Discover Southern France’s Provence-Côte d'Azur Region
If you have never holidayed in the Provence-Côte d'Azur region of France, you really owe it to yourself to visit the area that writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Colette and Carol Drinkwater, and painters Cezanne, Van Gogh, Matisse and countless others, credit for much of their inspiration. When visiting this region, Provence holiday homes allow travellers to live like a local during their stay and to see and experience this diverse, beautiful region as these historic figures did. Just the thought of staying in one of the elegant villas Côte d’Azur is home to and experiencing all that this region has to offer should be enough to inspire you to begin planning your trip immediately.
Whether you prefer to reside by the ocean or be surrounded by mountains, there truly is something for everyone. If you are in search of affordable apartments, Côte d’Azur has many options, including flats that are centrally located in some of the most popular resort towns. For those travelling with family or who have a preference for elegant villas, Côte d’Azur has many self catering options that are sure to fit your needs and your budget. Apart from saving money, Provence holiday homes allow you to enjoy complete privacy, cook as you please, launder your clothes, be in close proximity to everything and have all of the creature comforts of home.
In addition to the beautiful beaches of Agay, Le Lavandou, Cannes, Carros-Nice, Saint-Tropez and others, there are also several cities that are not right on the coast, but are well worth a visit. Some options include Brunet, which is famous for its Table Top (Ping Pong) Championship; Six-Fours-Les-Place, which is well-known for its fort and the St Peter Chapel; Bedoin, which is known for its communes, as well as being a favourite of Lance Strong during his Le Tour de France preparations; Aix-en-Provence, which is a university town with breathtaking Gothic architecture; Aups, which is best known for fabulous truffles; the beautiful town of Cotignac; and Oppede, which is most famous for its ghost village.
Travelling around Provence-Côte d'Azur is quite easy and ideal for a tourist, even if French is not your first language. It is best seen and experienced if you hire a car and drive along the undulating country roads between quaint villages and seaside resorts. Apart from being picturesque, you can get an education in history, as many towns are between 1000 and 2000 years old. If historic churches are your thing, it is not uncommon to see two or three in each town.
For the most part, Wednesdays and Saturdays are local market days throughout France. This is a wonderful opportunity to buy some of France’s famous lavender, which can be found fresh, in sachets or dried and can be used by visitors to freshen their clothes or to bring the fragrance of a lavender field into their Provence holiday homes. When visiting these markets before returning to their cozy villas, Côte d'Azur visitors can also pick up some delicious olives and honey, as well as moutarde and herbes des Provence, which will liven up any meal and are perfect for trying your hand at Provençal cooking.
From the comfort of self catering holiday apartments, Côte d'Azur visitors can also easily enjoy one of the inland wineries for an afternoon of wine tasting and will certainly want to purchase at least a few yards of beautiful Provençal fabrics to take home with them.