209 Best Sights in Provence, France

This wide avenue leading from the port, known affectionately as the "Can o' Beer" by American sailors, once figured in popular songs and operettas and was once crammed with cafés, theaters, bars, and tempting stores full of zoot suits and swell hats. It's noisy but dull today, yet you might still take pleasure in studying its grand 19th-century mansions.

If you've just arrived in Aix's center, this sculpture-fountain is a spectacular introduction to the town's rare mix of elegance and urban bustle. It's a towering mass of 19th-century attitude. That's Agriculture yearning toward Marseille, Art leaning toward Avignon, and Justice looking down on Cours Mirabeau. But don't study it too intently—you'll likely be sideswiped by a speeding Vespa.

At the top of the Panier district lies this superb ensemble of 17th- and 18th-century architecture, which was originally designed as a hospice for the homeless by Marseillais artist-architects Pierre and Jean Puget and which now houses two museums. While visiting the complex, be sure to walk around the inner court to study the retreating perspective of triple arcades and to admire the baroque chapel with its novel, egg-peaked dome.

The larger of the two museums is the Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne (Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology), with a sizable collection of pottery and statuary from classical Mediterranean civilization; unfortunately, descriptions of these items are rudimentary (e.g., "pot"). There's also an exhibit on the mysterious Celt-like Ligurians who first peopled the coast; alas, displays focus more on the digs than the finds. However, the Egyptian collection—the second-largest in France after the Louvre's—is evocative, with mummies, hieroglyphs, and sarcophagi exhibited in a tomblike setting.

Displays in the upstairs Musée d'Arts Africains, Océaniens, et Amérindiens (Museum of African, Oceanic, and American Indian Art) are theatrical: spectacular masks and sculptures are mounted along a black wall, lighted indirectly, and labeled across the aisle. The complex also has changing exhibitions that might focus on fine art, photography, filmmaking, or cultural anthropology, among other things.

On the D559, perched high above the Bandol vineyards, the village of Le Castellet has narrow streets, 17th-century stone houses, and (alas!) touristy shops designed for beach lovers on a rainy day.

Eighteen stories up, atop Le Corbusier's colossal Cité Radieuse—undertaken in 1947–52 to house the displaced of World War II—this sun-drenched sculpture center, complete with a theater and garden, replaces an ugly gym, added in 1964, that had obscured Le Corbusier's original tiled rooftop terrace. Conceived by notorious Paris designer (and Marseille native) Ito Morabito, aka Ora-Ito, the roof of the famous building has been restored to its original glory, complete with Charlotte Perriand–designed details, and now hosts a rotating schedule of sculpture exhibitions in the summer. The building still houses an apartment complex, shops, a hotel, and a well-regarded restaurant.

On the D20, take a left at Ollioules, and follow the winding road along the crest of Le Gros Cerveau. You'll be rewarded first with inland mountain views and then with an expansive view of the coastline.

The great Renaissance poet Petrarch, driven mad with unrequited love for a beautiful married woman named Laura, retreated to this valley to nurse his heartache in a cabin with "one dog and only two servants." He had met the woman in the heady social scene at the papal court in Avignon, where she was to die years later of the plague. Sixteen years in this wild isolation didn't ease the pain, but the serene environment inspired him to poetry, and the lyrics of his Canzoniere were dedicated to Laura's memory. The small museum, built on the site of his residence, displays prints and engravings of the virtuous lovers, both in Avignon and Fontaine de Vaucluse.

The heart of old Marseille is a maze of narrow cobblestone streets lined by shuttered pastel houses and punctuated by montées (stone stairways) and tiny squares. Long decayed and neglected, the quarter is now a principal focus of urban renewal. In the past few years, an influx of "bobos" (bourgeois-bohemians) and artists has sparked gentrification, bringing charming bed-and-breakfasts, chic boutiques, lively cafés, and artists' ateliers. Although wandering this picturesque neighborhood at will is a pleasure, be sure to stroll along Rue du Panier, the Montée des Accoules, Rue du Petit-Puits, and Rue des Muettes.

