The Insider's Guide to the Most Beautiful Corner of France
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Provence is a vibrant mix of romantic tradition and surprising, fast-changing modernity: hilltop villages and colourful cities, châteaux and fishing cabins, lavender fields and spectacular rocky calanques, rosé wine and bouillabaisse, Cézanne and van Gogh, pétanque, scuba diving and Olympique de Marseille, cutting edge French rap and elegant summer festivals of theatre and classical music.
Marseille sums up many of these contrasts. It is France's oldest city, with a rich and flavourful history. Yet it has also undergone a radical facelift over the last decade under the ambitious Euroméditerranée development programme.
This year the city itself, along with much of the surrounding region of Southern Provence, is the European Capital of Culture: click on the link for our events diary and full guide to the best of what's going on during Marseille-Provence 2013.
Book a villa, gîte or apartment in Provence with Owners Directg(19977342)a(2014834))
Today a tourist trip to Provence has never been easier, thanks to a high-speed TGV rail link from Paris and Lille (with frequent connections from London), low-cost flights to Marseille, Avignon, Toulon and Nîmes and fast-expanding cruise-ship traffic.
This site covers the sights and attractions in the areas around Marseille, as well as around Aix en Provence and Avignon, both of them grand provençal cities in their own right. As we grow, it will become a complete travel guide to Provence.
So, whether you're planning a weekend break, an extended stay, the purchase of your dream house or just an armchair visit to the most beautiful corner of France, do come and check regularly what's hot and fresh under the Mediterranean sun.
One last thing: if you like the site and find it useful, please support us by booking your travel and hotel or by visiting and buying products through our advertisers. This will help cover our costs and enable us to improve our service to you. The information here aims to help, but we can't take responsibility for any inaccuracy.
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Nouvelles
 Amazing aerial images of the Camargue captured by pilot-photographer Marc Heller are on show at the Aix Tourist Office until 23 June. Admission free.
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 New on the site: our complete guide to the route Cézanne around the mighty Mont Sainte Victoire, near Aix: wine, hiking, art, fabulous landscapes, the French Foreign Legion...
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 Yes We Camp, Marseille's new pop-up campsite designed by young artists and architects, opens on 22 May. Beds from 13 €uros a night.
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 The Journées des Plantes at the beautiful Jardins d'Albertas, near Aix, offer rare Mediterranean plants, live music, children's workshops, guided tours and more. 24-26 May.
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 The "Venice of the Mediterranean", Martigues is hosting a spectacle that combines performance art, music and pyrotechnics to create an imaginary water-city all along the city's canals and the Berre Lake. 31 May-9 June.
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 Full details of the programme for the main Festival d'Avignon have just been announced. The box-office opens on 17 June and the Festival itself runs 5-26 July.
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 A major new show, Nuage, is based around the unusual theme of clouds. At the Musée Réattu in Arles, until 31 Oct.
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 Do you plan to drive to Provence from Northern Europe? Our recommended, most enjoyable route is guaranteed to make it a memorable trip.
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 E-bike Tours is a new company offering English-language guided tours of Marseille by electric bicycle.
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 Our insider's guide to where to eat and the best restaurants in Aix en Provence.
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 You don't see lavender fields in Southern Provence - except this year, when 4,000 lavender bushes will turn the Old Port of Marseille into a blaze of glorious purple. 28 June-7 July.
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 A show of Mediterranean-themed ceramics by Pablo Picasso is on display in Aubagne. Until 13 October
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 The new Eurostar direct service from London to Aix en Provence started on 4 May. Tickets for it and the popular existing London-Avignon Eurostar summer service are now on sale.
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 The line-up for the Five Continents Jazz Festival in Marseille includes Diana Krall, George Benson, Gilberto Gil, Hiromi and Wayne Shorter, and the box-office is now open. 17-27 July.
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 Planning to follow the 2013 Tour de France through Provence this summer? We have a map and list of campsites all along the route.
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 Probe the (Avignon) Popes' private lives in the Secret Tour of the Palais des Papes. Weekly English-language tours on Friday afternoons have just resumed.
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 A remarkable hike / theatrical performance recreates the world of Marcel Pagnol's The Baker's Wife in the hills of Aubagne. Weekends from 20 April-26 May.
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Our affiliate partner, Owners Direct, is currently offering some tempting villa bargains with discounts of up to 25% on rentals in Provence. |
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 An exhibition in Montfavet near Avignon (30 March-2 June) celebrates Camille Claudel, a brilliant, forgotten sculptress, while Juliette Binoche stars in a new film about the artist.
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 The new brousse du Rove, Provence's legendary, highly-prized goat's cheese, is back for the spring! Find out the story behind it, and where to eat it (while you can).
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