After the lavender: a guide to southern France in autumn
An October route from the bistros of Nice to the art galleries of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and from the stone villages of the Luberon to the market in Arles. As the summer crowds recede and the fields are harvested, lavender turns up in cocktails, in gin and on market stalls. Along the way there is room for wine tastings, lingering in gardens and a sweet stop in Aix-en-Provence before heading home.
We went to Provence in the last week of October. The summer crowds had thinned; the streets weren’t empty, but we could take in the character of each village without getting caught in a crush. The lavender fields had long been harvested, yet that purple scent turned up this time on our plates and in our glasses. The weather was still summery. In the sun a strappy top is enough, and when you step into the shade a light jacket does the job.
The logic of the route is simple: you fly into Marseille and drive east to Nice. You stay two nights in Nice and explore the Riviera coast, then head to the Luberon by way of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. On the way back there is still time to stop in Arles and Aix-en-Provence.
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