Provence Alpes Cotes d’Azur

Provence Alpes Cotes d'Azur, France

French Property Shop Regional Information Guide

Contains the following departments of France:- 

Alpes de Haute Provence 04

Hautes Alpes 05

Alpes Maritimes 06

Bouches de Rhone 13

Var 83

Vaucluse 84 

Access:

Marseille, Bouches de Rhone 13

-  from Edinburgh, Glasgow,   Dublin, Manchester, Birmingham, Stansted and Bournemouth with Ryanair

- from Birmingham with BMIbaby

- from Gatwick and Bristol with easyjet

- from London with British airways 

Toulon, Var 83

 -  from Stansted with Ryanair

Nice, Alpes Maritimes 06

-   from Dublin with Ryanair

- from Exeter, Southampton and Jersey with Flybe

- from Birmingham and East-Midlands with BMIbaby

- from Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Luton, Stansted and Gatwick with easyjet

- from London with British Airways

Avignon, Vaucluse 84

– from Exeter and Southampton with Flybe

Eurostar from London to Paris then change to travel by TGV to Avignon, Nice, Aix en Provence, Marseille, Toulon, Nimes & Cannes. In the summer Eurostar offers direct journeys to all these destinations.

Aix en Provence, Bouches de Rhone 13, is around 10 hours from Calais. Avignon: 8¾ hours;  Nimes: 9 hours;

Marseille: 9½ hours; Cannes, Var 13: 10¾ hours; 

Nice: 11 hours

Ferries to Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria

Provence is a historic province in southeastern France along the Mediterranean Sea. AIX-EN-PROVENCE is its capital. The area is now divided into the départements of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Hautes-Alpes, Var, and Vaucluse.

The Provence region of France, with its mountains, sandy beaches and warm climate, is one of the most popular areas in the whole country - second only to Paris. Resorts like St Tropez and Ste Maxime attract royalty and celebrities. With Provence enjoying 300 days of sunshine per year and a spectacular coastline with white sandy beaches, craggy cliffs, tranquil bays and numerous exotic islands, it is easy to see why. And the hinterland is filled with vine-covered fields, hilltop villages and olive groves - perfect for a rural retreat.

Its light is exceptionally bright, and its landscapes are wonderfully varied: rocky inlets with their parasol pines and turquoise water, Camargue plains, Vaucluse vineyards or plateaux of Haute-Provence with their scents of thyme and lavender.

This historic region was a major crossroads for different civilisations, and has a wealth of  sites which are worth the journey in themselves: Avignon and its Palais des Papes; Arles and Orange where the spirit of ancient Rome can still be felt; the dazzling 18th-century jewel of Aix-en-Provence; and legendary Saint-Tropez… You'll succumb to their magic in no time – and the same goes for the local cuisine, with its garlic and olive oil.

Climate:

Provence is an area of France that particularly benefits from a Mediterranean climate.

You can expect to enjoy long, hot summers with warm nights, ideal for spending as much time outdoors as possible. Although Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur, France is renowned for the presence of the Mistral wind, this can provide a welcome breeze in summer, and even in winter temperatures can be mild

Provencal temperatures are on average mild enough to enable comfortable swimming in the pool until late September/early October.

You can expect average temperatures on the Provence coast to be slightly higher so that swimming in the Mediterranean can be enjoyed until mid October.

The Mediterranean climate in Provence Alpes Cotes d'Azur, France physically manifests itself through the presence of olive trees for they only grow in areas with hot summers and mild winters. You will notice that the production of olive oil is an important industry in Provence and for this reason olive groves are numerous. You may even find one in your garden.

Provencal food

There are a number of dishes that Provence is famous for.

Bouillabaisse is a classic seafood stew made with an assortment of fish and shellfish, tomatoes, garlic, saffron, herbs, wine and olive oil.

Bourride is similar to bouillabaisse except that it does not have tomato and is thickened with aioli, a garlic mayonnaise, and another traditional Provencal concoction.

Pistou is the Provencal equivalent of pesto and used as a sauce, condiment and as a flavoring agent in soupe au pistou, Provence's version of Minestrone.

Another famous sauce is tapenade, a ground mixture of olives, anchovies, capers, olive oil and lemon juice. In the fall and winter, a variety of daubs, or stews are produced from various meats and wild game.

“Herbes de Provence” is an assortment of herbs containing some combination of thyme, sage, rosemary, basil, lavender, savory, fennel seed, marjoram, tarragon, oregano, and bay leaf.