The largest lavender field. Crimean Provence or lavender fields in Crimea: addresses, flowering times, excursions. Where does lavender grow in France?
The cleanest air filled with the aroma of lavender, the endless fields which, depending on the weather and the flowering period, acquire colors from gray-lilac to blue-violet, are like a fairy tale. It becomes especially beautiful during lavender blooming, when the ground reflects the blue of the sky and you get the feeling that you are walking on purple-blue clouds with your feet.
Inhale the sweet, slightly tart aroma of lavender that won't make you dizzy. If you want to hear a more intense lavender aroma, run your hand over the flowering bushes and take a deep breath.
Lavender fields are not only beautiful landscapes and a great place for photo sessions. Lavender is used in folk medicine to restore strength and relieve fatigue; essential oils, tinctures, perfumes, soaps, and honey are made from it. It is added to food, ice cream, chocolate, and in Provence you can order dishes with lavender.
Lavender fields are located in the north of the Provence region, for example, near Drôme Provencale, in the area of the city of Valensole, the departments of Vaucluse and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. where you can also visit the lavender museum in Coustellet .
Also, lavender fields are located near the cities of Apt, Buech, Digne-les-Bains, Forcalquier and Sault. Many lavender fields are located near the village of Banon and the nearby villages of Avignon, Arles, Grasse, Aix-en-Provence, Gordes, and in the valley Drome (Vallée de la Drôme). 
Lavender fields... this smell cannot be confused with anything... and the romantic dream of photographs against the backdrop of this lilac plain keeps thousands of fashionistas and Instagram stars from falling asleep... But not everyone knows exactly where these lavender fields are. Which airport should I fly to? To Marseille or Nice? Which tram goes to the “lavender field” stop and when does lavender bloom?
Pro.Vin.Sel tried to answer all these questions in the article.
In fact, there are many lavender fields.
They stretch along a triangle between Arles, Marseille and Nice.
Accordingly, it is best to buy a ticket to Nice (direct flight from Aeroflot, about 350 euros round-trip) or to Marseille (convenient flight from Luftgansa with one transfer, about 250 euros round-trip)
Lavender blooms from the end of June to the 15th of July.
You shouldn't go for it in August and be disappointed. Yes, it is true that some sites insist that lavender blooms until the end of August, but we, insiders, have never seen flowering fields during this period, maybe only isolated bushes.
Here is one of the most reliable maps that will help you navigate your travel time
Lavender festivals are held regularly in villages. But! After its collection, respectively, at the end of June - August.
One of the largest and oldest (has been taking place for 30 years) is a festival in the city of Sault. It traditionally takes place on August 15th.
There are plenty of travel routes to lavender fields.
You can follow the so-called “lavender trail” by bicycle, car or motorcycle.
If you rented a car, then this is what you need to type into the GPS to get to the observation deck where there are many, many, many lavenders.
Les Grandes Marges. highway D6
chemin de Marignac
Lavender fields are another of the natural wonders of France, a true global brand and an integral part of Provence. I have been planning a trip here for several years, and once I saw this splendor, I already want to come back here again. Lavender blooms between mid-June and the end of August in different areas of Provence, but the canton of Valensole is considered one of the most famous places. I checked into a campsite called Lavender on the outskirts of the town of Valensole and set off to discover this tempting region.
The long road from Paris (more than 800 km) at the entrance to Valensole pleases with mountains, hills, vineyards and cypress trees, and in the last kilometers dark purple spots of lavender fields suddenly appear in the summer haze.
On the main road there are these funny posters warning drivers about tourists who have lost their heads. Here you can really forget about the most basic things from the incredible landscapes and floral honey aromas.
The air is filled with the constant buzz of bees collecting nectar and pollen. You have to put up with these numerous, noisy, but peaceful neighbors in the fields.
This is what the photographer sees through the lens.
The reality is somewhat different. There are quite a lot of tourists and, naturally, no one wants to miss their chance to take a photo for social networks in such an incredible place. The unspoken rule is to find your row and not unnecessarily enter neighboring ones occupied by other photographers.
Next to the field there is a factory of the company Angelvin - a manufacturer of essential oils, soap and cologne. From lavender, naturally.
Lavender close up. In fact, this is not a standard lavender, but a hybrid lavender. Rows of lavender look much neater than rows of lavender because all the bushes are almost identical to each other.
Judge for yourself.
One of the trees, next to which newlyweds like to take pictures, vaguely resembles a heart.
Just two trees and a lavender field - but what pictures you get!
You can even try to beat an ordinary pillar.
And all around are village houses, some kind of agricultural equipment and blue mountains on the horizon. It’s not for nothing that this department is called the Alpes of Haute-Provence.
During filming, even an iron scrap sticking out of the ground can serve as a hat hanger.
Around the fields are typical Provençal towns and villages with colorful, pastel houses, quiet squares and fountains.
On such streets it is good to sit in a cafe in the fresh air, drink coffee and eat it with ice cream... with lavender flavor.
