Provence 7-day Itinerary
France
Where to go and what to see in Provence to get the most from your trip – a 7-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.
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Overview >Bucket list experience:
Provence’s best food & drink
Provence, France
Daube
Last updated: 19 January, 2023
Provence’s ‘cuisine of the sun’ is based on olive oil, along with plenty of garlic, tomatoes and fresh herbs. Olives notably give its cuisine its special twist: by themselves or mashed into a tapenade. Anchovies, truffles, basil and pine nuts add pizzazz.
Vegetables often hold centre stage, stuffed or artfully sliced and baked in a tian but you’ll find seafood from Marseille and lamb from Mont Ventoux.
What to try
Bouillabaisse started as a humble fisherman’s soup but is now so important it has its own charter of ingredients: restaurants that follow the rules will have one on the walls.
Other classics include Provencal lamb with garlic, and spicy beef stews such as daube or gardiane de taureau. Try fougasse is like Italian focaccia, but stuffed with olives or onions and lardons.
Accompany your meal with Chateauneuf-du-Pape or an excellent rose from the Rhone valley. The favourite aperitif is anise-flavoured pastis, invented here in the 1930s and now an essential part of Provencal life.
The dining scene
Marseille is the place to go for an edgy food scene and ambitious new bistronomique restaurants – not to mention the old favourites where you go for a bouillabaisse around the Vieux Port.
The markets in Provence are the best place to whet your appetite for the cuisine du soleil, filled with colours and perfumes of the local produce – the melons of Cavaillon in summer, the truffles from the Vaucluse in winter.
Head to a wine bar to taste the local wines – Gigondas, Chateauneuf du Pape, Vacqueyras and Beaumes-de-Venise – with platters of charcuterie and cheeses.
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Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: -
Getting there & doing it
Many of the best restaurants are located in smart hotels or in fairly exclusive areas: Les Baux and the Alpilles, St-Remy, Aix, Avignon, and the villages of the Luberon.
See the Michelin guide for the region, which comes in handy for making the essential bookings in advance.
Experience
Chocolate-making at the Puyricard Chocolaterie
Puyricard, Provence, France
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.
Best for ages: 6+ | £8
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Cooking classes with Nadia & Reine Sammut
Cadenet, Provence, France
In-depth regional cooking classes with one of Provence’s top chefs, in a beautiful rural setting.
Best for ages: 18+ | £50 | 2-3 hours
Experience
Les Compagnons
Avignon, Provence, France
‘Les Compagnons’, an association of Cotes du Rhone winemakers, hold this harvest festival on a Saturday late in August at the Rocher des Doms in Avignon; there’s a parade, games and plenty of food and wine.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 1 day
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Experience
Olive oil tasting at Moulin Castelas
Les Baux-de-Provence, Provence, France
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.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 2 hours
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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Entrance ticket to the Brotte Wine Museum with tasting of 3 wines
Avignon
Maison Brotte shares its winegrowing know-how through a unique educational path, revealing all the secrets of wine making, the specificities...
€8 | Rating 4.82 / 5 [46 ratings]
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Entrance ticket to the Brotte Wine Museum with tasting of 5 wines
Avignon
Maison Brotte shares its winegrowing know-how through a unique educational path, revealing all the secrets of wine making, the specificities...
€12 | Rating 4.89 / 5 [85 ratings]
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Tour supplied by:
Aix-en-Provence Walking Food and Culture Tour - 3 hour private tour
Aix-en-Provence
Possibility of transfer back and forth Aix en Provence for 15€
Possibility of transfer back and forth Marseille for 5€
*Pick up from your l...
€85 | Rating 4.11 / 5 [9 ratings]
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Aix-en-Provence Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience
Aix-en-Provence
Our Aix-en-Provence food tour is a walking tour around the historical center. The tourist is guided by a "Foodie", a local "b...
€89 | Rating 4.82 / 5 [40 ratings]
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Grand Hotel Roi Rene
Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France
Stylish hotel with a swimming pool and gardens, in walking distance of lovely Aix-en-Provence. Great for those self-driving around Provence.
Official star rating:
Hotel Cardinal
Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France
A handsome 18th-century townhouse, furnished with traditional Provencal antiques and full of 18th-century charm, in the heart of Aix-en-Provence.
Official star rating:
La Maison d’Aix
Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France
Cutting edge interior design, welcoming touches and an intimate number of guests converge in this luxurious, boutique townhouse hotel – perfectly located in the centre of Aix.
Official star rating:
Grand Hotel Nord Pinus
Arles, Provence, France
A stylish, storied hotel full of character and charm in the historic heart of Arles. Rich in local history, and a favourite of visiting bullfighters.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Provence
Provence, France
Gorgeous landscapes peppered with beautiful villages, sunflowers and lavender, art-filled towns, lively cultural festivals and exquisite food and wine. Provence is everything you imagined it would be.
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