I’m about to move to Marseille and I’m excited to explore more of Provence when I get there – I haven’t been anywhere around there but Marseille since my childhood holidays and one more recent trip to Aix, so I’m bookmarking this! Loved every word.
I also loved what you said about it being OK to be a tourist – people have got so carried away with finding hidden gems (and often only for the online kudos) that there are barely any left hidden anyway, so we might as well relax and enjoy ourselves and take it all a bit less seriously and see the things that are famous for good reason.
Also had to laugh at your Super-U experience. It is horrible, and, as you guessed, the equivalent of Asda. The nice French supermarket chains are Monoprix and Franprix, for your next trip!
I live in France and all supermarkets are like UK ones. Although the fruit and veg are not generally pre packaged so you can pick your own. You need to, because often they are going off so you need to find the ok ones. I don’t know Monoprix or the other one though.
It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! France has had my heart for a long time and after many shorter trips all over the country, this summer we decided to stay for a month. We’re almost 3 weeks in to our trip which is part work and part holiday and it’s been everything I’d hoped it would be! We’re a little further north than you were, in Vaucluse, but so much of what you’ve written applies.
A highlight was Avignon a few days ago. Lunch at Pollen was sublime and the Musée Angladon was the perfect sized gallery for a (very) hot day. A new discovery for me was Fragonard, a shop with the dreamiest candles (and other fragrances) for very reasonable prices. Agree with you on the hats. My husband and I both bought a new one recently and the guy in the shop was brilliant at helping us find the right sizes and styles to suit us.
I’ve been writing about my experiences in the form of a diary on my Substack in case anyone is interested! 🇫🇷🧡✍🏻🍅🧀🥖
I must add L’Isle Sur la Sorgue to places to visit in Provence! I know Provence quite well as we live the other side of the south in the Languedoc and go there in our motorhome. I absolutely love Provence! If you are in the Alpilles again, do visit Les Baux de Provence, which has old ruins up the top of the hill and is stunning. Visit Roussillon for the old ochre mines and the village too which is lovely as all the buildings are varying ochre colours. Did you see the Roman ruins at St Remy de Provence when you were there? Another great place if that’s your thing.
A visit to Mt Ventoux is a must if you have a car and it’s not far from the Luberon. Then when you have explored all the Luberon, there is the rest of this amazing region to visit! We are still seeing new places after 4 holidays there in the last 6 years- the mountain areas are stunning.
There’s a big difference between Provence and the Languedoc - here our villages look really quiet and run down, whereas the equivalent in Provence look much more affluent and have more life to them. I love both though. Glad you had a lovely time!
Thank you for the local tips! I was gutted to miss Roussillon but we just ran out of time – it's on the must-see list for next time, though! Mt Ventoux we didn't see either and Les Baux de Provence was very close to the farmhouse where we stayed but we didn't go, sounds like we missed a treat!
Hi Eleanor, excellent article and definitely broadsheet worthy! I live not far from where you were , the other side of Mt Ventoux. I’ve lived here for 6 yrs and 3 yrs in Paris, I can say hand on heart that I’ve met lovely people who have been extremely helpful to us. I generally go to Grand Frais , all fresh food , no frozen or household items - just food! My local market is Bedoin (Monday) or Carpentras (Friday), slightly touristy in the summer months but mostly farmers market. Avoid buying antiques in Isle sur la Sorgue or Villeneuve during the summer months unless you aren’t bothered about prices. I love the months of May and September. Interesting that you have my thoughts about Arles market - I thought I was the only one. Love the city though. Did you go to Bistro Paradou whilst you were there - always popular and good for people watching. Next time you come reach out for further info! A bientôt
This is so helpful, thank you! We didn’t go to the bistro (we bought SO many tomatoes that we cooked at home every evening) but we could hear it at all times as it was directly opposite the house where we stayed 😁
This was such a lovely read, and it inspired me to finally visit Provence. I have always wanted to see Avignon and Marseille (my ancestors come from Marseille), and especially the Vasarely museum in Aix-en-Provence. You gave me an idea for so many other places!
I agree you should wait to buy things while on vacation. I literally bought my summer wardrobe at the market stalls in L’Îsle-sur-la-Sorgue last summer ☺️. Everything I bought was better quality and more unique than any fast fashion brand!
Ok this was very inspiring and I want to book a trip to France immediately!! I’m also very scared of flying, but I think it’s worth it when you get to visit amazing places. Feel the fear and do it anyway, etc etc!
I loved reading this Eleanor! I’ve very briefly visited Provence (a fleeting trip to Aix, about ten years ago) and have always wanted to go back and explore more of the area - plus I’d really like to nip down to the coast close to Marseille. You’ve inspired me to start thinking about booking a trip there sometime soon
Sooo happy that you came down to the south of France! I still haven’t made my way to the east coast yet, but reading this is heightening my motivation!
