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I've traveled through quite a bit of France, and Provence is one of my favorite regions in Europe. You have beautiful medieval villages, massive Roman ruins, incredible scenery, vineyards, mountains, and some of the most beautiful coastline in France. You can explore a 2,000 year old Roman arena in the morning, wander through a medieval village in the afternoon, and spend the evening drinking inexpensive French wine at an outdoor café.
I highly recommend visiting Provence in September or early October. The summer crowds have mostly disappeared, the weather is fantastic, and it's still warm enough to swim, kayak, and enjoy the beaches. We visited in September and had beautiful weather throughout the trip. One of the things I really loved about Provence was how easy the cities were to explore. Nîmes, Arles, Avignon, Orange, and Aix-en-Provence are all incredibly walkable. You can park your car, spend the entire day exploring the historic center, and never need to move it.
You absolutely need a rental car for this trip, but driving through Provence is part of the experience. Stay off the highways whenever possible and take the smaller country roads. You'll pass through vineyards, farms, little villages, and some amazing scenery. We encountered essentially zero traffic on the backroads.
Nîmes, Arles, and Orange: Some of the Best Roman Ruins in Europe
One thing that I don't think enough people realize is that Provence and the surrounding region have some of the best Roman ruins outside of Italy. Nîmes is one of my favorite cities in southern France, and its main attraction is the Arena of Nîmes, a massive Roman amphitheater that's nearly 2,000 years old. It's one of the best preserved Roman arenas in Europe, and it's still used for events. The city also has the Maison Carrée, a well preserved Roman temple. Nîmes also has a fantastic historic center with beautiful buildings, squares, shops, and tons of outdoor restaurants and bars.
Arles is another beautiful city with a massive Roman arena that is still in use. The city has an awesome historic center filled with narrow streets and small squares. It's also famous for its connection to Vincent van Gogh, who lived here and painted some of his most famous works. He painted Starry Night Over the Rhône in Arles, along with Café Terrace at Night. You can still visit the café location in Place du Forum that inspired the painting. Like Nîmes, Arles has a great atmosphere in the evening. There are a ton of outdoor restaurants and bars where you can sit outside and drink wine. One thing we discovered on this trip was just how inexpensive the local wine can be. It was common to find a great glass of wine for $3. If you went to the grocery, we could pick up an entire bottle of really good local wine for $3.
Orange is another worthwhile stop, especially if you love Roman history. The main attraction is the incredible Roman Theatre of Orange. It's one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in the world. I would recommend spending a night in each of these cities if you have the time.
Avignon, One of the Most Beautiful Cities in France
Avignon was one of the highlights of our trip. I think it's one of the most beautiful cities in France, and I would recommend spending at least two nights here. The main attraction is the Palais des Papes, or Palace of the Popes. It’s an enormous medieval palace that was the residence of the popes during the 14th century. It's one of the largest Gothic buildings in Europe, and it's absolutely worth visiting. The size of the palace is impressive, and it dominates the historic center of the city. Another famous attraction is the Pont d'Avignon, the ruins of a medieval bridge that once crossed the Rhône River, but only a few arches remain today.
What I loved most about Avignon was simply wandering around the old town. There are beautiful stone buildings, winding streets, public squares, and endless places to stop for food or a glass of wine. The entire old city is surrounded by medieval walls. You really don't need much of a plan here. Park your car and explore.
Pont du Gard. One of My Favorite Places in Europe
If you're driving through Provence, the Pont du Gard is an absolute mandatory stop. It's one of my favorite historic sites anywhere in Europe. The Pont du Gard is an enormous Roman aqueduct that spans the Gardon River. It was built nearly 2,000 years ago to carry water to the Roman city of Nîmes. The structure is absolutely massive, with three levels of stone arches towering above the river. The Romans built this enormous structure without modern machinery, and it's still standing after almost two thousand years.
The setting is just as beautiful as the aqueduct itself. The Gardon River flows underneath the bridge, with clear water, rocky beaches, and beautiful scenery on both sides. One thing I really want to do when I return is rent a kayak and paddle down the Gardon River underneath the aqueduct.
Gordes, Roussillon, and the Villages of Provence
One of the best parts of our road trip was getting out of the cities and driving through the countryside. The backroads of Provence are absolutely beautiful. You'll drive through vineyards, rolling hills, forests, and little stone villages that seem to appear out of nowhere. Gordes is one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in France. The town is perched on a hillside with stone buildings stacked above the valley. It's an incredible sight as you approach by car, and the narrow streets and views of the countryside make it a great place to spend a few hours. Nearby is the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, a beautiful medieval abbey surrounded by fields. It's one of the most photographed places in Provence, especially when the lavender is blooming in summer. Even if you visit after lavender season, the abbey and the surrounding countryside are worth seeing.
Another village that really impressed us was Roussillon. The town is famous for its colorful buildings and the enormous red and orange ochre cliffs surrounding it. The colors are unlike anything else we saw in France. We did two fantastic hikes in this area. The first was the Véroncle Gorge hike, which takes you through an old gorge with historic stone structures. The second was Le Sentier des Ocres in Roussillon. This trail winds through incredible red and orange ochre formations that almost look like something you'd expect to see in the American Southwest. It reminded me of Utah.
