Luxury hotel holidays to Provence

Provence - Frequently Asked Questions

Provence is one of the most visited parts of France — what does an Expressions holiday offer that we couldn’t arrange ourselves?

Provence is well known, but knowing it well is a different matter, and that distinction is at the heart of what we offer. The region is large and varied — the Luberon, the Alpilles, the Vaucluse, the Var, the Camargue, the hills above Aix and the coastline around Cassis and the Calanques are all distinct in character and all have their own portfolio of outstanding hotels — and choosing the right combination for a particular client, at the right time of year, is something that takes accumulated knowledge rather than a search engine. We have been working in Provence for decades and know its hotels, its wine estates, its restaurants and its seasonal rhythms with the kind of intimacy that only sustained, repeated experience provides. Practically, we handle everything: flights or the Eurostar and TGV to Aix, hire car, hotel bookings, any included experiences such as wine-blending sessions, cookery days or guided art walks. What our clients consistently tell us is that the holiday feels considered rather than assembled — that each element connects logically to the next, and that nothing important has been left to chance.

Provence has a strong wine culture — can you build a holiday around the estates and vineyards as well as the scenery?

This is one of our most popular requests for Provence, and the region is exceptionally well suited to it. Several of our finest hotels are either set directly on wine estates or surrounded by vineyards, and staying in them gives a depth of engagement with Provencal wine and food that no city hotel can offer. The Chateau de Fonscolombe, a Relais & Chateaux property set amid 25 hectares of vines north of Aix-en-Provence, produces its own red, white and rosé wines and offers wine-blending workshops, truffle-hunting excursions and lavender workshops alongside Michelin-calibre dining; it is one of the finest examples of this type of property anywhere in France. The Chateau de Berne in the Var, another wine estate hotel, is a particularly good base for exploring the rosé wines of Provence, which have developed enormously in quality and reputation in recent years and now include some of the most accomplished wines in France. For clients who want to go further, we can arrange private visits to domaines in the Luberon, the Alpilles and the Coteaux d’Aix with the winemakers themselves, wine appreciation sessions with a sommelier, and itineraries that weave the wine estates into the broader touring of the region. Cookery and wine is also a natural pairing here: several of our hotels and local culinary schools run half-day or full-day sessions using estate-grown and market produce that make for a very complete Provencal experience.

What are the most rewarding art cities and cultural sites in Provence, and how do you incorporate them into a holiday?

Provence has an extraordinary cultural density for a region most associated with landscape and light, and the two are inseparable: the same quality of light that defines the scenery also shaped the work of the artists who came to live and paint here. Aix-en-Provence is the most obvious starting point — it is one of the most beautiful cities in France, with its plane tree-lined Cours Mirabeau, its extraordinary Hôtel de Caumont arts centre, and the Musée Granet housing a fine collection including Cezanne’s own works; the Atelier Cézanne on the hill above the city, where he worked for the last years of his life, is one of the most moving artists’ studios in Europe. Arles has the legacy of Van Gogh — who produced over 300 works during his fourteen months here — alongside some of the finest Roman monuments outside Rome itself: the arena, the theatre, the Alyscamps. Avignon has the vast Palais des Papes, one of the great Gothic buildings of Europe, and a thriving contemporary arts scene amplified each summer by the world-famous theatre festival. Les Baux-de-Provence combines a dramatically sited ruined fortress with the Carrières de Lumières, a spectacular immersive art installation in the old quarry caves below. We weave these cultural visits naturally into itineraries according to your interests, and can arrange private guided visits to the key sites for clients who want to go beyond the standard tour.

Should we base ourselves in one place or move between different parts of Provence?

Both work extremely well, and the right approach depends on how much you want to see and how much you enjoy moving. A single-centre holiday — based in, say, the Luberon, the Alpilles or the hills above Aix — has its own particular pleasures: settling into a beautiful hotel or estate, exploring the surrounding villages and vineyards at your own pace, and allowing the rhythm of Provencal life to assert itself. With a hire car, an enormous amount of the region is accessible as a day trip from any one base: the lavender fields of the Valensole plateau, Avignon, Arles, the Camargue and the gorges of the Verdon are all within comfortable reach of a Luberon or Alpilles base. A two or three-centre holiday suits clients who want to experience the contrasts of the region directly: a stay in the Luberon hill-country followed by a few nights in Aix-en-Provence, then perhaps finishing in Arles or the Camargue, gives a genuinely varied picture of Provence’s different faces. We regularly combine a countryside base with a night or two in Avignon or Aix, which works particularly well for clients who want both immersion in the landscape and access to the best city restaurants and culture. We can also arrange a Eurostar and TGV holiday to Provence without flying — the journey from London St Pancras to Aix-en-Provence takes under six hours — and a hire car collected at the station gives full independence from arrival.

When do the lavender fields bloom, and what else should experienced Provence travellers know about timing their visit?

The lavender question is one we are asked often, and the answer is more precise than most guides suggest. The main lavender bloom in the Valensole plateau and the Luberon hills typically runs from late June to mid-August, with peak colour usually falling in the first two weeks of July — though this varies by altitude and by year depending on the spring weather. The true lavender of the higher ground tends to bloom later than the lavandin of the lower plateau. If lavender is a priority, late June to early July is the sweet spot: the fields are at their most vivid, the light in the morning and evening is exceptional, and the harvest, which happens progressively through July and into August, adds its own atmosphere. For experienced Provence travellers, a few additional timing points are worth knowing. The Avignon Festival in July transforms the city every summer and is worth either planning around or actively including, depending on your taste for theatre and the crowds it brings. The Aix Festival — a world-class opera and classical music festival — runs in late June and early July and is an excellent reason to combine a stay in or near Aix with a performance at the Grand Théâtre de Provence. Autumn — September and October — is arguably the finest time overall: the vendange brings the wine estates to life, the light is golden and low, the summer crowds have gone, and the markets are at their most abundant with the produce of the season. We will always advise on timing in relation to your specific interests and the hotels you are considering.