You can study miniature dioramas of scenes from Pagnol stories here. The characters are all santons, including superb portraits of a humpback Gerard Dépardieu and Yves Montand, resplendent in moustache, fedora, and velvet vest, just as they were featured in Jean de Florette. For more information, contact the tourist office.

This garden in front of the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille stands on the location of the city's classical waterfront and includes remains of the Greek fortifications and loading docks. Restored in 2013, the site, with several nearly intact boats (now exhibited in the museum), was discovered in 1967 when roadwork was being done next to the Bourse (Stock Exchange).

Although the romantically melancholic Roman cemetery lies 1 km (½ mile) southeast of the old town, it's worth the hike—certainly Van Gogh thought so, as several of his famous canvases prove. This long necropolis amassed the remains of the dead from antiquity to the Middle Ages. Greek, Roman, and Christian tombs line the shady road that was once the main entry to Arles, the Aurelian Way. The finest stone coffins have been plundered over the centuries, thus no single work of surpassing beauty remains here (they're in the Musée Départmental Arles Antiques). Next to the ruins rise the Romanesque tower and ruined church of St-Honorat, where (legend has it) St-Trophime fell to his knees when God spoke to him.

Two of the most miraculously preserved classical monuments in France are simply called Les Antiques. Dating from 30 BC, the Mausolée (Mausoleum), a wedding-cake stack of arches and columns, lacks nothing but a finial on top and is dedicated to a Julian, probably Caesar Augustus. A few yards away stands the Arc Triomphal, dating from AD 20. A lovely spot for a stroll and within easy walking distance from the city center, the site is open during the day and at night—when it's handsomely illuminated.

In this broad, elegant stone armory, built for Louis XIV, a complex of upscale shops and restaurants has given the building—and neighborhood—new life. Its bookstore has a collection of art books and publications on Marseille, as well as gifts, perfume, clothing, and local specialties like olive oil, chocolates, and nougat. A book-lined restaurant serves sophisticated cuisine.

By 6 am every day but Monday, merchants and artisans have stacked their herbed cheeses and set out their vine-ripened tomatoes with surgical precision in arrangements that please the eye. This permanent covered market is as far from a farmers' market as you can get, each booth a designer boutique of haute de gamme (top-quality) goods, from jewel-like olives to silvery mackerel to racks of hanging hares worthy of a Flemish still life. Even if you don't have a kitchen to stock, consider enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of (breakfast) wine while you take in the sights and smells. You can also tuck into a plate of freshly shucked oysters and a pichet of the crisp local white.

A three-year restoration buffed this superb historic Art Deco building to a lustrous shine, all the better to highlight the 21 resident gourmet food stalls, offering everything from authentic Italian pizzas to Mediterranean, Provençal, South American, and classic French fare, including fresh oysters and shellfish to eat sur place at a table inside or outside on the terrace. The rooftop bar is a great place to watch the sunset over gourmet snacks and a glass of local wine.

More than 4 km (2½ miles) long, these crenellated walls and towers were built by the popes in the 14th century to keep out rampaging brigands and mercenary armies attracted by legends of papal wealth. They’re extraordinarily well preserved, thanks in part to the efforts of architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, who restored the southern portion in the 19th century. Modern-day Avignon roars around its impervious walls on a noisy ring road that replaced a former moat.

This gargantuan building, the region's second largest historic monument after Avignon’s Palais des Papes, was built between 1750 and 1789 by Dom Malachie d’Inguimbert, Bishop of Carpentras, as a hospital to serve the sick and poor as well as to house physicians, nurses, and pharmacists. Indeed the pharmacy here is one of the last remaining originals in France (open on French Journées Européennes du Patrimoine in September).

Declared a historic monument in 1862, the building closed in 2002 and was restored between 2009 and 2024, reopening as a state-of-the-art library and museum, exhibiting a wealth of medieval texts, fine paintings, and 80,000 rare historic books and musical manuscripts. The exceptional collection tells the story of the Comtat Venaissin from prehistory to modern times. The building also houses a bookstore and a café opening onto a terrace with views of the Mont Ventoux. A large courtyard serves as an open-air cultural space for pop, classical, and jazz concerts.