The people here are so friendly. And heck, even Parisians have always been polite and warm to me! The fruit and bread—yes and yes—I agree with all of your words!
I'm off to Aix-en-Provence in August and I am now desperate to visit the Friday market you write about in Lourmarin! I am going to pack light purely so I can stock up on gorgeous French linen.
Ahh you'll have the best time! A tip with the market days is to get out early – they were already in full swing by 8am and by 2pm, they were packed up. Very much a morning thing!
Came across this newsletter on my homepage and so glad i did because i’m headed to Marseille, Arles and Provence in less than a week! I won’t lie, I was having a little anxiety about the French being rude stereotype so I’m happy to hear it was faux in your case.
Perfect timing! Have a quick through the comments on this post as there might be a few tips worth saving. I can't comment on Marseille as we didn't visit but Arles was a really cool city and relatively small too, so it's walkable. And yes, the locals we met were LOVELY!
What a beautiful feature; we’re planning a trip for a month next summer and I’m having the hardest time narrowing in on a city. If you were returning for a long period of time is there a town you feel you’d most want to hunker down in?
Oooh that's a hard one as we didn't see a huge amount of the region so I would hate to miss the 'best' place BUT I really liked Arles a lot and then for somewhere smaller, Saint Remy was very charming and well located for driving to other places, likewise Lourmarin, it's tiny but so idyllic and not too far from other places that you'd want to see while you're there.
Ah, the way this took me back to my beloved Luberon! My husband and I have gone twice (including this past June) and already are plotting our next Provencal escape. Also, we went to L'Isle Sur La Sorgue on market day, and can speak to the opinion that we actually enjoyed Lourmarin's Friday market much better!
I’m about to move to Marseille and I’m excited to explore more of Provence when I get there – I haven’t been anywhere around there but Marseille since my childhood holidays and one more recent trip to Aix, so I’m bookmarking this! Loved every word.
I also loved what you said about it being OK to be a tourist – people have got so carried away with finding hidden gems (and often only for the online kudos) that there are barely any left hidden anyway, so we might as well relax and enjoy ourselves and take it all a bit less seriously and see the things that are famous for good reason.
Also had to laugh at your Super-U experience. It is horrible, and, as you guessed, the equivalent of Asda. The nice French supermarket chains are Monoprix and Franprix, for your next trip!
I bloody knew it! It was defo giving ASDA 😂. And wow, what a move! You’re about to be less than an hour from life in a fairytale!
I live in France and all supermarkets are like UK ones. Although the fruit and veg are not generally pre packaged so you can pick your own. You need to, because often they are going off so you need to find the ok ones. I don’t know Monoprix or the other one though.
This deserves to be in one of the weekend papers Eleanor. Many people should see this.
Ahhhh thank you! X
Really enjoyed this article Eleanor! I have seen a few people going to southern france this summer and it made me really itchy to go!
Thank you! And I’ve noticed that too but couldn’t decide whether I was only noticing people going to France because I was going myself
I had the same thing with Crete. Either an Echo chamber or 50% of people went to Greece on holiday this year, the other 50% to southern France!
It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! France has had my heart for a long time and after many shorter trips all over the country, this summer we decided to stay for a month. We’re almost 3 weeks in to our trip which is part work and part holiday and it’s been everything I’d hoped it would be! We’re a little further north than you were, in Vaucluse, but so much of what you’ve written applies.
A highlight was Avignon a few days ago. Lunch at Pollen was sublime and the Musée Angladon was the perfect sized gallery for a (very) hot day. A new discovery for me was Fragonard, a shop with the dreamiest candles (and other fragrances) for very reasonable prices. Agree with you on the hats. My husband and I both bought a new one recently and the guy in the shop was brilliant at helping us find the right sizes and styles to suit us.
I’ve been writing about my experiences in the form of a diary on my Substack in case anyone is interested! 🇫🇷🧡✍🏻🍅🧀🥖
You are living my dream! Saving these tips for our next trip! x
I must add L’Isle Sur la Sorgue to places to visit in Provence! I know Provence quite well as we live the other side of the south in the Languedoc and go there in our motorhome. I absolutely love Provence! If you are in the Alpilles again, do visit Les Baux de Provence, which has old ruins up the top of the hill and is stunning. Visit Roussillon for the old ochre mines and the village too which is lovely as all the buildings are varying ochre colours. Did you see the Roman ruins at St Remy de Provence when you were there? Another great place if that’s your thing.
A visit to Mt Ventoux is a must if you have a car and it’s not far from the Luberon. Then when you have explored all the Luberon, there is the rest of this amazing region to visit! We are still seeing new places after 4 holidays there in the last 6 years- the mountain areas are stunning.
