So much to see

10 best places to see in the South of France

It’s almost impossible to choose the 10 best locations in the South of France but this travel company has made this video.

They suggest

Monocco, Antibes, Porquerolls, St Tropez, Avignon, Carcassonne, Cannes, Nice, Marseille, Provence countryside

Besides these ‘grand experiences’ we have also illustrated a few local experiences below

Gorge du Verdon

This is always a must visit. Gorge du Verdon flows into the lake of St Croix. The scenery is breath taking. You can get a paddle boat and go up the Gorge- the water is an emerald green and swimming is the highlight of any holiday. You can get there in about 1 hour from the cottage.

You can drive the length of the Gorge if you have a steady nerve! It is very high, with cliffs and always oncoming traffic!

Moustiers - Sainte-Marie

Just up from the lake is the village of Moustiers. Everybody who goes there comments that it is well worth the visit- Most people visit Moustiers when they go to the Lake and Gorge.

il de Porquerolles

This is my favourite place.You drive down to Hyres and then on down the peninsula to the Port De Porquerolles. It takes about hr 1.15 from the cottage.

The ferry leaves about every 15 minutes- walk on-no cars. It costs about 15 euro’s and takes about 12 minutes.

The Island is great- It has a small village with some bars and restaurants. People either hike or get a rental bike. The beaches and trails are really good- great day out

Pampelonne Beach-St Tropez

Pampelonne beach must be one of the best beaches in the world. The bay is about 7km wide so walking along the beach will take some time. There is a car park behind the beach and between the car park and the beach are various restaurants-many with sun loungers that you can hire.. In summer the best route to St Tropez/Pampelonne beach is via Le Luc, La Garde Freinet, Grimaud- avoid Ste Maxime. Locals often go to the beach late afternoon avoiding the traffic and staying late.

St Tropez - village

People get confused between the village of St Tropez and the beach- the beach Pampellona is about 7kms away.

St Tropez is a fishing village with multi million pound yachts. It’s a great place to visit- Many restaurants and the occasional celebrity. Either visit via boat from Ste Maxime or drive via Garde Freinet

Club 55-Pampelonne Beach-St Tropez

Very famous people often go to Club 55. Usually film stars. It is on the end of Pampelonne beach. You can call and make a reservation it is simple to do. In the end it’s an exclusive beach restaurant. Opposite Club 55 you will find great restaurants, the same beach and the same sunshine - but maybe no film stars.

Six Fours les Plages

If you want a beach that the French use and the tourists do not seem to find, then go down to Six Fours Les Plages. It’s a number of beaches (6 ) on a peninsula. To get there you take the motorway down to Toulon, carry on under the large tunnel and 2 turnings later to the left is the area. It will take about 1hr 10 minutes from the cottage as it’s motoway all the way. Good beaches, small yachts, restaurants and you can also hire sun beds

Frejus & Saint-Raphael

Frejus and Saint Raphael are very close together they are almost one town. The beach is great and there is an impressive promanade.There is a fairground and a large water park. It takes about 40 minutes from the cottage

Some culture

Arles

Arles is a very pleasent town to visit. It has a Roman amphitre that is very complete and well worth visiting. Arles is famous for being the home for Van Gogh. There are many cafes that claim Van Gogh painted them etc. But it is very interesting. You can take a bus tour which is informative.

Allow 2.30 hrs from the cottage but it is motorway all the way.

Avignon

Avignon always gets really positive reviews. I have not been there yet but will this year. Avignon is famous for the Papal Palace. A pope in the 13th Century decided to move the vatican from Rome to Avignon. The result is a stunning palace. There is also a bridge that is not complete the Pont Saint Benzet which has a famous song ‘sur le port d’Avignon’

Allow 2 hours from the cottage

Aix en Provence

They call Aix “the little Paris of the south”. It has fantastic boulavards and an old medival town with many boutique shops selling all the latest luxury brands.

Aix is definately my favourite town

Aix is easy to get to- down to the A8 motorway. It takes about 1 hr from the cottage

Local Vineyards

Lorgues is getting to be known as a rather special place for wine, especially for ‘Rose’.