On a busy downtown square, this exquisitely preserved temple strikes a timeless balance between symmetry and whimsy, purity of line and richness of decoration. Modeled on the Temple to Apollo in Rome, adorned with magnificent limestone columns and elegant pediments, the Maison Carrée remains one of the most noble surviving structures of ancient Roman civilization anywhere.

Built around 5 BC and dedicated to Caius Caesar and his brother, Lucius, the temple has survived subsequent use as a medieval meeting hall, an Augustinian church, a storehouse for Revolutionary archives, and a horse shed. In addition to hosting temporary art and photo exhibitions, it contains a permanent display of photos and drawings of ongoing archaeological work. Don't miss the splendid Roman fresco of Cassandra (being dragged by her hair by a hunter) that was discovered in 1992 and carefully restored. There's also a fun 3-D projection of the heroes of Nîmes.

The surrealist artist, photographer, and poet Dora Maar purchased this 18th-century manor in 1944 and spent her summers here in solitude until her death in the 1990s. Although famous for being Picasso’s lover and muse, Maar was already an established photographer when she met the artist. The house, now an artists’ residence, offers a glimpse of her life in elegant rooms with magnificent Luberon views. It’s easy to imagine her quietly gathering inspiration for her landscapes and poetry. There’s also a bookstore. Book your visit on the website.

At this authentic working manade (small ranch), on a back road off Route D38 about 10 km (6 miles) from Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, you'll learn about Camargue taureau (bull) breeding and bullfighting culture (in French only) and then head out  in a tractor-drawn cart to meadows where the fierce-looking black creatures lazily observe you before turning back to their grazing. Afterward, you can relax on the terrace with a glass of Camargue-region wine or a lunch featuring local dishes, including bull stew. If you’re inspired to stay overnight, eight tidy guestrooms in stone cottages feature rustic furniture made from driftwood collected on the beaches of Stes-Marie-de la Mer.

Up and going by 8 am every day, this market—immortalized in Marcel Pagnot's Fanny (and Joshua Logan's sublime 1961 film adaptation)—puts on a vivid and aromatic show of waving fists, jostling chefs, and heaps of still-twitching fish from the night's catch. Hear the thick soup of the Marseillais accent as blue-clad fishermen and silk-clad matrons bicker over prices, and marvel at the rainbow of Mediterranean creatures swimming in plastic vats before you, each uglier than the last: the spiny-headed rascasse (scorpion fish), dog-nosed grondin (red gurnet), the monstrous baudroie or lotte (monkfish), and the eel-like congre. "Bouillabaisse" as sold here is a mix of fish too tiny to sell otherwise; the only problem with coming for the early morning show is that you have to wait so long for your bouillabaisse lunch.

Toulon’s picturesque old town market is held at the Cours Lafayette and neighboring streets every day but Monday (8 am to 1 pm). Filled with bustling stalls selling every French staple imaginable, as well as flowers, clothes, lavender and other Provençal specialties, for full immersion in the French market experience. Be on the lookout for stands selling the delicious crispy cade, a Toulon specialty made from chickpea flour right before your eyes. For the really local produce, the Marché des Producteurs, on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday morning, features seasonal products from local small producers (distinguished by their green awnings), including honey, cheeses, and orchard fruits and nuts.

Wine and cinema come together in a captivating way at this state-of-the-art estate owned by the British film director Ridley Scott and located in Oppède, just 5 km (3 miles) northwest of Ménerbes. Here, Scott and his team of experts make award-winning wines without the use of harmful chemicals and with respect for the region's biodiversity, especially the bees, the winery’s symbol. Visitors are welcomed for impromptu tastings and organized tours. On the one-hour Classic Tour (€20), you’ll taste four wines. As part of the 90-minute Superior Tour (€50), flights of private-selection wines are served in a VIP tasting room amid costumes, props, and posters from Scott’s iconic films. An on-site boutique sells wines and other local specialties, and the winery also rents several luxury villas and a farmhouse (three-night minimum stay).

Rising 1,900 feet above the town, with panoramas of Toulon, the surrounding countryside, and the sea, Mont Faron can be reached by the circular Route du Faron in either direction or in six minutes by cable car from Boulevard Admiral Jean-Vence. At the top, the World War II memorial commemorates the mountain fort's role in the Provence débarquement of August 1944 and the liberation of Toulon. There is also a zoo that acts as a breeding center for a dozen types of wild cats, including lions, tigers, jaguars, lynxes, and pumas.

