Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur

The archetypal southern French experience

The beauty of its landscapes How best to describe the magic of Provence? Perhaps you’d begin with the drama of its landscape – the soft light, the rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves and some 900km of uninterrupted Mediterranean coastline, a pastiche of pretty fishing villages, beaches and inlets. Inland, the Sainte Victoire, Luberon and Alpilles mountains beckon adventure-seekers with exhilarating spots for walking, cycling, white-water rafting and more.

The Provencal Culture and art Then there’s the region’s cultural depth and its vibrant cities. Provence is peppered with sites associated with artists including Van Gogh and Picasso, who were smitten with the area, while the three departments that form the Alps are home to historical towns such as Briançon.

The Cities of Provence Memorable cities include the cosmopolitan port city of Marseilles; Arles, with its Roman amphitheatre; Aix-en-Provence with its 17th century mansions; glamorous Saint-Tropez; and Avignon, with its colourful markets, medieval churches and the UNESCO heritage-listed Popes’ Palace.

The Gastronomy of Provence

Of course, no visit to Provence would be complete without sampling copious amounts of its zesty food and wine. Olive oil, rice, olives and fine truffles form the basis of much local cuisine, while goat’s cheese and grass-fed Sisteron lamb make for worthwhile highlights.

Specialities • The calissons of Aix-en-Provence, a sweet candy with a mix of orange and almonds, is a must buy souvenir from the Provence! • The bouillabaisse in Marseille, – that lavish, soupy concoction of seafood, fragrant saffron and fennel, sweet onion and piquant tomato-, traditional or updated, it’s a typical dish from Provence and especially Marseille, do not leave Marseille before tasting it!

Stadium that will host RWC2023 matches

• Marseille • Orange Vélodrome : 67,000 seats

Sites not to be missed

• Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde and the Mucem in Marseille

The Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde , the Catholic Basilica in Marseille is the city best-known iconic place to visit in Marseille, it’s overlooking the City of Marseille and offering a panorama of the Frioul islands, the creeks, the Old Port, its many ochre walls that run down to the sea— and the crown jewel, the Mucem.

The MUCEM is the museum dedicated to the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, opened in 2013. Its collections include more than 350,000 objects as well thousands of art works, documents and this incredible site is also best known for its majestic architecture designed by the architects Roland Carta and Rudy Ricciotti.

• The city of Aix-en-Provence The the birthplace of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne, Aix for the French people has an elegant architecture dated back to the 18th century, with the classic mansions, mossy fountains, and Renaissance houses. Wander to Cours Mirabeau, stop at the Hôtel de Caumont or the Granet Museum and admire the white limestone mountain Sainte-Victoire famously painted by Cezanne!

•The city of Toulon Discover Toulon the largest city in the Var department, a port city with an attractive Provencal landscape along the coast. Visit the old town, a lovely Mediterranean city with fountains and small streets, and spend time at the port where you can enjoy boat trips and excursions.

•The city of Antibes In the vibrant city of Antibes Juan Les Pins, you will find many options for sea lovers, live music fans, and sport passionate. Antibes is the perfect balance with its old and charming city center surrounded by some beautiful beach resorts. An ideal destination to relax and enjoy the warm Mediterranean weather.

• The palace of the Popes in Avignon Avignon is famous for its palace of the Popes, a huge Gothic building, with its powerful towers, courtrooms, chapels and ceremonial halls, imbued with delicate frescoes and vibrant colors, as well as its bridge, and the Avignon Festival in Summer, an Art theatrical Festival with performers and young talents all over the world.

• The Baux-de-Provence and its Quarry of Lights Part of the most beautiful villages in France, visit the Castle of Baux en Provence, its Romanesque church, and its Yves Brayer museum as well as the Quarries, an immersive multimedia show and exhibition highlighting art and music.

• Gorges du Verdon The famous Provençal canyon, between the Var and the Hautes-Alpes surmounted by steep cliffs and offering blue emerald water, offers a wide range of activities like hiking on marked trails, climbing, playing aquatic sports, canoeing and cycling.

• Gordes, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence ... Visit those little beautiful villages in the Luberon Regional Park, like Gordes with its stone houses on a hill overlooking the valley. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, in the Alpilles Mountains, is a typical Provencal village with its squares shaded by plane trees and artists' studios.

• The Camargue The regional park of Camargue situated at the Rhone delta, with its vast wetlands, marked by salt marshes, flooded meadows, lagoons, is the home of the famous pink flamingos, bulls and horses. A paradise for walking, cycling or horse riding.

• Discover the lavender road from Sault to Valensole in early summer

The Romans have perfumed their linen with lavender grown here thousands of years ago— The spiky purple flowers flourish in the region from the Drôme to the Alpes-Maritimes, via the Hautes-Alpes, Vaucluse and the Alpes de Haute-Provence. There are several routes running through the fields. Update your Instagramfollowing the blooms, between mid-June and the end of August and take that amazing picture!

•Play the movie star in Saint-Tropez

The Old port village is the home of the rich and famous. Be a star and relax on the Le Senesquier Terrace by sipping on a coffee with a tart from St Tropez, the Tarte Tropezienne. Go and play Petanque, swim and sunbath at the beach of Canoubiers or dance at the Club Caves du Roy!

And don’t forget to visit The Calanques, Orange and its old Roman Theatre, Arles, the Capital of Art, the beautiful island of Porquerolles and tour the Provencal colourful markets: Carpentras, Cassis, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Vaison-la-Romaine and Arles!

New

• The new Michelin 3-star address restaurant in Marseille: AM Alexandre Mazzia

• La Provence à vélo : cycling in Provence with a map featuring 850km of cycling paths in Vaucluse, signposted mountain bike trails and two official French Cycling Federation (FFC) areas, to download here.

Escapades

• Grasse, the Capital of Perfume: The city of Grasse with it narrow streets and elegant 19th-century mansions with secret gardens is known to be the Mediterranean balcony with its panoramic views over the Provencal countryside and the Mediterranean Sea. It’s also here that you can visit the International Perfume Museum and where the world famous perfumes have been created. Fragonard, Molinard and Galimard's factories have all their head office in Grasse too and you can visit them.

• Take a train: there are several options to choose from. Their common point is that you will travel through scenic and spectacular landscapes like the Calanques: on the sentier des Douaniers along the Côte Bleue for instance, from from L’Estaque to La Redonne or Niolon.

• The scent of wild herbs and flowers in Provence is famously intoxicating – so much so that an entire industry has been born here. Visit the home of L’Occitane en Provence (www.loccitane.com) in the Alpes-en-Haute-Provence department to buy natural and organic products made from honey, lavender, olive and verbena.

Access from Paris to Marseille

• by train: Only 3 hours by TGV from Paris and 1 hour 40 minutes from Lyon from the Saint-Charles station. • by plane : 1h15 from Paris Orly via the Air France shuttle every 30 minutes, and 3 or 4 flights per day from Charles-de-Gaulle airport. • by road : Located on the South East/South West motorway axis (2h from Nice by car or bus).

Your representative at Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur

Valerie Vuillerme Promotion and Trade Manager

v.vuillerme@provence-alpes-cotedazur.com

Site pro : WWW.provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/pros-area