Towns & Villages in Provence

First recorded in 1040, Entrevaux is an arresting sight - a walled medieval town surrounded by a moat, with a drawbridge entrance, towering gatehouses and a series of fortified walls leading up to a 17th century citadel perched up high above an enormous valley.

Aix en Provence is considered by many to be the South's cultural and artistic centre, thanks to its ancient university and its inherent connection to the artist Paul Cezanne.

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.

Port-Grimaud is a purpose built Venetian-style Provençal village that looks as if it has been there for centuries. In the sixties Alsatian-born architect François Spoerry bought a large piece of swamp by the coast and over four years created one of the most successful property developments in France.

You can't fail to miss Mornas as you drive down the motorway into the Vaucluse region. As the cliffs rise up to your left you can see the imposing fortress perched on top, overlooking the town below. 

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.

The tiny village of Cadenet is less showy than neighboring Lourmarin, but it's also less crowded and more unspoiled by the glossy effect tourism tends to have on the appearance of Provençal villages.

A charming little town, full of fountains and some quite grand manor houses that reflects its history as a former capital of the Comtat Venaissin (the region surrounding Avignon).

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.

Gargas is a small village that sits between three low lying hills and since the Provençal word for hill is 'gargan', you can see why the village got its name. 

Saignon is a small village sitting on a cliff band not far from Apt, at the very heart of the Luberon.

Caumont sur Durance lies midway between Avignon and Cavaillon on a small plain near the Durance river. 

A village clinging to a hill side, visible from afar, a cluster of houses that are grouped in a dense fortification. Known as a "village perché", it is a striking feature of the Provence landscape. Close to the Mediterranean sea, on the peninsula of St. Tropez, you find two such villages: Ramatuelle and Gassin.

Vaison la Romaine has it all, Roman ruins, a historic and delightful medieval town centre, a castle on a rock, arts festivals, wonderful vineyards and glorious countryside for hiking and biking.

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.

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.

Enjoy the quiet life, sip a glass of rosé at a sidewalk café without going broke, and pick up your fresh baguette in the early morning without the strains of a long queue.

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