Well-known for its cuisine and its beaches, its olive trees and its lavender, the southern French area of Provence – Côte d’Azur also provides perhaps the most stunning and intriguing opportunities for heritage tourism of any area in France. And not just natural heritage; with a civilization going back further than that of Paris and the center of modern France, it is also a area that boasts a rich cultural heritage, and 1 of the most effective collections of Roman remains outside Italy.
A number of travellers could indeed be challenging-pressed to acquire a downside to this magnificent area in the south of France; but a word of warning, Provence should certainly not be thought of as a sort of Heaven on Earth; drivers stuck in a motorway visitors jam on a Saturday afternoon in mid summer may well be forgiven for thinking that Provence is Hell on Earth. Overcrowded resorts and beaches, costly facilities, high temperatures, visitors jams – all of these can be regarded as as the downside to holidays in Provence and the Riviera, specially in July and August. Yet for discerning travellers much more interested in heritage tourism than beaches, the downside to Provence in the summer is of little concern.
Like California, the Provence – Riviera area is 1 which not only has beaches where individuals can be seen stretched out on the sand even in winter; it also has high Alpine peaks where the snow still lies, even in summer; and the two are much less than 100 km. apart. 3 of France’s six National Parks are in Provence, and the area also boasts a selection of other regional nature parks or natural reserves, and Quite a few listed natural areas, from the Well-known Camargue, 1 of the main wetlands of Europe to the Queyras, a high mountain Alpine park.
As far as cultural heritage is concerned, the area, together with the neighbouring area around Nimes, provides a marvellous collection of Roman temples, Roman arenas and amphitheatres such as the 1 at Orange, – utilized each year for the Well-known opera festival – and the Pont du Gard, 1 of the greatest surviving Roman aqueducts. Slightly much less ancient, but still pretty old, are the area’s Well-known Romanesque churches, such as Saint Trophime at Arles, the Palace of the Popes at Avignon, and the Countless historic towns and villages, built in the local honey-coloured stone, with their narrow streets, standard markets, and old houses.
With its beaches as well as the exceptional cultural and natural heritage of Provence , it is hardly surprising that this area is the most preferred area in France for tourists and holidaymakers; it is a area that has it all!
When to travel to Provence:
In short, any time of the year. The climate in Provence is Mediterranean, hot in summer, milder than most of the rest of Europe at other times. Though be warned; don\’t anticipate summer in winter! Away from the coast, and additional so in the mountains, winter weather can be cold, and snow, though rare in most low-lying areas, is an occasional possibility anywhere.
