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…
Must-see attractions in Provence & the Côte d'Azur
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…
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Provence
Grasse
This local-history museum, at home since 1921 in an aristocratic hôtel particulier (mansion), is a wonderful evocation of life in the 18th century. Rooms…
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…
St-Tropez
St-Tropez’ legendary and very charming central square is studded with plane trees, cafes and pétanque players. Simply sitting on a cafe terrace watching…
Grasse
For a different spin on Grasse’s perfume production, plan a trip to this lovely flower farm 7km southeast of the centre of Grasse. Centifolia roses and…
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Cannes
Posing for a selfie on the 22 steps leading up to the main entrance of this concrete bunker – unlikely host to the world’s most glamorous film festival –…
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…
Musée Escoffier de l’Art Culinaire
Côte d'Azur
Filling three floors of the childhood home of Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935), this charming museum celebrates the life of France's most legendary chef…
Fragonard’s Usine Historique & Musée du Parfum
Grasse
At the entrance to the old town, next to the Jardin des Plantes, this ochre-coloured mansion is where the Fragonard perfumery began in 1926 – though…
Marseille
Visionary modernist architect Le Corbusier redefined urban living in 1952 with the completion of this vertical 337-apartment tower, popularly known as La…
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche's imposing citadel is worth visiting for its impressive architecture. Built by the duke of Savoy between 1554 and 1559 to defend the gulf,…
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,…
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche was a favourite of Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), who sought solace here in 1924 after the death of his companion Raymond Radiguet. Several years…
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…
Grasse
Visitors can admire a fine collection of vintage perfume bottles and learn about perfume ingredients on a self-guided tour of this small museum tracing…
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…
Musée National Picasso 'La Guerre et la Paix'
Antibes
Picasso's everywhere in Provence, including this modern museum 7km west of Antibes, which centres around the artist's last great political work: the…
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…
Côte d'Azur
The medieval chunk of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Roquebrune sits 300m high on a pudding-shaped lump crowned by 10th-century Château de Roquebrune. Of all the…
Côte d'Azur
High in the hills above Tourrettes-sur-Loup, this organic goats-cheese producer welcomes visitors. To see its 70 goats being milked, arrive sharp at 8am…
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
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…