There’s a big difference between Provence and the Languedoc - here our villages look really quiet and run down, whereas the equivalent in Provence look much more affluent and have more life to them. I love both though. Glad you had a lovely time!
Thank you for the local tips! I was gutted to miss Roussillon but we just ran out of time – it's on the must-see list for next time, though! Mt Ventoux we didn't see either and Les Baux de Provence was very close to the farmhouse where we stayed but we didn't go, sounds like we missed a treat!
Hi Eleanor, excellent article and definitely broadsheet worthy! I live not far from where you were , the other side of Mt Ventoux. I’ve lived here for 6 yrs and 3 yrs in Paris, I can say hand on heart that I’ve met lovely people who have been extremely helpful to us. I generally go to Grand Frais , all fresh food , no frozen or household items - just food! My local market is Bedoin (Monday) or Carpentras (Friday), slightly touristy in the summer months but mostly farmers market. Avoid buying antiques in Isle sur la Sorgue or Villeneuve during the summer months unless you aren’t bothered about prices. I love the months of May and September. Interesting that you have my thoughts about Arles market - I thought I was the only one. Love the city though. Did you go to Bistro Paradou whilst you were there - always popular and good for people watching. Next time you come reach out for further info! A bientôt
This is so helpful, thank you! We didn’t go to the bistro (we bought SO many tomatoes that we cooked at home every evening) but we could hear it at all times as it was directly opposite the house where we stayed 😁
This was such a lovely read, and it inspired me to finally visit Provence. I have always wanted to see Avignon and Marseille (my ancestors come from Marseille), and especially the Vasarely museum in Aix-en-Provence. You gave me an idea for so many other places!
Thank you ☺️
I agree you should wait to buy things while on vacation. I literally bought my summer wardrobe at the market stalls in L’Îsle-sur-la-Sorgue last summer ☺️. Everything I bought was better quality and more unique than any fast fashion brand!
Yes! I felt like such a novice having attenpted a sandals and linen shop in London the week before!
Ok this was very inspiring and I want to book a trip to France immediately!! I’m also very scared of flying, but I think it’s worth it when you get to visit amazing places. Feel the fear and do it anyway, etc etc!
Exactly the same! Every flight I assume I’ll die and yet I keep on taking them because there’s so much to see!
I loved reading this Eleanor! I’ve very briefly visited Provence (a fleeting trip to Aix, about ten years ago) and have always wanted to go back and explore more of the area - plus I’d really like to nip down to the coast close to Marseille. You’ve inspired me to start thinking about booking a trip there sometime soon
I imagine you’d love it if you revisited now (since we always love the same places 😆)
Sooo happy that you came down to the south of France! I still haven’t made my way to the east coast yet, but reading this is heightening my motivation!
The people here are so friendly. And heck, even Parisians have always been polite and warm to me! The fruit and bread—yes and yes—I agree with all of your words!
Same actually! Even in Paris I usually have a warmer response than in London!
I'm off to Aix-en-Provence in August and I am now desperate to visit the Friday market you write about in Lourmarin! I am going to pack light purely so I can stock up on gorgeous French linen.
Ahh you'll have the best time! A tip with the market days is to get out early – they were already in full swing by 8am and by 2pm, they were packed up. Very much a morning thing!
Came across this newsletter on my homepage and so glad i did because i’m headed to Marseille, Arles and Provence in less than a week! I won’t lie, I was having a little anxiety about the French being rude stereotype so I’m happy to hear it was faux in your case.
Perfect timing! Have a quick through the comments on this post as there might be a few tips worth saving. I can't comment on Marseille as we didn't visit but Arles was a really cool city and relatively small too, so it's walkable. And yes, the locals we met were LOVELY!
I went to Aix, La Ciotat and Marseille last summer and it was absolutely wonderful. This post brought back good memories.
Glad to hear it :)
I haven't heard of La Ciotat but just googled it and it looks beautiful!
It’s so gorgeous, peaceful and laid back.
What a beautiful feature; we’re planning a trip for a month next summer and I’m having the hardest time narrowing in on a city. If you were returning for a long period of time is there a town you feel you’d most want to hunker down in?
Oooh that's a hard one as we didn't see a huge amount of the region so I would hate to miss the 'best' place BUT I really liked Arles a lot and then for somewhere smaller, Saint Remy was very charming and well located for driving to other places, likewise Lourmarin, it's tiny but so idyllic and not too far from other places that you'd want to see while you're there.
Ah, the way this took me back to my beloved Luberon! My husband and I have gone twice (including this past June) and already are plotting our next Provencal escape. Also, we went to L'Isle Sur La Sorgue on market day, and can speak to the opinion that we actually enjoyed Lourmarin's Friday market much better!
Oh this is good to know! I’ve also been warned that the antiques market there is wildly expensive, so it’s better for inspiration than actual shopping
100%!!