Lavender Fields in Provence: Where & When to See the Bloom
Escapes
When and where to see the lavender fields of Provence from Villa Mauricette: the Valensole plateau, the Sénanque abbey and the Sault plateau, the bloom dates, and how to make a day of it (then home to the pool).
Valensole about 1h30 by car; Sénanque and Sault a little further
Valensole, the postcard lavender plateau, about 1h30 from the villa
Peak bloom: late June to mid-July, with early July the safest bet
The Sénanque abbey and the higher Sault plateau for later colour
Pair the lavender with the turquoise Verdon for one big day
Home to the pool after the heat of the plateau
For a few weeks each summer, the high plains of inland Provence turn an improbable purple, row after row of lavender running to the horizon under a hard blue sky. It is the image the whole world has of the South of France, and from the villa you are a single morning's drive from the real thing. The secret is not finding the fields, it is timing them, going early, and treating the day for what it is: a hot, beautiful expedition into the back country, with a pool to come home to.
Where to go: the Valensole plateau
The plateau de Valensole is the postcard. About 1h30 by car from the villa, it is the largest and most famous of the lavender country, mile upon mile of lavender and golden wheat with the odd stone farmhouse and a lone tree for scale. This is mostly lavandin, the robust hybrid that gives those dense, photogenic rows. Stop at a farm stand for lavender honey, for which Valensole is famous, and for essential oil straight from the distillery. The village of Valensole itself makes an easy lunch stop.
When to go: the bloom window
Lavender is a narrow season. On the Valensole plateau the bloom runs from about mid-June to mid-July, and the first two weeks of July are the safest bet to catch the fields at their fullest, just before the harvest begins. Go too late in July and you may find rows already cut. Dates shift a little each year with the weather, so it is worth checking locally the week before. If your stay falls outside that window, the flowering is the one thing you cannot move, so build the trip around it.
Beyond Valensole: Sénanque and Sault
Two more names are worth knowing. The Abbaye de Sénanque, near Gordes, is the most photographed lavender scene in France: a twelfth-century Cistercian abbey with its little field of lavender in front, best in late June to early July. The plateau de Sault sits higher and cooler, so it blooms later, into late July and August, and grows more of the true fine lavender. Between the three, there is almost always somewhere in flower from mid-June to mid-August.
Make a full day of it: lavender and the Verdon
The beauty of Valensole is what lies just beyond it. The Gorges du Verdon and the turquoise Lac de Sainte-Croix are right next door, so the classic big day pairs a morning in the lavender with an afternoon by the water: a swim, a pedalo, or the drive along the rim of the gorge. It turns a single sight into one of the most memorable days of a Provence holiday.
How to do it right
A few simple rules make the difference. The fields are working farmland, not a park, so stay on the edges and the tracks, never pick or trample the rows, and give the bees room, as the plants are alive with them in bloom. You need a car, as public transport up here is thin. Bring water, a hat and sun cream: the plateau is exposed and very hot by midday. And go early, both for the soft light and to have the rows almost to yourself before the tour coaches arrive.
Mauricette's Tip
Leave at first light. You will have the plateau to yourself, the lavender is at its most fragrant in the cool of the morning, and the light is soft for photographs before the sun flattens everything. Be back at the villa by mid-afternoon, when the heat of the plateau makes the pool feel like the best idea you have ever had. And buy your honey and oil at a roadside stand, not a shop: it is better, and it is the souvenir that smells of the whole trip.
Make Villa Mauricette your base
Lavender by morning, the sea and the pool by afternoon, and air-conditioned rooms for the warm nights: the villa is the calm coastal base that makes the inland day trips effortless. See the house and book direct for the best rate, up to 10% less than the platforms.
Explore nearby:
The most beautiful villages near Toulon and in Provence
