Lavender season, Avignon festival, Provençal markets, practical tips — short stories and useful guides for your stay.
Not all Provence lavender soap is made in Provence. Here are three types of artisan house worth seeking out around Avignon and the Luberon, plus simple label checks so you bring home a bar that actually smells like July.
November 2026Saignon is the little Luberon village you spot before you properly understand it: pale stone houses gathered beneath a dramatic rock, with Apt stretching out below. Come for a slow wander, a view and the pleasure of doing less, not for a checklist.
November 2026Christmas in the Luberon is less about one enormous feast than a long, generous rhythm of shared food, family stories and small rituals. Here is what the famous 13 desserts mean, what may appear on a Provençal table, and how to experience the season with respect for local habits.
October 2026A good Luberon antique-market day is less about finding a perfect shopping list and more about following your eye. Here are four places to browse old furniture, brocante pieces and wonderfully impractical treasures, plus a few calm rules for buying well.
October 2026Sénanque gets the postcards, but Provence’s Cistercian trio is much bigger than one lavender view. Here’s how Sénanque, Silvacane and Le Thoronet differ, what makes each moving, and how to plan a thoughtful visit from Avignon.
October 2026The Cannes Film Festival can fit into a Luberon and Avignon stay, but it works best as a carefully planned day trip or one-night add-on. Here’s the honest version: what to expect, how to pace it, and why keeping a calm Provence base still makes sense.
October 2026Want to experience the Luberon without sacrificing comfort? These three glamping destinations blend the magic of outdoor sleeping with hotel-level amenities. From hilltop views to lavender-scented nights, here's where to pitch your upscale tent in Provence's golden heart.
September 2026Tucked into the southern slopes of the Luberon, Cucuron feels like a village someone forgot to modernize—and we're all better for it. Its massive stone basin, shadowed by plane trees and ringed by cafés, is the beating heart of a place where Tuesday markets still matter and time moves at a kinder pace.
September 2026Leave Avignon’s streetlights behind and Provence changes character. These four easy-going stargazing ideas—from Mont Ventoux to the Lure plateau—help you plan a quieter evening under the stars, without pretending every night will be perfect.
September 2026We know lavender from sachets and crème brûlée, but in Provence, it also steps into savory dishes. Roast chicken with lavender honey, asparagus risotto, braised lamb, marinated goat cheese: here are five unexpected recipes that showcase the aromatic finesse of this iconic Luberon flower.
September 2026Ansouis is one of those Luberon villages that feels quietly impressive rather than showy. Come for the marquis’ château, linger in the old lanes, then turn the visit into a slow Provençal day with market stops, village views and a good lunch nearby.
August 2026If you ask ten Provençals what's the best time to discover their region, nine will answer September. The light changes, crowds retreat, temperatures drop below 86 °F and local life resumes its rhythm. Here's why September deserves to be your first choice, and how to fully enjoy it from Avignon.
August 2026Just minutes from Gordes, Joucas offers a quieter side of the Luberon. Come for stone lanes, open views, outdoor art, and a village walk that does not need a packed itinerary.
August 2026Across Vaucluse, summer screenings turn courtyards, village squares, and gardens into temporary cinemas. Here is how to find one and plan an easy, memorable evening.
August 2026Fresh chèvre, ash-coated rounds, and aged tommes are part of the Luberon's everyday food culture. Here is how to find local producers, shop thoughtfully, and build a simple Provençal cheese tasting.
July 2026Less famous than Gordes, Saumane-de-Vaucluse is a quiet hilltop village with stone lanes, views over the Vaucluse hills, and an easy route from Avignon.
July 2026When Provence heats up, natural water spots become precious. Here are 4 refreshing ideas around the Luberon and the Sorgue, with safety, local rules and realistic travel times from Avignon in mind.
July 2026Apt’s Saturday market is one of the Luberon’s great rituals: fruit, cheese, candied specialties, baskets, sunny streets and a very real Provençal atmosphere.
July 2026The Giant of Provence draws cyclists from around the world, but each side has its own character. After dozens of climbs and conversations with enthusiasts who stay with us, here's the complete guide to the three Mont Ventoux ascents: profiles, challenges, practical advice, and what nobody tells you before you set off.
June 2026Roussillon and its famous Sentier des Ocres, or Rustrel and its Colorado Provençal? Both sites reveal the Luberon's ochre-red cliffs, but with different vibes. Local advice to choose based on timing, mood and weather, from Avignon or our Luberon rentals.
