PACA
Your stay in Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, under the sign of diversity
Feel like escaping to Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur? Stay in France’s most visited region and enjoy the diversity of its attractions: cicadas in the wind, terraced olive trees, purple lavender, high mountains and a sea of blue... Among all those versions of Provence, the choice is yours.
Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur: history, geography and botany
Your stay in Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur will be an opportunity to explore centuries of history. The region has been a Greek colony, a Roman province, was annexed by the Franks; in turn a kingdom, a marquisate, a principality and an earldom... It only became a French province in the 16th century.
From the Ventoux to the Camargue, from Venaissin County to the Verdon Gorge, from the high valley of Queyras to the beaches of Esterel... how could one evoke a single Provence? From North to South, the plains of the Rhône and the Durance are dominated by the Alpilles, the Sainte-Victoire, the Lure Mountain, the Sainte-Baume, the Lubéron, the Maures, the Esterel... The massifs of Ecrins, Ventoux and Mercantour are lost amidst the Southern Alps.
This diversity in reliefs goes hand in hand with the diversity of the forest which stretches across five départements: firs, spruces and larches in the mountainous areas; olive trees, cypresses and lavender trees on the hills; plane trees and parasol pine trees by the coast.
Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur: artists made it their home!
During your stay in Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur you can also admire the region’s luminosity, even purer and clearer when the Mistral blows. It has won artists over. Why not set off from Mont Ventoux, the panoramic viewpoint from which Joseph Meissonier sketched the slender archways of the City of Popes?
A little further South, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence inspired Van Gogh, when he was a despondent tenant of the village almshouses. As you follow the road to Aix-en-Provence, go on to Martigues, the darling town of avant-garde artists Dufy and Picabia, who used to set their easel on the banks of Berre Pond. In Marseille, Saint-Tropez or Toulon, you can breathe in the sea landscapes painted by Cézanne, Manguin and Courdouan...
Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur, a charming, varied landscape
What makes the charm of Provence is also that you have to choose: between the Camargue, Marseille and its coves, the resorts in the Var, the fragrances of the hinterland...
From Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, very crowded in the summer, make your getaway via the Cacharel road towards Pioch Badet, for the sheer beauty of the landscape. When in Arles, stroll along the nostalgic Alyscamps necropolis, and in Roussillon, nicknamed "Delphes la Rouge” (“Delphi the Red”) by Jean Vilar, you can admire a fiery sunset.
Your stay in Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur will take you to Avignon and its Rue du Vieux Sextier, and on to Aix-en-Provence, along Cours Mirabeau, where you can slip away to the Jas-de-Bouffan and imagine Cézanne toiling in the shade of his sheepfold...
Don’t miss the attractions tucked away from the coast. Departing from Orange, you can reach Carpentras concealed behind its walls, and Gordes, whose keep is decorated with canvasses and sketches by Vasarely, or Apt, renowned for its stewed fruit and its wickerwork.
There are yet other spots to see during your stay in Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur: Manosque, so dear to Giono, and Draguignan, for the fun of travelling all around. Not to forget Thoronet Abbey to the south, the Verdon Gorge to the north, and the heights of Nice where, once again, one has to choose between Vésubie Valley and the Valley of Tinée of White Penitents fame. As for the bold, they can head for the Valley of Marvels and La Roya Valley.
Crafts and flavours in Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur
From Moustiers and its earthenware to Aubagne and its ceramics, from the Camargue and its saddlery to the Queyras and its cabinet-making... While travelling the roads of Provence, during your gastronomic stay, you will love the taste of dishes spiced with a touch of garlic, a dash of olive oil, a scent of basil – aioli garlic mayonnaise, anchoïade paste and bouillabaisse are yours to enjoy -, or the sweetness of the Calissons d'Aix, the nougats of Sisteron, the honeys and chocolates from Puyricard.
And to prolong the experience year round, why not read the masters once again: Mistral and Pagnol, Giono and Daudet, Zola and Arène...
Feel like sunshine and a terroir of exceptional wealth? Book your Logis hotel restaurant and fall under the spell of the thousand and one attractions of Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur.
Did you fall under the spell of Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur? And how about deciding on neighbouring regions like Corsica or Languedoc Roussillon for your next holiday? And should you be feeling like sea, check out our Logis hotel restaurant selection on the coast.