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Times
24 minutes ago
- Times
The 38 coolest places in Provence — the expert's très chic guide
I've been going to the south of France for more than 20 years now, and in that time I've gathered together all the places, people and things I wished I'd known about before I arrived. They look hilarious but are also weirdly cool. Sure, they won't get you very far but that's not the point. Throw a couple of dogs in the back and you'll be the envy of every tourist in town. Hire from Yes Provence, the most universal car hire company in Provence. 914 CD 29 Route de Cavaillon, Saint Andiol; The Saturday fruit and veg market on Place Richelme is a total vibe and it sells the best strawberries from every part of Provence. Carpentras strawberries have the sweetest perfume and are best eaten on a bench in the sun. Place Richelme, Aix‑en-Provence Lovely little town in the far north of the region, close to Mont Ventoux. We stay at an excellent hotel called Le Clair de la Plume. Very dog friendly and there's a perfect courtyard where you can have dinner. 2 Place du Mail, Grignan; Equal parts cold beer to cold lemonade with a dash of grenadine. My favourites, in no particular order, are Ansouis, Ménerbes, Lacoste, Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, Saignon, Goult and Forcalquier. I order from the same company, Sun-e-bike, every year, but there are lots of options in Provence. Completely changed my experience of the place. I discovered so many fields of sunflowers completely devoid of the TikTok crowds. Best price per use ever. 2 Rue Camille Pelletan, St-Rémy-de-Provence; • More travel inspiration, news, advice and guides Great vibe. Fabulous art. A Roman amphitheatre that will take your breath away. Arles amphitheatre, 1 Rond-point des Arènes, Arles; The best are in Aix-en-Provence on a Saturday morning, when the entire town is in market mode, with a brocante near the bus station, clothes near the giant fountain and the aforementioned fruit/veg/flower market in Place Richelme. Also: Marché de Forcalquier — very arty (Place du Bourguet); Banon — very hip; Coustellet — good organic produce; Marché de Lourmarin — really busy, but worth seeing once as it's so pretty; Carpentras — fabulous, low-key Sunday brocante with cheap prices; Apt — the Saturday market is good for everything, but there's also a giant one on the second Sunday in July every year (Place Gabriel Péri). Didn't think I'd find this on a list of suggestions, but I took a Zou! bus from Cavaillon to Aix this summer and, well, I was blown away. Big comfy seats, air conditioning, gets you to a lot of those fiddly places that are hard to reach unless you drive. So much better than the buses back home. Provençal lavender honey is incredibly floral and sweet. There's always a local seller at one of the many markets, so stock up. Veggie soup made with pesto and seasonal vegetables/beans. Incredible. If you see it on a menu, just order it. Not unique to Provence — maybe more of a French thing — but this fizzy, slightly fruity soft drink is the one thing we bring home every year. Track it down in the local supermarket. Everyone knows Cannes. Most people have an opinion on St Tropez (too flash in the summer, too quiet in the winter, bliss in the spring); while Nice, Antibes and Cap-Ferrat are all well-worn stops on the Riviera tour. But Hyères is the new place to rest your head. Once famous with the British aristocracy — and the Twenties literary crowd (Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald famously partied here) — this seaside town is now having a moment. Last year Lilou Hotel opened its stylish doors — 37 cool rooms across 4 floors. There's also the magical island of Porquerolles, which is a few minutes away by boat and perfect for an afternoon of cycling. The beautiful Villa Noailles is a short cab ride away, and as well as having one of the best gardens in all of France, it was where everyone from Picasso to Salvador Dalí partied the night away. Lilou Hotel, 7 Boulevard Pasteur; Villa Noailles, 47 Montée Noailles; The best place in the south of France to buy vintage sheets, pillow cases, quilts and fabric, some dating back to the 18th century, which the owners have been collecting for more than 50 years. You'll find it in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and it's only open Saturday/Sunday. (Although forget lunchtime, which is usually 1pm-3pm. In fact, this is the case for almost everywhere in Provence.) 20 Avenue Julien Guigue, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue; Such a good shop, with a few different locations in Provence overseen by three generations of the Jouvaud family. It sells great homewares, linen napkins, lovely teacups, but also beautiful chocolates to take back home, especially the little muettes, which come in multiple flavours. 5 Avenue des Quatre Otages, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue; It's easy to miss the beautiful home of the surrealist photographer and Picasso muse, who spent every summer here before her death in 1997. It is now a residential centre for artists and writers, but on Tuesdays and Saturdays you can tour the interior and garden. 