If you ask us if is a place that you *need* to experience in real life, say no more. We recommend going to the lavender fields in Provence, a region in the south of France. Visiting for some pics on the ‘Gram is one reason to go, but once you smell these fields you realise that it is something you will not be able to capture and share. The smell is unlike any artificially lavender fragrance. Smelling the sweet, minty fragrance, the fresh air and warming sunrise while watching something straight out of a painting makes for the dreamiest getaway.
When is the best time to visit the lavender fields?
We went from late June until early July. Other sources will tell you to visit early to mid-July. But it really differs per location and year: The higher the altitude, the later the flowers will be in bloom. We do not recommend planning any mid-late August trip far in advance, as you might miss the flowers. The warmer it gets, the earlier they bloom. So we recommend planning it a little bit earlier considering today’s climate.
Where to stay?
We visited Provence while also seeing other parts of the south of France in July, so peak season. This means that we also had a few different accommodations. Keeping the locations mentioned below in mind, we highly recommend staying in Puismoisson and Apt. There are tons of luxurious hotels with insane views, so if you can afford to you will not regret it. We, had private rooms in beautiful Airbnbs with priceless views and could have been not be happier with our decision to do so.
Our Airbnb in Puismoisson was the most romantic place ever. Located in a small town, we got a private room in a large house. The room was spacious, but the reason we had chosen this particular place was because of the view from the balcony. It felt surreal waking up with this view and the breakfast was exceptional.
In Apt, we got our own little cabin on the property of the host. Along with it came a private infinity pool which we made sure to enjoy a lot. The hosts were super friendly and were very helpful giving us tips on the best lavender spots. Overall an amazing experience.
Read: 10 Best Swimming Spots in Provence
Where to go?
The countryside in Provence is covered in lavender fields and there are lots of places you can stop (safely) to take it in. However, the ones below are noteworthy ones we have visited.
By Route de Riez, South of Puismoisson
The first field was off to a great start. When we arrived in a close radius of our photo spot, we noticed not having any designated parking spots around. Eventually, we entered a dirt road we saw another couple cars exit and ended up parked right in front of the field. Please be mindful of other people’s property and not damaging the environment when you do so.
This particular field had a tall but cute stone house in the middle of it. Compared to other fields we have been to, it was medium sized. We were lucky to have the field all to ourselves. We were here during the day, but we imagine this place would be great for sunset as well.
By RD 8, North of Puismoisson
This field is worth visiting multiple times, because it is *that* nice. Parking is not arranged, but the side of the road (a.k.a. the grass ditch) was safe enough for us and other people to stop. This field almost looks infinite, with mountain ranges in the background and a cute stone house in the middle of it. It also happened to be the most fragrant field, especially in the morning.
To our surprise, it was not as busy as we expected it to be. This could naturally also be due to the sheer size of this field. Though, even the best photo spots did not seem to be too stressful. It was nice during the day, but we definitely recommend going for sunrise (photo on the left) for the best experience and photos. You will be accompanied by some photographers and cute bees. Side note about the bees, we admit that we were a little bit afraid one of us was going get stung, but they were the most gentle and easy going bees we had ever met (too busy going about their business to notice you).
By D84, West of Saignon
If you just want a couple pictures of lavender fields but are keen to explore some picturesque towns as well, put Saignon on your list. At the bottom of the hill, you have a relatively small sized but beautiful field. It makes for a great picture spot because you have the town of Saignon in the background as well. If you are looking for a good parking spot, you are not in great luck. The challenge is to find a safe spot on the side of the street and it’s a one-way road…
After enjoying this cute field, visit the town. It feels like a dream to walk through such a work of art, made out of cobblestones and flower-covered-walls. You will not regret visiting this place.
By Route de Manosque, West of Valensole
We also want to mention the lavender field at Valensole. This field might be (one of) the most popular in Provence. You can see it in its glory during sunset, when the lavenders start glowing and the trees on the hill in the background put their silhouettes on display. It makes for amazing extra dimension and is therefore nice to visit. However, this field is not on the top of our list and that is purely because of its popularity. Busses loaded with tourists arrive at this field and believe it or not, there are tourists taking 2 meter ladders with them to snap the perfect shot. We admit that even as photography lovers, this takes a bit of the dreaminess away and made the experience a little more stressful than expected.
There is also a shop by this field as well where you can purchase bouquets, lavender honey and other items to take as souvenirs.
