34 Best things to see & do in Provence

Nearly a thousand shows and exhibitions over three weeks, showcasing world-class drama, music and dance. France’s answer to the UK’s Edinburgh Festival.

Postcard-perfect vineyards yielding world-famous wines – Provence is the home of the most prestigious Cotes du Rhone wines, including the reds of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Beaumes-de-Venise.

Europe’s best-preserved Ancient Roman theatre, dating back to the 1st century AD, is still used for performances today.

The world’s biggest Gothic palace was home to popes during their 14th-century exile from Rome. Seven reigned here until 1377, in a colourful period of greed and depravity.

The biggest and one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in France, where 20,000 would come to watch gladiators fight to the death.

The studio where French artist Paul Cezanne painted – evocatively preserved, as if he had just put down his brushes.

Provence offers a feast for art lovers, with several excellent museums. Two of the world’s greatest painters – Cezanne and Van Gogh – painted many of their masterpieces here. Follow in their footsteps, see the actual locations, and where and how they lived.

The Luberon massif, with its lush landscapes, quaint villages and lavender fields (in season) is like a film set. It’s quintessential Provence at its most picturesque – best appreciated by car or the 236km circular bike route.

Follow in Van Gogh’s footsteps through the landscapes around Saint-Remy-de-Provence, where he painted some of his best-known works.

Provence’s bloodless bullfights are one of the region’s most exciting and best-loved sports, a cultural phenomenon held in the magnificent Roman amphitheatre of Arles.

Follow in Van Gogh’s footsteps around Arles, the town where he painted some of his best-known works.

France’s oldest festival, featuring exceptional lyrical and opera performances, held in the beautiful, crumbling 1st-century Theatre Antique.

Our summary of the typical foods, ingredients and flavours, cooking styles, dining scene and best foodie experiences in Provence.

Founded in 1948, this prestigious international festival of lyrical arts, dedicated to opera and classical music, takes place in the picturesque setting of Aix-en-Provence.

An atmospheric, ruined 10th century castle teetering atop the craggy Alpilles mountains, rich in Provence feudal history and panoramic landscape views.

A remarkable, medieval cathedral packed with treasures’ home to a famous Renaissance masterpiece and a fascinating tapestry museum.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site of breathtaking beauty, this aqueduct bridge, dating back to the 1st century BC, is testimony to the genius of Roman engineers.

The best-preserved Roman city in Provence, near Saint-Remy, amid landscapes painted by Van Gogh.

A must for any art lover, this museum holds one of Provence’s top art collections, including works by Cézanne, Rubens, Rembrandt, and the Collection Planque.

A superb private art collection in a townhouse, including the only Van Gogh in Provence. There are also paintings by Chardin, Manet, Cezanne, Degas, Modigliani, Sisley and Picasso.

An archaeology museum housing a fascinating collection of sculptures, mosaics and much more from the ancient Arles region – artifacts date from prehistoric times until the 6th century AD.

Each morning, Aix hosts one of Provence’s best markets, overflowing with the freshest fruit, vegetables, herbs, meats, seafood and cheeses from local producers. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, it expands tenfold and includes a massive flower market.

This magnificent townhouse (1715), a beautifully restored hôtel particulier, features lavishly furnished period rooms, an exquisite garden, a film on Cezanne and temporary art exhibitions; a good stop for lunch, afternoon tea or dinner too.

An organic farm in the Luberon run by a French-American couple that offers the chance to experience a traditional French wine harvest, including a tour of the farm, lessons in cultivation, and the chance to stomp on the grapes. Weekdays only.

An evocative, romantic Roman burial ground – once the most famous cemetery in medieval Europe. It’s the burial site of the legendary St Trophime and the first bishops of Arles, and remains an important stop on the pilgrimage to Compostela.

Arles is world-famous thanks to Van Gogh, but to the city’s eternal regret no one bought any of his paintings. This foundation, in the newly renovated Hotel Leautaud de Donines, is dedicated to art exhibitions inspired by the artist.

A massive, wildlife-filled river delta, where gardians (French cowboys) ride white ponies and herd black Camargue bulls amid vast flocks of pink flamingos. Brilliant for horse-riding, hiking, cycling, and wildlife safaris.

Organic farm in the Luberon run by a French-American couple who offer summer and winter truffle hunts, and the chance to stomp on grapes the old-fashioned way during the harvest.

Papal Avignon was the centre of the European art for decades, and over 300 works of (mostly) Italian medieval and renaissance paintings and sculptures commissioned by the wealthy prelates of the church, including a Botticelli Madonna, are displayed in this 14th-century palace.

Frank Gehry’s striking crumpled silver tower houses the enormous project of the art-and Arles-loving billionaire heiress Maja Hoffmann, to create a new art gallery and new space for artists. Worth going to admire the architecture, if nothing else.

In the stunning setting of Les Baux, learn all about Provence’s greeny-golden nectar on these free tastings of these award-winning oils. Open all year-round, but short walks through the olive groves and visits to the mill are also offered from June to September.

Visit the most famous chocolate factory in Provence, just outside Aix in Puyricard, where you can go behind the scenes in their atelier or spend an afternoon at a hands-on chocolate-making workshop.

In Vaison, north of Avignon, the modern city, the medieval city, and the extensive remains of their Roman predecessor lie jumbled charmingly together. Ruins include four grand mansions, a theatre, a fine museum, and a picturesque bridge that still connects the two parts of the town.

The asylum where Van Gogh spent 1888-89 is a masterpiece of Provencal Romanesque, and today specializes, appropriately, in art therapy. His room and reproductions of the paintings he made there are on display, along with temporary exhibitions.