
Carbone Fontaine, Place d'Albertas, Aix-en-Provence
No other region of France stirs the imagination and stimulates
the senses as strongly as Provence. The soft light and its vivid
landscape of pastel colours have inspired writers and artists from
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Pagnol to Van Gogh and Picasso. The
fragrant countryside redolent with wild herbs is scattered with
historic fortified medieval towns such as Avignon and
Aix-en-Provence and the ancient Roman towns like Orange and Arles
with their great monuments, arches and coliseums. On the coast is
the great port of Marseille, a melting pot of cultures so in
contrast to the traditional social landscape of most French
provincial towns. Low-cost airlines and a fast TGV train from Paris
have made Provence increasingly accessible and this, combined with
glorious weather, puts it high on any list of the world's most
desirable destinations.
Resorts
See our separate guides to the following Provence holiday resorts: Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Arles
Attractions

Chateauneuf du Pape, Avignon
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a medieval village on the side of a
hill, dominated by the ruins of an ancient château towering
above. The château was the pope's summer retreat from the
Palais and although all that remains are the foundations and two
outer walls, it...
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Palais des Papes © Jean-Marc ROSIER
Palais des Papes
Towering over Avignon the imposing Palais des Papes (Palace of
the Popes) is the symbol of the city's medieval power. The palace
consists of the ascetic Old Palace, commissioned by Benedict XII,
and the extravagant Gothic New Palace of Clement VI. It was...
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Petit Palais © abrocke
Petit Palais
Just below the Palais des Papes, the Petit Palais contains a
wonderful collection of 13th- to 15th-century paintings and
sculpture. Most are the work of Italian masters from that era and,
as you progress through the 19 rooms, you can observe how they
wrestled...
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Pont d'Avignon © Donald Albury
Pont d'Avignon
Behind the Petit Palais is the much photographed Pont d'Avignon,
known best from the famous children's song of the same name. The
bridge was originally built in the 12th century to shorten the
journey for the busy traders ferrying their goods between the
Mediterranean...
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Orange
Just north of Avignon, Orange was the former seat of the Counts
of Orange, a title created in the 8th century and passed to the
Dutch crown in the 16th century. The family's most famous member
was Prince William, who ascended the English...
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