58 Rue du Portail Neuf, Ménerbes; Quite possibly the best garden in the world. I go almost every year for a private tour with the head gardener. You will be smitten. Le Jardin de la Louve, Chemin de Saint-Gervais, Bonnieux A slightly surreal experience where, as well as a tour of the Hollywood director's vineyard (and a lovely tasting session afterwards), you get to see dozens of the original costumes and props from his many films, including Gladiator and Alien. One for the movie nerd in your life. 1575 Route du Four Neuf, Oppède; High in the hills above St Tropez, this rustic restaurant (it does big portions) was the favourite of the late, great AA Gill. You will need to book. 2 Place de l'Église, La Môle This hotel-restaurant needs no introduction. There are Picassos on the wall, lanterns in the fig trees and probably a Hollywood director lurking at one of the tables. Place du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Paul-de-Vence; The former childhood home of Paul Cézanne just opened this summer and is an absolute treat, with the remains of Cézanne's paintings on some of the walls. It's quite possibly better than his studio in nearby Lauves (see no 33) — but if you are in Aix, why not see both? 4 Rue de Valcros, Aix-en-Provence; Out in the wilds of the Camargue you'll find this superchic restaurant, which has a green Michelin star. Almost all the produce comes from the organic garden. A perfect way to spend a long, lazy Sunday lunch. Mas de la Chassagnette, D36 Route Sambuc, near Arles; Alain Ducasse bought this place in the Nineties from a local potter and it still feels like a little country house not far from the green Verdon Gorge for which this part of Provence is famous. We spent the most beautiful couple of nights here many years ago. 511 Chemin de Quinson, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie; Sort of like Soho House but smaller and with a storied past (everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Jackie O used to hang here). It was renovated a couple of years ago and is now one of the chicest places to stay just outside St Tropez. Route de l'Épi, Ramatuelle; This hotel has fabulous interiors and it's right next door to a really cool bakery. The same company also owns the Nord-Pinus round the corner, which is very romantic, especially if you can get the room with the balcony on the corner. 20 Rue du Sauvage, Arles; I've been buying simple, good-quality leather sandals from this place in St Tropez for years. The Sahariennes design is a dead ringer for The Row, but will last longer. 18 Rue Georges Clemenceau, St Tropez; If money is no object, this super-swanky medi-spa in Ramatuelle is heaven. 736 Chemin des Crêtes, Ramatuelle; It was here that poor Vincent van Gogh was carted off after severing his ear in Arles. While in residence he completed 150 paintings. You can visit the room where he lived and see the big skies and olives trees that he painted each day. Part of the hospital is still in use. Saint-Paul de Mausole, Place Saint-Paul, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence Chic waterfront hotspot in Les Goudes, outside Marseille. Hard to get a reservation, so book early. Oh, and some new rooms have just opened if you'd like to stay the night. 2 Boulevard Alexandre Delabre, Marseille; In the teeny village of Villars, just outside Apt, you will find this buzzy bar/restaurant. Closed Monday and Tuesday and booking is essential. Place de la Fontaine, Villars; Every summer, the stylish couple behind the French wicker company Atelier Vime open up their incredible home in the Camargue as part of La Maison Vime boutique. Here they sell ceramics and 18th-century plates as well as the wicker products they are famous for. 24 Quai du Rhône, Vallabrègues; This café and deli is very much a vibe. Get a takeout picnic to eat on the beach. Gorgeous sandwiches and pastries. 116 Corniche Kennedy, Marseille; Aix-en-Provence celebrates its most famous resident, Paul Cézanne, with a major retrospective of his work at the Musée Granet as well as the much anticipated opening of his family home La Bastide du Jas de Bouffan (see no 21). His studio at Lauves, just outside Aix, has also undergone a major renovation. This is one of the biggest Cézanne celebrations, so book tickets in advance where possible. Musée Granet, Place Saint-Jean de Malte, Aix-en-Provence; Atelier des Lauves, 13 Avenue Paul Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence; Charming little flower farm not far from Goult. Route de Vaugines, Lourmarin; My new favourite restaurant in Provence. Smart, hip, with a small but perfect menu. I shall dream of the gazpacho with fresh goat's cheese for many months. 1 Place de la Fraternité, Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt; Pretty vineyard at the tail end of the Nesque Valley, under papal control for 800 years, offering excellent wines and lively tours. Route de Methamis, Malemort-du-Comtat; I'd never heard of this hotel group until recently but it specialises in chic boutique hotels, many of which are in Provence including Le Moulin in Lourmarin and Les Roches Rouges in Saint-Raphaël. One of the largest bookstores outside Paris, located in several Provençal houses in the gorgeous town of Banon. Get lost here for an afternoon, then go for coffee in Café Union. Rue Saint-Just, Banon; Farrah Storr's newsletter, Things Worth Knowing, is on Substack
Times
33 minutes ago
- Times
In search of the real Greece — one ginger tablet at a time
S omewhere between hour four and hour six, my complexion takes on the colour of week-old tzatziki. I begin to question all my life choices — especially the one where I decide to skip Greece's easy-living beach resorts and travel by bus to the southern Peloponnese. My goal? Somewhere authentic, somewhere that doesn't involve battling for a poolside lounger at 6am. But about 150 miles into the 200-mile journey southwest from Athens, I am suddenly struggling to keep my breakfast down. What I haven't anticipated is the bus driver, a chain-smoking oracle of rage, whose driving style could best be described as 'hell-bent with horn.' I tumble off the bus into an uninspiring modern sprawl, and drag my luggage — and dignity — across the bridge, grumbling to my partner about how we should've just gone to Mykonos.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Seafood, spices and jumbo pastries: Clara Amfo on Brittany's culinary gems