There are 12 domains in the Lorgues area. This video is about a meeting the owners had to collaborate efforts making the Lorgues vineyards even more popular

Chateau Les Croste

All the vineyards welcome visitors and offer a free no obligation wine tasting experience. Many of the vineyards also have ‘summer experiences’. It might be a jazz sunday or a spectacular as this video shows at les Croste.

Les Croste is one of my favourite vineyards- great wine

Chateau Roubin

The vineyards in the immediate area of the cottage are all owned by Chateau Roubin. Valerie Rousselle owns the vineyard and another local vineyard called Château Sainte-Béatrice.

The wines are excellent and are being sold in many restaurants in Europe, airports and across the Middle East. You can walk through the vines without any problems and in fact Chateau Roubine has an actual walk sign posted.

Chateau de Berne

Mark Dixon (UK billionaire) owns Chateau de Berne. He has developed a 5 star hotel around the vineyard. It is a great experience to visit, and there is a restaurant, spa and cafe, The vineyards have walking trails. You can actually walk from Lorgues to the vineyard.

Mark also owns Le Grillon in the high street in Lorgues

Domaine OTT

Ott is operated by the largest wine growers in the region (they also operate vineyards in the USA). The Ott vineyard locally is only 2 km from the cottage but to get to it by car you need to get on the back road the D562 towards Taradue. The winery is a State of the Art building designed by a top architect and working on a gravity system. Ott is well worth visiting

Market day - a way of life in France

Lorgues has the second largest market in the Var second only to St Tropez. It’ s every Tuesday morning and there will be cars parked everywhere. There is also a market on Friday morning. Unfortunately there is no video so we have found two- one in Aix en Provence and other in Draguignan.

Markets are also in Salerne (Sunday) Flyasoc (Monday), and Drauguignan (Wednesday and Saturday).

Draguignan Market

The market of Draguignan takes place regularly on Wednesdays and on Saturdays. The stalls usually open at 8 a.m. and close at around 12.30 p.m.

It occurs on the Place du marché and Boulevard Jean Jaurès. It is in the old city centre. About 100 different booths are to be found on this market. The product range: fruit and vegetables, direct marketing food, meat products, fish and seafood and also clothes, kitchen utensils, furniture, toys and not non alimentary producs.

Local Villages

Salernes

Great market and a lagoon to swim in- very refreshing.

This village, surrounded by hills and located in the Bresque Valley, is an important historical and artistic center. It is known since the nineteenth century for its production of red hexagonal tiles called "tomette". Originally, the village was based on an agricultural economy. It produced oil, wine, figs, wheat, beans, melons and peaches. Now the region is open for the tourists, offering hiking, biking and equestrian activities.

17 minutes from the cottage

Cotinac

The village of Cotignac is dominated by majestic  cliffs on top of which sit a pair of square, medieval towers, “Les Tours Sarrasins”, which have been watching over the town for centuries.  Built into the cliffs are caves which have provided shelter and refuge going back millennia, and even today a few of these troglodyte dwellings are in use. You can visit them from a path behind the town hall or take the road signposted to the Les Tours Sarrasins.

28 minutes from the cottage

Tourtour

True to its nickname of “village in the sky of Provence”, Tourtour perches at 635 metres above sea level on the Beau Soleil, or Beautiful Sun, as its hill is called. From the village, you have impressive views over the Moyen Var all the way to the Sainte Baume Massif and the Sainte-Victoire mountain near Aix-en-Provence.
Tourtour has really impressive views across all of the area. In the village are a number of cafe’s with lenty of sitting room. Enjoy the views, the village and the beer afterwards.

Tourtour is 19 minutes from the cottage

Flayosc

Flayosc is a pretty medieval village that is less touristic than many of the villages in this region. The small village is centred around its traditional church, which is surrounded by a circle of medieval houses that formed the original defences for the village.

Nice market and good restaurants. Flayosc is 15 minutes