Even before my eyes met them, their frangrance tantalised me from kilometres away. And when I finally saw them for the first time, I was temporarily transported to a magical land from a book.
Provence is one of the most popular holiday regions in the south of France and has one of the most photographed places in the world - the Lavender Route.
Getting to Provence was on top of my bucket-list since long and still is, with all my travel plans, as I plunge myself into research before making any trip. And what good is knowledge if it is not shared with anyone?
Here’s some handy information about getting you to the lavender land:
Stunning purple fields over rolling hills, a lovely perfume in the air, cute little villages with cobblestone streets – all make for perfect ingredients of my successful travel recipe.
When:
The lavender blooms from around the last week of June to the beginning of August when it is harvested. If you miss this time window, then you won’t get to see these stunning purple fields.
Where:
Provence is divided into several smaller areas, and they all have different blooming and harvesting times that are not exactly the same depending on elevation, climate and variety.
There are several lavender fields scattered in the region but Valensole Plateau, Sault Plateau, and the Luberon Valley are the three main ones.
Though the others are equally beautiful, Valensole, known for the most abundant lavender fields is usually every traveller’s top choice (and mine too!).
Valensole hosts the most famous lavender festival in Provence, which is held every year on the third Sunday of July. It is scheduled to be held on July 21st 2019.
Our Lavender Trail
We began at Simiane-la-Rotonde a pretty village surrounded by lavender fields and with a medieval castle to visit.
En-route, we also saw stunning sunflowers, cornflowers, and poppies blooming.
Almost two kilometres after Mane, we spotted Forcalquier perched on its ridge, the sweeping roads take you on a colourful journey past the many small French hamlets, some of which seem straight out of a storybook. The air was filled with the scent of lavender so strong, that you can almost taste it.
After that we headed east and halted at the famous village of Valensole.
Pastel coloured houses crowd the narrow streets and the hidden gardens beckon you to discover their secrets.
As we strolled around the village, we also sampled some lavender-laced delicacies.
Next, we drove to Riez, where you can also see the remains of the 1st century AD Roman temple dedicated to Apollo and eat one of the best truffle dishes of the region, Brouillade aux truffles, which is a scrambled egg with truffle shavings.
Finally, we reached the other end of the Valensole Plateau where lies the Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon, a picturesque little hamlet hanging on the hillside overlooking the turquoise Lac de Sainte-Croix.
As dusk began to descend, we opened up a bottle of wine, sat back and watched the golden shimmer of the setting sun play peek-a-boo over the lavender fields.
If you’re going to visit the Provence, you are surely going to return back with arms full of lavender bouquets, soaps, lotions, oils, honey (I know I did) and mind-blowing photographs that are going to light up your IG feed.
That's for sure!
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