Towns & Villages in Provence

Lorgues is a typical Provençal market town with a medieval centre which is surrounded by beautiful countryside of pine and oak forests, olive groves and vineyards.

Châteaudouble is a pretty village with a history that dates back to the 12th century. It sits high in the hills above Draguigan in the Var, and is surrounded by beautiful woodland.

When driving on the Highway of the Sun, l'Autoroute du Soleil, past Aix-en-Provence towards Brignoles and the Côte d'Azur, your eye will be caught by an imposing building that sluggishly towers over its neighboring houses, like a Gulliver in Lilliput.

Aups is a typical Provençal market town, that sits in the foothills of the Alps and just to the south of the Verdon National Park.

Cavaillon, as with many towns and villages in Provence, has a diverse cultural heritage and you don't have to walk far to come across its old town, a first century Roman arch, France's oldest Jewish synagogue, or to enjoy the views from the St Jaques hill that overlooks the town.

Nestled in the hills of Les Alpilles, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a stylish town much favoured by the creative Parisien set. Its centre is full of narrow medieval alleyways, with fountains and shady squares and wonderful buildings.

Saorge is a wonderful medieval village perched high on a rock overlooking the magnificent Gorges de Saorge and the Vallée de la Roya; it's classed as one of the 40 most beautiful villages in France.

This small village in the Vaucluse is literally in the centre of things when it comes to wine growing. It has no less than 14 estates and vineyards in its vicinity, producing wines under the Vacqueyras and Côtes du Rhône labels.

Grignan is a small village that overlooks the plains of the Rhône valley, just over the border of northern Provence into the Drome region. It's a charming little place but most visitors come here to see its castle.

One of the most scenic routes through Provence is the tail end of autoroute 81 and its continuation to national route 75, which finally ends in Grenoble. Just at the junction where the four-lane highway becomes a two-lane local road, the medieval citadel of Sisteron towers over the town beneath on the slopes towards the Durance river.

Bédoin lies within a large territory that includes the impressive Mont Ventoux, home of one of the most iconic stages of the Tour de France and a challenge for any cyclist coming to the area.

A busy market town of 30,000 inhabitants, Carpentras sits on the fertile plain of Comtat Venassin that is protected from the elements - in particular from the Mistral wind.

One of the prettiest villages in Provence (one of the 'Plus Beaux Villages'), Gordes is perched on top of a hillside around its historic castle.

In summer there is no better place to enjoy the lush flowers of the bougainvillea, plumbago or oleander than in the pretty village of Grimaud. Close to the Mediterranean sea on the first hilltop before the Massif des Maures, Grimaud sits there with a cocky attitude that says: we've been here for ages and that's the way it's going to be for centuries to come.

Arles is the 'third city' in the département of the Bouches-du-Rhône. Compared to its boisterous, historical rival Marseille and its worldly sister Aix-en-Provence, it can be quite sedate, though summer visitors might disagree.

Officially recognised as one of the 'most pretty villages in France', Bargeme is situated to the west of Verdon on a hill top 1,097m above sea level.

Brignoles lies at the heart of the Côtes de Provence wine region.

Villecroze is an attractive village in the foothills of the Alps, to the north of Brignoles in the beautiful and lush region of the Var.