 years of human habitation are layered in Hyères’ attractive old town, which begins on the western side of place Georges Clemenceau at the 13th…
Côte d'Azur
These gorgeous gardens belonging to Grasse's Musée International de la Parfumerie showcase plants used in scent-making. Half the garden is displayed as…
Marseille
In the heart of Marseille's Le Panier quarter is this grand and gorgeous almshouse, built by Pierre Puget (1620–94), an architect and sculptor born just a…
Chapelle Notre Dame de Beauvoir
Gorges du Verdon
High above the village, Moustiers' 14th-century church clings to a cliff ledge like an eagle’s nest. A steep trail climbs beside a waterfall to the chapel…
Vaucluse
Carpentras’ remarkable synagogue dates from 1367 and is the oldest still in use in France. Although Jews were initially welcomed into papal territory, by…
St-Tropez
Built in 1602 to defend the coast against Spain, the citadel dominates the hillside overlooking St-Tropez to the east. The views are fantastic, as are the…
Arles
This superb 150-year-old museum, housed in an exquisitely renovated 15th-century Hospitaller priory by the Rhône, might be assumed old-fashioned, yet its…
Bouches-du-Rhône
Inside the chilly galleries of a former limestone quarry, this peculiar but intriguing attraction is like an underground audiovisual art gallery, with…
Parc National du Mercantour
Situated 2km north of Digne-les-Bains in St-Bénoît, en route to Barle, this museum and outdoor park features four trails that explore the region's geology…
The Luberon
This distillery on the edge of Buoux uses locally grown lavender, cypress and rosemary in its products. It also rents out three gorgeous self-contained…
Vaucluse
Hidden behind Cathédrale St-Siffrein, the Arc Romain was built under Augustus in the 1st century AD and is decorated with worn carvings of enslaved Gauls.
Côte d'Azur
Immersed in greenery 6km southeast of St-Paul-de-Vence, Le Domaine des Collettes in Cagnes-sur-Mer was home and studio to an arthritis-crippled Renoir …
Aix-en-Provence
Eight kilometres southwest of Aix is the town of Les Milles, where this imposing factory produced bricks and tiles from 1882 until 31 August 1939, when it…
Parc National du Mercantour
At an altitude of 1904m, this impressively situated hilltop church was supposedly founded on the site where a local villager had a vision of the Virgin…
Antibes
Picasso himself said, ‘If you want to see the Picassos from Antibes, you have to see them in Antibes'. The 14th-century Château Grimaldi was Picasso’s…
Côte d'Azur
Perched on a hilltop just outside Monaco that’s visible from all directions, this amazing monument was built by Emperor Augustus in 6 BC to celebrate his…
Cassis
The 'Road of Crests' offers heart-stopping panoramas as it traverses the 13 winding kilometres of stunning coastal and upland scenery between Cassis and…
Côte d'Azur
This magnificent dwelling is a reproduction of a 1st-century Athenian villa, complete with baths, stunning mosaic floors and furniture such as dining…
Aix-en-Provence
Built in 1860 as the centrepiece to the place de la Rotonde, the roundabout at the western edge of Cours Mireabeau, this magnificent fountain is adorned…
Èze
The best panorama in Èze village is from this cactus garden right at the top of the craggy hilltop village. Take time to relax in the ruins of Èze's…
