Provence and the Cote d'Azur : Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore, Smart Travel Tips From A To Z, Plus Maps and Color Photos

Destination Provence and the Côte D'Azur

Arid, rocky, windswept, its honey-gold hillsides silvered with olive trees, this primordial coastal landscape is so quintessentially Mediterranean that when the Greeks first landed at Marseille 4,000 years ago, they felt right at home. Here in Provence and on its famous coast, you too will feel the touch of the primeval, whether you climb into perched medieval villages; squeeze warm melons in an open-air market; or slip, seal-like, into the sea. Open your senses to the smell of thyme underfoot, the sound of Romanesque church bells, the taste of crushed garlic, the touch of balmy salt breezes, and the sight of the almost blinding beauty of bougainvillea, hot pink against the turquoise sea. Like the Greeks, Romans, feudal lords, and Sardinian kings who claimed a piece of this coveted land, you'll be seduced.
The Alpilles, Arles, and the Camargue

On the marshy flatlands of the Rhône River delta and the raw-rock hills of the Alpilles that divert the river west, this region has been a major crossroads since the Romans first profited from the river, the coast, and an Alpine route. Nowhere in France will you find such a concentration of antiquities, so superbly preserved: Roman arenas, still in use, at Arles and Nîmes; a complete Greco-Roman village outside St-Rémy; and the spectacular triple-tier aqueduct called the Pont du Gard. It's a region of haunting natural beauty, too, with the Camargue's hypnotic plane of marsh grass stretching to the sea, interrupted only by an explosion of flying flamingos or a modest stampede of stocky bulls led by latter-day cowboys. The craggy Alpilles to the northeast are filled with feathery olive trees (this is one of Provence's main sources of olive oil) and with time-weathered mas, or farmhouses. The scenery is surpassed only by the cities: feisty, tatty, Latin Nîmes; graceful, golden Arles, still resonant with the memory of van Gogh; and cosmopolitan St-Rémy-de-Provence, a haven for chic urbanites and a mellow retreat dappled with the shade of ancient plane trees.

The Vaucluse

Anchored by the former papal stronghold of Avignon, with its mammoth medieval palace and crenellated city walls, the Vaucluse spreads luxuriantly north into the Rhône vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and east into mountain country quilted with olive and cherry orchards and fields purpling with lavender. There are fields of Roman ruins in Vaison-la-Romaine and a Roman theater in Orange, at the foot of Mont Ventoux. But thanks in part to the tantalizing descriptions of British author Peter Mayle, the world beats a path to the Luberon, a long, low mountain covered in forests, patchworked with vineyards and olive groves, and punctuated by medieval hilltop villages: Bonnieux, Ménerbes, Roussillon, and Gordes. Like Mayle, others seek the sun-blessed lifestyle of cool stone farmhouses and warm feet. And on Sunday, they flock to the antiques market at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to bargain for pastis glasses, quilts, and aspiring Old Masters.

Aix, Marseille, and the Central Coast

This is inspirational country, both for the austere beauty of its scenery and the rhythm of its cities, including the cosmopolitan shipping port of Marseille — bold, ancient, larger than life. The best of the Mediterranean is captured here in a savory bouillabaisse. Sleek, smart Aix-en-Provence burgeons with international students and the arts. Cézanne lived and died in Aix and painted its rugged countryside in rough-hewn daubs of russet and green, especially his beloved [Montagne de Ste-Victoire. Marcel Pagnol, filmmaker and author of Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, spent a lifetime capturing the scent of thyme and the roar of the fish market in his native territory around Marseille. In Aubagne, his hometown, Pagnol's characters come to life in sweet, slightly kitsch terracotta figurines called santons. The central coast is a well-kept secret, with pockets of natural beauty that could pass for an Aegean island. The rocky Calanques, fjord-like bays between Marseille and the picture-perfect port of Cassis, make for some of the prettiest coastline in France. Also stretched along this quiet underbelly are local beaches and spectacular views from the coastal highway. Farther east lie Bandol, as well known for its beaches as for its pink wine, and the brawny shipyard city of Toulon. And at the end of the world, the Presqu'île de Giens, ferries leave hourly for the car-free paradise of the Iles d'Hyères. The loveliest of these islands is Porquerolles, protected as a national park.

The Western Côte D'Azur

The legend begins here: palm trees, parasol pines, crystalline sun, a sea improbably blue, all framed against the green Massif des Maures and the red-rock Massif de l'Esterel and backed by the wild Haut Var. Above-title credit goes to St-Tropez, with its white-sand beaches and its port cafés thick with young gentry hoping for a glimpse of a movie star ... or a wanna-be. Also in the area are family-beach towns like Ste-Maxime and Fréjus, and sportif resorts like St-Raphaël and Mandelieu. Just an hour's drive inland, Old Provence awaits in Cotignac, Mons, Seillans, and Fayence, palpable in crumbling ocher, heavy-leafed plane trees, and the chink of metal balls in a sandlot game of pétanque. Venture even farther, and you'll enter the wild and woolly backcountry of Haute Provence, winding on mountain roads until you reach one of France's greatest natural wonders: the Gorges du Verdon, a Grand Canyon—like chasm roaring with milky green water and edged by hair-raising roads. At its west end, the faïence center of Moustiers-Ste-Marie proffers elegant pottery on either side of a mountain torrent.

Nice and the Eastern Côte D'Azur

Cosseted by Mediterranean breezes and sheltered by green cliffs and silver Alps, this part of the Côte d'Azur has charmed the world, and it's easy to see why. Here are glamour capitals like Cannes, where palatial hotels such as the Carlton pamper the stars during the film festival, and Monaco, a principality with money to burn in its casinos. At the region's heart, Nice drapes along the Baie des Anges, rich with local museums and cuisine. All along the coast you'll experience the scenery and light that seduced Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, and Cocteau. Works by Matisse grace the region, including a life-spanning collection in the Musée Matisse above Nice. Explore the noble old bastion of Antibes and its luxurious peninsula, the Cap d'Antibes; the pretty fishing port of Villefranche-sur-Mer; the yacht port of St-Jean; and the lemon-scented seaside resort of Menton. From the coast you can drive up into the hills to picturesque Vence, Mougins, and the perfume-making center of Grasse. Above the perched village of St-Paul, the Fondation Maeght has an extraordinary collection of contemporary art. Or you can plunge into the arrière-pays (backcountry), a world of forest gorges and isolated mountain towns.