It has been a dream of mine for several years to road trip around Provence and visit the beautiful lavender fields. Now that I am spending the summer in Europe I knew I had to plan a visit for the 2019 lavender season! The Region of Provence in the South East of France is full of lavender fields, and you wonβt have to look hard to find them in June and July. However there are definitely fields which are more photogenic than others. If you are after a perfect Instagram photo keep reading to find out where to find the best lavender fields in Provence.
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Top Tips for Visiting the Gorges du Verdon
Provence & French Riviera Road Trip Itinerary β South of France
Best time to go to the Lavender Fields
Lavender is a summer flower that starts to bloom in Provence around mid June and is generally harvested from mid July to the beginning of August. The lavender is usually at its peak in early July, but this depends on the rainfall in the year.
I would go either the last week of June or the first week of July to avoid the crowds and ensure that you see the lavender. If you are interested in capturing sunflowers and lavender together, you will need to go mid to late July.
If you arenβt able to visit the lavender fields until August I would recommend exploring the northern part of Provence, such as Sault and Banon. As the southern part will have already been harvested by this time.
Where to stay
The most iconic lavender fields that you have undoubtedly seen all over Instagram are located on the Luberon and Verdon Plateaus. The closest towns to stay in are Valensole, Manosque or Riez.
- Aix en Provence β Les Lodges Sainte-Victoire & Spa
- Saignon β LβAuberge du PresbytΓ¨re
- Gorges of Verdon β Auberge des Salles
- Valensole β Villa Borghese
- Manosque β Campanile Manosque
Getting to the Lavender fields
Provence is full of Lavender farms and distilleries and the majority welcome you to visit their fields. A lot of them sell their own Provence lavender products like essential oils, scented waters, soaps and sachets.
The easiest way to get around and find all of the most beautiful lavender fields is by car, this will also allow you to explore more of Provence. We rented a car at Marseille airport. If you get the train you can look at hiring a car from either Aix en Provence or Manosque.
If you are unable to drive then you can book onto a variety of tours:
- Half-day Lavender Tour from Aix-en-Provence.
- Half-day Lavender Tour from Avignon.
- Lavender Fields and Gorges of Verdon from Nice.
Where to find the best Lavender Fields in Provence
After exploring Provence to find the most instagrammable lavender fields these were my favourite:
1) Plateau de Valensole (most instagrammable lavender field)
You will find the most insta-famous lavender field with the perfect hill and photogenic trees whilst driving from Manosque to Valensole. They are on the left hand side of the road and there is parking to the right.
You can find the fields on Google Maps by searching for Lavandes Angelvin.
Best time to go: The lavender looks the best during golden hour. You should expect people here even at sunrise (including photographers who might want you to model for them!), but as there are lots of rows of lavender itβs still easy to take photos with no one in.
2) Sunflowers and Lavender Fields
You can find sunflowers right next to a lavender field near the Lavandes Angelvin!
Best time to go: The sunflowers bloom slightly after the lavender so you will need to come after mid July.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlTJWDbALnH/
3) Quieter Lavender Field
Just next to the insta-famous lavender field you will find a beautiful vibrant lavender field with mountains in the distance and hardly any people.
Best time to go: I would shoot this field an hour before sunset when the other fields are busier but this one remains quiet.
4) Lavender field with hot air balloons
Drive and park in Riez before walking to the nearby lavender fields at sunrise to experience the sky filled with hot air balloons! It makes for an incredible site and Instagram photo! The hot air balloons donβt fly every day as it will depend on demand and the wind, your best bet is heading to the Plateau de Riez on the weekend.
TOP TIP β the roads around the plateau de Riez arenβt amazing so I would recommend parking in Riez and walking from there.
Big thanks to Sanjukta from @Ode_tomytravels for sharing the location of this beautiful field!
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzk4-H-IDyv/
5) The Abbaye de Senanque
The Abbaye de Senanque is a Cistercian abbey surrounded by lavender fields, making it the perfect backdrop for instagrammable photos! This field is located about an hour and a half away (west) of Valensole so I would avoid going here just for the field. You can include a trip to the nearby towns of Roussillon and Gordes to make it worth your while! Sadly this one wasnβt in bloom yet when we went (end of June 2019).
Please note that you are not allowed to walk through the flower fields at the abbey, but you can admire them from the paths.
Best time to go: Before 9am or after 7pm
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLtJ0gDjO8k
Please make sure you are respectful towards the lavender, do not pick it or trample over it. If you want to hold sprigs of lavender in your photos you can buy it from local vendors (we got ours at a shop in Valensole for β¬2).
I hope you have the best time photographing the most beautiful lavender fields in Provence. Make sure you also explore the region by yourself. You can find plenty of other fields between the villages of Valensole, Forcalquier and GrΓ©oux-les-Bains.
If you like my lavender field edits you can find my Lovely Lavender Lightroom Preset in my shop!
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7 Comments
Rapti B
July 6, 2019 at 1:43 pmSuch gorgeous photographs! Beautiful!
Charlotte Lint
July 6, 2019 at 4:41 pmLove this post Ellie!! Even more excited now to go next year!!!
annk89
July 6, 2019 at 5:13 pmOh my goodness this is absolutely stunning!! I would looove to visit these gorgeous lavender fields. Your photos are incredible!
Mary
July 7, 2019 at 2:20 amSo beautiful! Lavender fields are instagram goals
This is such a helpful post!
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July 12, 2019 at 11:34 am[β¦] is filled with turquoise water and surrounded by dramatic limestone cliffs. Whilst visiting the lavender fields in Provence I knew that a day frolicking in a boat at the Verdon Gorge (as itβs known in English) had to [β¦]
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Donna Leigh
February 16, 2020 at 10:52 pmLoved your blog. So excited about my visit to this region now. Thank you