193 Best Sights in Provence, France

A gracious 18th-century château houses the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, de la Faïence, et de la Mode (Museum of Decorative Arts, Faïence, and Fashion). The bright exhibition rooms feature brilliant lacquered ceilings and installations by French artists and designers, all the better to show off the gorgeous tapestries; furniture; Marseille faience pottery dating from the early 17th century; 18th-century hand-painted murals; and fashions from the 15th to 21st century. Touring the museum, taking in the château's large park, and grabbing a bite to eat in the café is the perfect way to spend an afternoon in this lovely part of the city.

In the 16th century, François I recognized the strategic advantage of an island fortress to survey the mouth of Marseille's vast harbor, and he built this imposing edifice. Indeed, it was such an effective deterrent that it never saw combat and was eventually converted into a prison. It was here that Alexandre Dumas locked up his most famous character, the Count of Monte Cristo. Though the count was fictional, the hole through which Dumas had him escape is real enough, on display in the cells. On the other hand, the real-life Man in the Iron Mask, whose cell is also erroneously on display, was not imprisoned here. It’s worth taking a trip here if only to ride the Frioul If Express boat ( €10.80  04–96–11–03–50) from/to Quai des Belges and to take in the views from the fortress's broad terrace.

This castle has loomed over the harbor since the invasions of the Saracens in the 7th century, evolving over time into a walled enclosure with stout watchtowers. It's private property today and best viewed from a sunny portside terrace.

The only way you can get into this château is by paying to see a collection of photo paintings by Belgian pop artist Pol Mara, who lived in Gordes. It's worth the price of admission, though, just to look at the fabulously decorated stone fireplace, created in 1541. Unfortunately, hours change without warning (afternoon visits are your best bet).

For many years, little but ruins remained of the once magnificent Château de Lacoste, where the Marquis de Sade (1740–1814) spent some 30 years of his life. Because his exploits, both literary and real, were judged obscene by various European courts, he was also imprisoned several times, including, in 1784, at the Bastille in Paris. It was there that he secretly wrote Les 120 Journées de Sodome (The 120 Days of Sodom), an unfinished novel that featured a Black Forest château very similar in description to de Sade's actual home. Though he had to leave his manuscript behind, de Sade escaped harm during the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. His Lacoste home, however, was not so lucky: it was destroyed with particular relish during the Revolution.

In 2001, wealthy Paris couturier Pierre Cardin bought the château and oversaw its restoration up until his death in 2020. His legacy lives on in the Festival Pierre Cardin (aka the Festival Lacoste), a two-week arts extravaganza held on the grounds in late July and early August. Events range from outdoor poetry recitals and open-air film screenings to ballet performances and colorful operettas. The castle is also open to the public between mid-June and late September.

Summering in the Château de Montauban brought French journalist and author Alphonse Daudet a peace he missed in literary Paris. Daudet frequently climbed the windswept, pine-studded hilltop to the rustic old windmill that ground the local grain from 1814 to 1915—the inspiration for his famous folkloric short stories Lettres de Mon Moulin. The windmill is now closed to the public, but the graceful château houses a museum devoted to Daudet's writings, and you can freely stroll the grounds to enjoy the peace and sweeping views of the Rhône valley and the Alpilles that so inspired him.

A 17-acre cliff-top sprawl of ruins is contained beneath the Château des Baux. At the entrance, the Tour du Brau has a small collection of relics and models, as well as a music-and-slideshow called Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne au Pays de l'Olivier, which features artwork depicting olive orchards in their infinite variety. From April through September there are fascinating medieval events: people dressed up in authentic costumes and displays of medieval crafts. The exit gives access to the wide and varied grounds, where the tiny Chapelle St-Blaise and towers mingle with skeletal ruins.

Even if you haven't read Pagnol's works or seen his films, you can enjoy the Circuit Pagnol, a series of hikes (some up to 20 km [12 miles] long) in the raw-hewn, arid garrigues behind Marseille and Aubagne. Here Pagnol spent his idyllic summers, described in his Souvenirs d'un Enfance (Memories of a Childhood), crunching through the rosemary, thyme, and scrub oak at the foot of his beloved Garlaban.