In addition to all the beautiful views of Mont Ventoux, there are equally spectacular views from Mont Ventoux. From any of the surrounding hill towns you can take an inspiring circle drive along the base and over the crest of the mountain, following the D974. This road winds through the extraordinarily lush south-facing greenery that Mont Ventoux protects from vicious mistral winds. Abundant orchards and olive groves peppered with stone farmhouses make this one of Provence's loveliest landscapes. Stop for a drink in busy Bédoin, with its 18th-century Jesuit church at the top of the Old Town maze.

Mont Ventoux was the site of the first recorded attempt at l'escalade (mountain climbing), when Italian poet-philosopher Petrarch grunted his way up in 1336. Although people had climbed mountains before, this was the first "do it because it's there" feat. Reaching the summit itself (at 6,263 feet) requires a bit of legwork. From either Chalet Reynard or the tiny ski center Mont Serein, you can leave your car and hike up to the peak's tall observatory tower. The climb is not overly taxing, and when you reach the top you are rewarded with gorgeous panoramic views of the Alps. And to the south, barring the possibility of high-summer haze, you'll take in views of the Rhône Valley, the Luberon, and even Marseille.

Hiking maps are available at maisons de la presse (newsstands) and tourist offices. Town-to-town treks are also a great way to explore the area; one of the most beautiful trails is from Malaucène to Séguret. In the off-season, lonely Mont Ventoux is plagued with an ungodly reputation due to destructive winds; attempts at saving its soul are evident from the chapels lining its slopes. Whether it's possessed by the devil or not, don't attempt to climb it in inclement weather; from late fall to early spring, in fact, the summit is closed by snow.

Fontaine was once an industrial center, but its mills and factories were closed by strikes in 1968, and most never recovered. To learn more about this aspect of the town, consider visiting this working paper mill. Its reconstructed,15th-century waterwheel drives timber crankshafts to mix rag pulp, and its artisans roll and dry thick paper à l'ancienne (in the old manner). The process is fascinating and free to watch, though it's almost impossible to resist buying the pretty note cards, posters, and even lamp shades in the on-site boutique. If you're feeling creative, you can make your own sheet during the paper-making experience (€15 per person). There are also 30-minute guided mill tours (€7, minimum of 10 people). Book either option online in advance.

Made up of three sites designed by Rudy Ricciotti, MuCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) is all about new perspectives on Mediterranean cultures. Themes like "the invention of gods," "treasures of the spice route," or "at the bazaar of gender" are explored here. At one of the sites, you can access the 12th-century Fort St-Jean, built by Louis XIV with guns pointing toward the city to keep the feisty, rebellious Marseillais under his thumb.

If you're not the queasy type, walk across the suspended footbridge over the sea; it provides spectacular photo ops and unique panoramas. On the other side, you can visit a Mediterranean garden and a folk-art collection. A third building—the Center for Conservation and Resources, near the St-Charles train station—holds the museum's permanent collection of paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and objects. The museum's terrace café and restaurant (reservations required), overseen by Michelin three-star chef Alexandre Mazzia, are excellent choices for a meal with a view.

This superb collection of major 18th- to 20th-century paintings and decorative arts was assembled by Parisian couturier Jacques Doucet (1853–1929), who befriended many of the major painters and writers of his day and, with an unerring eye, purchased—or funded—some of the great works of the 20th century (he was the original owner of Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon). He built this mansion toward the end of his life to house works by Degas, Van Gogh, Manet, Cézanne, Modigliani, and Picasso, along with important drawings, sculpture, photography, and furniture. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions.

Set in a beautifully restored 17th-century house, this lovely little museum has one of France's foremost collections of Fauve and Surrealist art. It's a must for fans of the genres, with paintings by Signac, Dufy, Léger, Ernst, Arp, and Bacon, as well as Kandinsky and Dubuffet.

The collection here includes paintings by Vernet and Fragonard, postwar abstract art, and works by the cartoon-influenced Di Rosa brothers.