Briançon Briançon is the highest city in France, at an altitude of 1,326 meters. It’s a centerpiece of the Fortifications of Vauban UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The hilltop part of town literally is the fortification, within existing city walls, and wandering
In August-September 2025 we took a two-week long road trip : the itinerary was designed to explore the more off-the-beaten-path parts of the south of France, curating a “U-shaped” itinerary with some of the most popular Provence locations, the French
Many consider Alpes-de-Haute-Provence a “seasonal destination” - the higher and more remote areas can be hard to access, you’ll find ski resorts surprisingly far south, and in general it’s fairly rural, even unpopulated. I like this description from Wikipedia: “The relief
Côte d'Azur and the French Riviera have no official boundaries, but I'm following the most common definitions - from Saint-Tropez to the Italian border. Our experiences have been very mixed - expect lots of traffic, heavily built up cities, and moments
The Luberon is a massif in central Provence in Southern France - for many, exactly what they picture as synonymous with Provence. It is a favourite destination for French, British, Japanese, and American visitors because of the pleasant and picturesque
Bouches-du-Rhône continues to surprise me. We’ve had bumpy experiences in Provence, and I tend to picture this area just south as similar - and then nearly always be pleasantly proven wrong. Bordering Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west
Mont-Ventoux is a mountain in the Vaucluse region of Provence of southern France. At 1,910m (6,270 ft), it is the highest mountain in the region and is famous as a Tour de France cycling race destination. Our 2025 drive through
My first visit was in 2005 with my sister, arriving from Carcassonne via the train. I loved it then: “it has the elegance and history of Paris - Avignon was the seat of the Catholic Church in the 13th century,
In August 2023 we took a long road trip from Revonnas to the Spanish Pyrenees, to the Costa Brava, to the southwestern beaches of France. Here's what went right – and wrong – and how we'd adapt for an even
The Camargue is a marshy coastal region in southern France famous for its (formerly) wild horses, birds, and salt marshes. We LOVED Arles (see post) and had a decent time in Aigues-Mortes - it was a fine place to visit,