When he became a famous playwright and filmmaker, he shot some of his best work in these hills, casting his wife, Jacqueline, as the first Manon of the Springs. After Pagnol's death, Claude Berri came back to the Garlaban to find a location for his remake of Manon des Sources, but found it so altered by brush fires and power cables that he chose to shoot farther east instead, around Cuges-les-Pine and Riboux. (The lovely village and Manon's well were filmed in Mirabeau, in the Luberon.)

Although the trails no longer travel amid pine-shaded olive orchards, they still let you explore primeval Provençal countryside with spectacular views of Marseille and the sea. To access the marked trails by yourself, drive to La Treille northeast of Aubagne, and follow the signs. For maps or an accompanied tour with literary commentary, contact the tourist office.

This peaceful haven, one of the loveliest cloisters in Provence, is tucked discreetly behind St-Trophime, the notable Romanesque treasure. A sturdy walkway above the Gothic arches offers good views of the town.

If you love wine, pick up a "Through the Vineyards" brochure from the tourist office. There are 11 domaines open for tastings and buying, but the most spectacularly sited is the Clos Sainte Magdeleine set on the slopes of towering Cap Canaille. The boutique of this well-established AOC winery, noted for its delicately balanced whites and an elegant rosé, offers tastings Tuesday through Saturday.

It's within these walls that Cézanne and his schoolmate Emile Zola discussed their ideas. Cézanne received his baccalauréat cum laude here in 1858 and went on to attend a year of law school to please his father.

L'Isle's 17th-century church is extravagantly decorated with gilt, faux marble, and sentimental frescoes. The double-colonnade facade commands the center of the vieille ville (Old Town). Visiting hours change frequently, so check with the tourist office.

St-Rémy is wrapped by a lively commercial boulevard, lined with shops and cafés and anchored by its 19th-century church Collégiale St-Martin. Step inside—if the main door is locked, the side door is always open—to see the magnificent 5,000-pipe modern organ, one of the loveliest in Europe. Rebuilt to 18th-century specifications in the early 1980s, it has the flexibility to interpret new and old music with pure French panache; you can listen for free on weekends mid-April–September.

In a striking modern edifice designed by architect Kengo Kuma in the Forum Culturel (which includes the Pavillon Noir dance center), the Darius Milhaud Music Conservatory celebrates the music of Marseille's native composer, who spent several years of his childhood in Aix and returned here to die. Milhaud (1892–1974), a member of the group of French composers known as Les Six, created fine-boned, transparent works influenced by jazz and Hebrew chant. Aix has yet to make a museum of his memorabilia, but you can visit during its eclectic series of student performances, jazz and classical concerts, and dance recitals.

Move over Lascaux and Chauvet, France's newest underground odyssey takes you back 33,000 years and 121 feet "undersea." In 1985, diver Henri Cosquer discovered a mostly submerged cave with chambers containing more than 500 evocative images of bison, horses, deer, ibex, aurochs, seals, jellyfish, and human hands. On this simulated visit at Marseille's Villa Mediterranée, groups of six, equipped with headsets, are taken by cable car though a near-perfect replica of the cave to learn the story of these mysterious drawings, the original artists, and their relationship to the animals they depicted.

This center of bohemian flânerie (hanging out) is a lovely place to relax by the fountain, in the shade of plane trees, or under a café umbrella. Its low-key and painterly tableau is framed by graceful 18th-century buildings, and the warren of streets surrounding it is full of young fashion designers, vintage shops, and hip boutiques.

Shaded by a double row of tall plane trees, the Cours Mirabeau is one of the most beautiful avenues anywhere, designed so its width and length would be in perfect proportion with the height of the dignified 18th-century hôtels particuliers lining it. You can view this lovely assemblage from one of the dozen or so cafés that spill onto the pavement.

Entering through the elegant 17th-century City Hall, you can gain access to these ancient underground passages dating from 30–20 BC. The horseshoe of vaults and pillars buttressed the ancient forum from belowground. Used as a bomb shelter in World War II, the galleries still have a rather ominous atmosphere. Yet openings let in natural daylight and artworks of considerable merit have been unearthed here, adding to the mystery of the site's original function.