Aix-en-Provence: Beautiful Fountains and Great Nightlife
Aix-en-Provence is another city I would highly recommend visiting, especially on a weekend. The city has beautiful architecture, tree lined streets, outdoor cafés, and fountains everywhere. The Cours Mirabeau is one of the city's best-known streets, lined with trees, restaurants, and beautiful old buildings. What really stood out to me about Aix was the atmosphere at night. We visited on a weekend, and the bars and restaurants were packed. Everyone was outside drinking wine, eating, and enjoying the beautiful weather. It was one of those places where you could just grab a table outside and spend the entire evening people watching.
Cassis, The Highlight of Our Entire Trip
Of all the amazing places we visited in Provence, Cassis was my favorite. It's one of the most beautiful coastal villages I've visited in France. Cassis is a gorgeous Mediterranean fishing village surrounded by limestone cliffs, vineyards, and beautiful turquoise water. It has that French Riviera atmosphere, but it feels much smaller and more relaxed than the larger coastal cities. The town has a beautiful harbor lined with restaurants and cafés. Behind it are narrow streets filled with shops and small businesses. Just outside town, vineyards cover the hillsides, and you can visit local wineries to sample the wines produced in the area.
One of the biggest attractions is Calanques National Park. The Calanques are narrow coves with some of the most beautiful blue water in France. There are fantastic hiking trails, beaches, and places to swim. I had a great time cliff jumping here. You can swim, hike, rent bikes, explore the coastline, visit wineries, or just relax at the harbor with a drink.
We visited in September, and the weather was absolutely perfect. It was around 80 degrees during the day. The Mediterranean water was brisk when you first got in, but it wasn't cold. We had no problem swimming, and the beaches were much less crowded than they would be during the middle of summer. We also drove over the hills to visit nearby La Ciotat, another beautiful Mediterranean coastal town. I would recommend spending at least two or three nights in Cassis. If I did this trip again, I would probably add even more time here.
Renting a Car and Getting Around Provence
I really think you need a rental car to do this trip properly. You could visit some of the larger cities by train, but you would miss out on so much of what makes Provence special. Having your own car gives you the freedom to stop whenever you see something interesting. Renting a car in France can be surprisingly inexpensive. I've seen small manual transmission cars available for around $150 a week. If you know how to drive a stick shift, you can often save quite a bit compared with renting an automatic.
Marseille and Montpellier are both convenient airports for exploring southern France. Barcelona is another option, although it's farther away and would add driving time to the trip. Flights from Los Angeles to Barcelona can sometimes be considerably cheaper, making it worth comparing airfare and rental car costs. Personally, I wasn't very interested in spending time in Marseille or Montpellier. Both cities look beautiful in photos, but the crime made them less appealing to me. I preferred spending my time exploring the smaller historic cities and villages instead.
How Many Days Do You Need in Provence?
I would recommend spending at least 10 nights exploring the region, although you could easily spend two weeks here. The distances between most of these places are relatively short, so you won't spend all day in the car.
Here is how I would divide up the trip:
Nîmes: 1 night
Arles: 1 night
Orange: 1 night
Avignon: 2 nights
Aix-en-Provence: 1 night
Gordes or Roussillon 1 night
Cassis: 2–3 nights
You can visit the Pont du Gard, Gordes, Roussillon, and the other smaller villages during the drives between cities. I would also make time for at least a couple of hikes in the countryside.
Places I Want to Visit on My Next Trip
There are still quite a few places in Provence and southern France that I would love to explore. On our next trip, I'd like to extend the road trip farther west into the neighboring Occitanie region. One place on my list is Le Pont du Diable, a beautiful medieval bridge near Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, with a river gorge and swimming areas. I'd also love to visit the giant castle in Carcassonne. Narbonne and Béziers are two other cities that look incredible, with historic architecture, Roman history, beautiful bridges, and old town centers. And I’m dying to see more of the French Riviera.
Provence Is One of the Best Road Trips in Europe
Provence has an incredible combination of Roman history, medieval villages, beautiful scenery, and Mediterranean beaches. The food and wine are fantastic, the towns are incredibly walkable, and the country roads are a pleasure to drive.
September and early October are absolutely the times I would recommend going. You'll generally have much smaller crowds than during the summer, beautiful weather, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. And if you can only spend extra time in one place, make it Cassis. I can't wait to go back.
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| Fontaine Pradier in Nimes France |
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| Nimes France, |
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| Nimes Arena |
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| Pont Du Gard France |
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| Pont Du Gard France |
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| Castle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
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| Le Café de la Nuit, Arles |
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| Alphonse Daudet's windmill |
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| Véroncle Ruins Trail. |
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| Cassis France |
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| Cassis France |
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| The Calanques in Cassis France |
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| Aix in Provence |
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| Tribunal de Commerce, Aix in Provence |
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| The Triumphal arch in Orange France |
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| The Roman Theatre of Orange |
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| Palace of the Popes, Avignon |
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| Calanques National Park France |
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| Le Sentier des Ocres trail in Roussillon France |
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