I've spent a lot of my life going at an incredibly fast pace. Living in a big city and working as a broadcaster, I'm always rushing from one thing to the next. So when I was invited to explore the local culinary delights of Brittany, it was a great excuse to slow everything down and travel there with Brittany Ferries. I don't think I've been on a ferry since a year 7 trip to France. But it was really refreshing to move at a slower pace and actually enjoy the journey. I also found it fascinating to be part of this micro-community of sorts; a floating vessel of people in the middle of the sea. We had an evening crossing from Portsmouth, which meant dinner in Le Littoral, one of the Saint-Malo ship's restaurants, and afterwards, an early night in my cute cabin. I slept so well. When I woke up in the morning, I decided to go for a dawn walk along the top deck. The French tricolour was flying, the sun was breaking and as we pulled into Saint-Malo port, a lighthouse framing the scene, it looked just like a postcard. It was such a lovely moment – and something I'd have completely missed had I flown. When I'm on holiday, I'm definitely a curious person. My first thought is always, what's the best gallery here; where can I get a great coffee or what's the local delicacy I've got to try? When I was in New Orleans, I was obsessed with finding the best beignets, or in Ghana, it was all about the best jollof. So, after docking, I quickly zoned in on a local bakery and had a pain au chocolat – which cost about €1 – and was so delicious, plus double the size of British ones. I also wanted to try oysters from Cancale, a pretty town to the east of Saint-Malo, which is known as the oyster capital of Brittany. There, a lovely guy called Olivier showed me how to properly shuck an oyster. After putting on a protective chain mail glove, he explained there's a certain rhythm to oyster shucking. A couple of incisions and a few cracks later, and the shell opened to reveal the oyster. Enjoying oysters on the sea steps after a lesson in shucking Olivier presented them beautifully on a platter, with a wedge of lemon, and I took a little moment to myself to sit on the sea steps and enjoy the oysters while taking in the views. The whole point of going on this trip was to try things that are out of my comfort zone. Oyster shucking was never on my to-do list, but now I'm able to say that I've done it. And at the end, I loved chucking the shells in a pile so they could be washed back into the sea – giving them back to the ocean. One of my favourite books is Joanne Harris's Chocolat, which meant it was very easy to romanticise the whole trip. One afternoon, I hired a bike and as I was riding alongside the picturesque Ille-et-Rance canal, I thought: 'Am I her? Am I Joanne Harris now?' It was very cute. Cycling through Brittany; Maison du Beurre Bordier, an artisan butter store Visiting Maison du Beurre Bordier in Saint-Malo definitely had that same Chocolat-vibe. An artisan butter store, I got to try out eight different types, including chilli, raspberry, smoked salt and even seaweed, which were all banging. And the bread! So fresh and still warm. Bread and butter is such a simple meal, but it's just the best. Julie, one of the artisans, showed me the best method of eating butter, and it's not a thin spread like you'd think; it's more of a full, top-of-a-thumb-sized chunk that you angle on. 'I am just butter,' she laughed. 'If you cut me I'd probably bleed butter from my veins.' As with Olivier, I just loved her passion. I also got to visit Épices Rœllinger, a brilliant spice shop. When you first enter, it's like walking into an old-fashioned curiosity shop. I could smell the cinnamon, flavoured salts, pepper, nutmeg, even fresh vanilla pods – it was intoxicating. I loved the design of the red labels on the spice jars, all laid out perfectly, and the owner, Daniel, filled me in on the history of the shop. I bought some spices to take home with me: nutmeg (needed for a good rum punch), Cajun spice, and a special mix called Poudre Retour des Indes, which Daniel said is good on fish or chicken. I used them immediately when back in the UK, and need to be careful not to finish them before the end of summer! Savouring the smells at Épices Rœllinger; tasting mead From chatting with local producers and trying their food, I really picked up on the feeling that everyone I met was vehemently proud of where they were from and what they could produce – whether that's oysters, bread, butter or mead, which I also tried. Sea for miles: a view from the return journey to Portsmouth I've definitely been inspired to search out these types of food experiences on my future travels – it's a great way to get under the skin of a new place. And travelling by ferry made the whole trip more relaxed and enjoyable – it was a good reminder to take my time and savour both the journey and the flavours. Where to stayBrittany Ferries offers a range of accommodation from charming gîtes and chic hotels to villas with their own pool. The Oceania offers stylish rooms and a spa in easy reach of Saint-Malo's Intra-Muros (walled city). Don't miss the new roof terrace where you can enjoy sundowners and a panoramic view of the port. Or, halfway between Dinard and Dinan, the Manoir de Rigourdaine is a former Breton farmhouse with bright rooms and river views – a great base for into holiday mode before you even arrive. Book a Brittany Ferries Holiday with ferry and accommodation and save up to 30% on your sailing at:
