PROVENCE, FRANCE: TRAVEL GUIDE

After over a long year of no international travel, Braden surprised me with a huge 30th birthday surprise — plane tickets to Provence, France!

France opened their borders to vaccinated Americans on June 9th and we arrived bright-eyed and bushy tailed early on the morning of June 14th. Though nervous for the uncertainty of international travel during a global pandemic, everything went surprisingly smoothly.

This trip, we opted for a ‘home base’, meaning we kept our suitcases in one place the entire stint of our vacation, and it truly made the day-to-day activities and planning so much easier and relaxed. We were in country for 8 days, so while I can’t break down every single thing we did throughout our time in France, I’ve pulled together a favorites list with everything from lodging to restaurants below. Plus, I’m including a few tips and tricks to keep in mind if and when you book your tickets to Provence, France!

WHERE TO FLY INTO

This type of information is always helpful for me when researching for a new international trip, so I’m including it in hopes of helping you plan your perfect vacation.

We flew in and out of Marseille Provence Airport. The distance from the airport to our final destination of Gordes was an easy hour and 15 minute drive.

Another option is flying in and out of the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, depending on your travel plans.

THINGS TO NOTE

A rental car is a must
Provence is full of small towns and is known for its diverse landscapes and stunning destinations. From the small daily trips to markets or the hour+ drive from the airport, it’s essential you have your own means of transportation to ensure you can get where you want, when you want.

Know the French traffic signs
While this seems like common sense, it’s worth noting for everyone’s safety. I recommend having a general understanding of each of their road traffic signs as they are different than what we use in the states. We quickly learned our lesson after a questionable moment in Italy in 2018 that this step is crucial. Review them on the plane and have a tab pulled up on your phone for quick access once you’re in the car.

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed in the most amazing bed & breakfast in Gordes, Domaine Les Martins! We opted to stay in Gordes because it was relatively centrally located to all of the towns and places we wanted to visit throughout our time in the Luberon Valley area. Gordes is an absolutely breathtaking town that is perfectly sized and is exactly what you think of when you think of a quintessential French town.

Staying at Domaine Les Martins for the entire stint of our trip was the best decision we could have made! The quaint property only has 7 available rooms which allows for a romantic and tranquil getaway. Because it was so warm and inviting, it truly felt like our home away from home. Alongside the magnificent property, we were able to personally get the know the owners, Regis and David. They were imperative in perfecting our week-long vacation and had the highest level of attention to detail. They had the best recommendations for restaurants, day trips, and neighboring city markets. I especially loved that they recommended local favorites, rather than tourist favorites. It allowed us to really see the South of France through a local’s eyes and boy, was it magical!

If you are planning a trip to Provence, I couldn’t recommend Domaine Les Martins enough.

RESTAURANTS

Per Regis and David’s recommendations, we truly ate our way through Provence eating at everything from small city favorites to Michelin star restaurants. The French cuisine was decadent, wholesome, and exceptionally fresh.

La Terrasse in Goult
We had dinner here on our very first night. It was an affordable set menu with an inviting atmosphere and every single thing we put into our mouths, we loved. You can tell that this family-owned restaurant not only focuses on food, but presentation. The food was fresh and artfully delicious!

La Bergerie in Bonnieux
Perhaps my favorite dining experience of our entire trip! This Michelin star French restaurant combines a terrace that commands jaw-dropping views with a seasonal menu that spans Provençal recipes to dishes cooked over the wood burning fire. This is a perfect place to go for evening drinks followed by a memorable dinner.

Bistrot des Roques in Saint-Pantaléon
And yet another Michelin star restaurant. Let me preface with all of their dining prices are affordable! It’s not what you would expect in the states where plates are wildly expensive. This was another gem recommended to us and it had a fixed surprise (!) menu which was such a unique and fun experience! There were 5 courses and once you finished your plate the chef would come by and describe what it was that you just ate. This strategy was so entertaining because it made you really focus on the ingredients and flavors and try to figure out what it was while enjoying it. Highly recommend this one!

L’Orangerie in Gordes
This is where we celebrated my 30th birthday and it was another jaw-dropping experience. From the incredible views of the Luberon valley to the Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, it was a magical restaurant through and through. Plus, only a quick drive from our bed & breakfast.

MARKETS

One of our favorite way to start each day was visiting the nearby Provencal Markets. Typically, there are markets happening in and around the neighboring towns every day of the week, so have a seasonal schedule handy throughout the duration of your stay.

The markets generally take place in the town square and offer the best selection of local seasonal fruit and vegetables. Meat and fish are at the peak of freshness or perfectly cured, depending on what you’re looking for. The selection of bread, cheese, olives, tapenade, honey, herbs, spices, and oils is the best around. Each market, Braden and I would purchase fresh baguettes and toppings to bring home to our cottage for an afternoon snack amongst other great souvenirs. This was one of our favorite things to do because it made us feel like real French locals!

Lastly, a very important note—always snag a pastry from the roadside vendors and/or boulangerie (bakery) whenever you come across them. No words can describe how delicious they are. The chocolate croissants were my personal favorite!

TOWNS TO VISIT

There’s no right or wrong agenda when it comes to figuring out where to spend your days. After visiting a handful of cities, we don’t have one bad word to say about any of them because they all have specific qualities that make them charming. That being said, our top three cities that we visited were:

1. Gordes
Located in the heart of Luberon and known for it’s hilltop villages, Gordes is a must-visit! Their market was our absolute favorite. Also, this is where our home-base was.

2. Saignon
Full of winding cobblestone streets that lead to the picturesque village center that has a breathtaking square with a beautiful fountain. Truly stunning.

3. Oppède
One of the smallest and most charming villages we visited. Great for a half-day trip to roam and explore, however, make note that there are not many restaurant options for lunch in this tiny town.

LAVENDER FIELDS

If you’re lucky enough to be in Provence while the lavender fields are in full bloom, it’s one of the most magical experiences ever. They say that mid-June to mid-July is the perfect time to visit, but similarly to fall foliage, it’s hard to be 100% certain of when they will be in bloom. We were there June 13-21 and they just had come to fruition.

Although, everything we read online told us to visit Valensole for their iconic lavender fields, we opted to drive town to town looking for smaller and more quaint fields. To our surprise, lavender fields were everywhere! Sure, not the magnitude of the infamous Valensole fields, but equally as beautiful and we were able to save a day trip to Valensole. We were able to see numerous fields of swaying lavender and with each one we stumbled across, we couldn’t believe the magic of them! It’s a fairy tale brought to life.

WINE

Ahh, the crisp taste of a French Rosé and the big bold tannins from a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, you just can’t beat it. As you probably know by now, Braden and I typically plan our big vacations around wine country because we love experiencing and learning about new wine varietals. We spent a majority of our afternoons tasting wines and visiting vineyards & tasting rooms all throughout the region. Similarly to what I said about the must-see towns, there’s no correct answer to which ones you should visit because they all have something unique to offer.

However, if you like a big full-bodied red wine, I highly recommend visiting Les Caves Saint Charles in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. They offered us a full tasting with a variety of complexities in the cave, in addition to proper tasting techniques, and the history of Châteauneuf-du-Papes. Every wine was immaculate and we learned so much! Plus, the caves are perfect walking distance to handful of other nearby tasting rooms, so it’s easy to make a full day out of it.

Cheers to an absolutely incredible birthday trip that I’ll never forget! We’ll certainly be back, Provence.