VILLAGES / SMALL CITIES
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence – Van Gogh’s Provence
A lively market town with great food, art, and history. The market is on Wednesday morning. Van Gogh painted many masterpieces here while staying at Saint-Paul de Mausole Monastery, which you can visit. Consider driving (15 mins) to Les Baux-de-Provence, medieval castle ruins and an art show at Carrières de Lumières.
Gordes – The Iconic Hilltop Village
A golden-stone village perched on a hill, with cobbled streets and sweeping valley views. The market is on Tuesday morning. Don’t miss the nearby Abbaye de Sénanque and its famous lavender fields.
Lourmarin – Chic & Artsy
One of the most stylish villages in Provence, with boutique shops, art galleries, and a Renaissance château. Lourmarin’s Friday market is one of the best in the region, featuring local cheeses, olives, fresh produce, lavender products, handmade pottery, and Provençal fabrics. It’s the perfect place to pick up souvenirs!
L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue – The Venice of Provence + Antiques/Brocant
A charming town with canals, antique shops, flea markets, and a fantastic Sunday market. A great mix of Provençal charm and shopping.
Cassis – Seaside Charm & White Wine
A quaint fishing village, perfect for seafood, boat tours to the Calanques National Park, and sipping local cassis white wine. This place will feel different from all the other places on your tour because it’s on the waterfront. Gorgeous seaside town - minimally, go down to the port, have lunch in a cafe and poke around the shops. If you can swing a tour of Des Calanques, do it! If not, you can always take a 2-hour boat tour around the bay (tickets available at the port, just walk up.)
Aix-en-Provence – The Elegant Heart of Provence
The cultural and artistic hub of Provence, with beautiful boulevards, fountains, markets, and Paul Cézanne’s legacy. A perfect mix of city sophistication and Provençal charm.
Gallifet Art Gallery and Restaurant have lunch in the courtyard! (A friend of a friend owns this place! But I'm not being biased - it’s delightful.)
And of course, you must visit the Atelier de Cezanne.
ARTIST RETREATS
This place looks stunning. (20 minutes drive from St Remy)
Not technically in Provence - it’s about 3.5 hours drive from Aix - but including it here just in case it suits.
Artists Retreat In September (off peak season).
Artists Retreat In September (off peak season).
LITERARY INSPIRATION
MEMOIR / CREATIVE NONFICTION
My Life in France by Julia Child: An absolute classic—Julia Child’s memoir of her years in Paris and the birth of her love for French cooking.
Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard: A charming memoir about falling in love in Paris, with incredible recipes woven throughout.
Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard: Sequel to Lunch in Paris—moves from Paris to a small village in Provence.
Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod: One woman's journey from the fast lane to a slow stroll in Paris.
How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are by Caroline de Maigret: A fun, irreverent guide to Parisian life, fashion, and attitude.
The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater: The first in a trilogy about an actress who buys an olive farm in Provence and transforms it into a new life.
At Home in France: Eating and Cooking with the French by Ann Mah: A culinary memoir of life in France, food traditions, and learning to cook like a local.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle: A classic! Peter and his wife move to a small village, renovate a 200 year old house and try to blend in.
NOVELS
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: A gripping historical fiction novel about two sisters resisting the Nazi occupation in rural France and Paris.
The Paris Wife by Paula McClain: A captivating historical novel about Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, and their whirlwind life in 1920s Paris.
Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky: A haunting, unfinished masterpiece depicting the lives of Parisians and rural villagers during the Nazi occupation of France.
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro: A young woman inherits a mysterious perfume legacy in Paris.