Since 1895, this important local distiller has been producing not only lavender, but also essential oils of lavendin and other aromatic plants. Tours of its facility, offered May through August, cover cultivating lavender and the distillation process. You can stock up on lavender, organic essential oils, floral waters, soaps, sachets, and plant-based cosmetics in the on-site shop.

This vineyard has a tasting cave, where you can sample some of the wines, which include mostly whites but also reds from grapes such as grenache.

The Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the 17th century are on display at the 1,000-year-old-and-counting residence of the Dukes of Uzès (when the blue flag is flying you know the duke is at home). Tours (in French) from the cellars to the Bermonde tower narrate the history of the castle (which is also basically the history of France), including one of its most colorful residents, Anne de Mortemart, wife of the 12th duke. She was the first woman in France to earn a driver's license and also the first to get a speeding ticket.

Though the facade now bears 19th-century touches, this small 17th-century church still contains the center panel of the fine 15th-century Annunciation Triptych, attributed to the father of Jan Van Eyck, the greatest painter of the Early Netherlandish school. Some say the massive painting on the left side of the transept is a Rubens. The church is used regularly for classical concerts.

This mammoth, Romanesque fortress-church, built in the 9th century, is almost devoid of windows, and its tall, barren nave is cluttered with florid and sentimental ex-votos (tokens of blessings, prayers, and thanks) and primitive artworks depicting the famous trio of Marys. For €3, you can climb up to the terrace for a panoramic view of the Camargue (hours vary depending on the season).

The interior of the village's Église St-Fermin is overblown Rococo—all pink and gold.

This 12th-century church served as a chapel of the Knights of Malta, a medieval order of friars devoted to hospital care. The church was Aix's first attempt at the Gothic style, and it was here that the counts of Provence were buried throughout the 18th century; their tombs (in the upper left) were attacked during the revolution and have been only partially repaired.

Classed as a world treasure by UNESCO, this extraordinary Romanesque church alone would justify a visit to Arles. The side aisles date from the 11th century and the nave from the 12th. The church's austere symmetry and ancient artworks (including a stunning early Christian sarcophagus) are fascinating. But it's the church's superbly preserved Romanesque sculpture on its 12th-century portal, the renovated entry facade, that earns it international respect. Particularly remarkable is the frieze of the Last Judgment, with souls being dragged off to Hell in chains or, on the contrary, being lovingly delivered into the hands of the saints. Christ is flanked by his chroniclers, the evangelists: the eagle (John), the bull (Luke), the angel (Matthew), and the lion (Mark).

This graceful, old 17th-century Jesuit cloister has been converted for office use by the well-known Avignon Festival—a performing arts event that lasts most of the month of July. The cloister's symmetrical arches (now partly enclosed as the sleek Hôtel Cloître St-Louis) are shaded by ancient plane trees. You can wander around the courtyard after you've picked up your festival information. Occasional exhibitions are held inside as well.

Aubagne on a market day is a feast in more ways than one. Depending on the season, for sale are fresh local asparagus, vine-ripened tomatoes and melons, and mesclun scooped by the gnarled fingers of blue-aproned ladies in from the farm (Tuesday, Thursday, and weekends, 8–1:30). The weekend markets make more of regional products; those labeled Pays d'Aubagne must be organically raised. Although they're not as social as markets in Aix, these farmers' markets are more authentic.

Located in the beautifully restored 15th-century Hôtel Léautaud de Donines, the Fondation Vincent van Gogh houses a superb collection of contemporary art and hosts temporary art exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events. Originally conceived in the mid-1980s in response to the 100th anniversary of the artist's arrival in Arles, the Fondation pays homage to van Gogh's legacy and monumental influence via an impressive range of artworks contributed by 90 contemporary artists. Van Gogh's 15-month stay in Arles represented a climax in the artist's career. Enchanted with Arles's limpid light, vibrant landscape, and scenic monuments, van Gogh experienced here what was to be his greatest blossoming as a painter in a decade .

Deliciously thick with dripping moss, this 18th-century fountain is fed by Sextius's own thermal source. It seems representative of Aix at its artfully negligent best. In sunny Provence, Aix was famous for its shade and its fountains; apropos, James Pope-Hennessy, in his Aspects of Provence, compares living in Aix to being at the bottom of an aquarium, thanks to all the fountains' bubbling waters and the city's shady streets and boulevards.