June 2026The Luberon hides some of France's most beautiful villages, clinging to rocky spurs as if they'd grown there naturally. These perched villages tell the story of a region where architecture adapts to terrain, where narrow alleys protect from the mistral, and where every stone seems placed with intention. Here are the s…
June 2026Thirty miles south of Avignon, Silvacane abbey unfolds its austere beauty on the banks of the Durance. Less famous than Sénanque or Le Thoronet, this third Provençal Cistercian "sister" captivates with its intact Romanesque church, luminous cloister, and bucolic setting. An off-the-beaten-path detour, ideal before or…
June 2026Every Sunday morning, Coustellet's farmers' market draws locals and travelers for its regional products: goat cheeses, honey, organic vegetables, olives. Right next door, the Lavender Museum tells the story of this iconic Provençal plant, from cultivation to distillation. A perfect morning blending authenticity and di…
June 2026Every Tuesday morning, Vaison-la-Romaine comes alive to the rhythm of one of Provence's most beautiful markets. Among colorful stalls of fruits and vegetables, farmhouse cheeses, olives and local crafts, this weekly gathering embodies the Provençal art of living. Just 45 minutes from Avignon, this escape combines gour…
May 2026E-bikes transform Luberon exploration by making its hilltop villages and rolling roads accessible. This selection of four reliable rental shops, tested and approved, guarantees quality equipment and expert advice to explore Provence at your own pace, without excessive effort but with all the pleasure of the ride.
May 2026Most visitors do the Palace, the Bridge, the Rocher des Doms — and leave. There is another Avignon: the medieval alleys, the flower-filled inner courtyards, and the Teinturiers canal with its watermill wheels still turning.
May 2026We are listed on major platforms. But booking direct changes something concrete: the price, the flexibility, the contact with us. Here is the honest calculation, without the marketingspeak.
May 2026Sénanque, Gordes and Roussillon form the classic Luberon triangle in one day. To experience it without being overwhelmed by tourist coaches, there are precise timing rules to follow and a visiting order that changes everything.
May 2026Three days in Avignon with kids is plenty to see the essentials without burning out. Here's the itinerary we share with our guests — day by day, with timing and rainy-day alternatives.
May 2026The Teinturiers quarter is one of the loveliest places in Avignon to sit down to a meal: the canal, the century-old plane trees, the shaded terraces. Rather than names that age badly, I explain the kinds of tables you find here — and I give every guest my up-to-date personal list at check-in.
May 2026The Utopia is the cinema Avignon locals genuinely cherish. Auteur and world cinema, films screened in their original language with subtitles, and a café-restaurant set inside the old Manutention building, a short walk from the Palais des Papes ramparts.
May 2026We live in Avignon, inside the medieval walls, and we host travellers all year round. Here is our real top 10 — not a generic list, but a residents' ranking, with the right timing, honest verdicts, and lesser-known picks mixed in with the icons.
May 2026The Palace of the Popes is the largest Gothic palace in Europe. To make the most of your visit without exhausting yourself or your kids, here is when to come, what to see, and what to skip.
April 2026The largest Gothic palace in Europe welcomes 650,000 visitors a year. To make the most of it without waiting 45 minutes in the sun, here are the opening hours, tickets, what to see and what you can skip.
April 2026Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the most famous appellations of the southern Rhône, a ruined hilltop castle that was the summer residence of the Avignon popes, and a unique terroir of large rolled pebbles. About twenty minutes from my apartments — but a visit worth planning a little ahead.
April 2026Behind an ordinary façade on rue du Chapeau Rouge hides one of Avignon's best-kept secrets: the Bains Pommer, a late-19th-century public bathhouse whose Belle Époque decor has survived almost untouched. We tell the story of this heritage curiosity few travellers know.
April 2026Facing the walls of Avignon, separated by the Rhône, there is a green and almost entirely agricultural island: the Barthelasse. It is where I go to walk when the old town gets too dense — and where the finest view of the city is found.
April 2026Most mornings, I cross Place Pie to do my shopping at Les Halles, Avignon's covered market. A vertical garden on the façade, around forty stalls, AOP cheesemongers, a fishmonger, charcuterie, market gardeners: here is what a local actually buys, and how to avoid showing up at the wrong time.
March 2026Gordes is the village on every Luberon postcard: stacked on its cliff, glowing gold in the late-day sun. We explain when to come, where to park, and how to pair it with Sénanque and Roussillon for a perfect day out.
March 2026Everyone knows the song, few know the story. The Pont Saint-Bénézet has not crossed the Rhône for three centuries — it stops, abruptly, in the middle of the river. Here is why, and how to visit it without falling into the tourist trap.
March 2026Les Baux-de-Provence is a medieval village clinging to a rocky spur in the Alpilles, a ruined clifftop fortress with 360° views, and the Carrières de Lumières — an immersive art show inside old bauxite quarries. Only 30 km from Avignon, but with a timing window worth respecting.
February 2026Just 20 minutes from Avignon, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence packs in a rare Roman site, the monastery where Van Gogh painted The Starry Night, the birthplace of Nostradamus, and one of the finest markets in Provence. Here's how we send our guests for a half day — or a full day — without missing a thing.
February 2026Half an hour from Avignon lies our favourite escape: L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the "Comtat Venice". A river of crystal-clear water, waterwheels still turning, and one of Europe's biggest antiques gatherings every Sunday. Here is how we go, and when.
January 2026