In the morning, a photo shoot was planned at dawn, and I remember how hard it was to crawl out of the tent into the still-unwarmed air, wading through fragments of a sound sleep. But all the efforts paid off with masterpiece photographs. Without thinking twice, we went to an already familiar point, so as not to be distracted by searching for angles.
It seems that in July Provence it should be hot all day, but on the Valensole plateau it was quite cool in the morning.
Fortunately, with the first rays of the sun, the mercury began to rise.
At dawn there are no random tourists, but professional photographers are already in ambush, so the rules should be followed the same as before. The main thing is not to get into your colleague’s frame.
To be honest, I expected a little more in terms of the number and variety of fields. There are, of course, quite a few of them in the Valensole area, but you have to try hard to find a photogenic view. Maybe you just need to know the best places. In any case, for the first time everything was just great.
Here the lavender field borders on the sunflower field. Sunflowers are a little less popular, but also an excellent topic for photographs.
In conclusion, I will say that lavender fields are one of the few places where even an amateur can take simply masterpiece photographs. Rows of lavender are the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot. Be sure to take advantage if you find yourself in these parts. By the way, if you already have a photo in lavender or with lavender, share it in the comments. It would be interesting to compare impressions and perspectives.
Lavender fields in France (Provence, France) - detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.
- Last minute tours To France
Previous photo Next photo
Among the postcard landscapes of the French countryside, there are hardly any more replicated than lavender fields. The soft purple lavender bushes extending into the horizon in slender fluffy stripes seem more like an outlandish carpet on which you want to fall asleep in anticipation of a fairy tale, rather than have anything to do with the world of flora. The main “lavender” department of France - picturesque Provence - can boast hundreds of square kilometers of these fantastic alien landscapes, and in July-August there is a real pilgrimage of admiring tourists.
The official capital of lavender is the city of Saul in the Haute-Vaucluse department.
When to see
Lavender generally blooms from late June to mid-August, depending on the climate of the year. In order to be guaranteed to enjoy an unforgettable spectacle, the trip should be planned for the period from the second week of July to the beginning of August. Before this time, if the spring was cold, only unremarkable buds will appear before your eyes. Well, in August, lavender is already collected for further processing, so there is a risk of seeing “the fields are compressed, the groves are bare.”
To explore the lavender fields, it is definitely worth renting a car - this way you can move around the most picturesque landscapes and stop in the most picturesque places without depending on public transport.
Lavender fields, harvest
Where to go
Almost the entire countryside of Provence is planted with lavender fields. Once you drive a little away from Avignon, you will find yourself among lavender fields of one or another “intensity”. In general, although lavender here is the official symbol and the most popular ornamental plant - there is not a Provencal who has not planted at least a bush in his flowerbed - lavender cultivation fields are located mainly in three regions of northern Provence: in the Alps of Haute-Provence (the largest plantations), Haute-Vaucluse and Drome-Provençal.
At the Provence tourism office you can get a map of the Lavender Roads - tourist routes laid among the richest and most picturesque fields.
The Alps of Haute-Provence are the undisputed leader in the number of lavender plantations. The most extensive is the Valensole valley, which is actually a huge lavender field. Its main city, Valensole, is literally bathed in the scent of lavender in the summer. From there you can go to the village of Digne-les-Bains among the most picturesque plantations. And in the town of Custelle it is worth visiting the Lavender Museum, where ancient distillation apparatuses are displayed and cosmetic products with lavender are sold.
The official capital of lavender is the city of Saul in the Haute-Vaucluse department. Its surroundings are a continuous purple carpet along which hiking trails are laid (they are marked with colored signs depending on the degree of difficulty). On August 15, a colorful lavender festival is held in Sol - the end of its harvesting season.
It is also good to admire lavender in Drôme-Provençal, but the landscapes here are more varied - there are wheat and sunflower fields, as well as numerous vineyards.
When going for a walk among the lavender fields, be careful and watch out for bees!
Everyone knows that lavender fields are located in Provence. But where exactly? Which airport should you fly to? To Marseille, Nice? How can you get to the lavender fields without a car? When does lavender bloom? Find answers to all these questions in today's article. about the blue gold of France.
In fact, there are many lavender fields in France. There are even special routes called “Lavender Roads” (Les Routes de la Lavande). Here they are marked on the map.
I'll tell you about a trip to the lavender fields that are located in Valensole- a small Provençal town located between the city of Manosque and the Verdon nature reserve.
When to go?
Lavender blooms in Valensole from the end of June to the 15th of July. Do not believe numerous websites that flowering can be seen until the end of August. Perhaps in other places, but not in Valensole. By August, the lavender is harvested and only empty fields await you.
How to get there?
Valensole is located in the department Alpes Haute Provence. The closest airports are Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, but flying to them from Russia is long and expensive.
The best option is buy a ticket to Paris and directly from Paris Aéroport Roissy to Aix-en-Provence by high-speed train(TGV). The train takes 3h20 minutes. See tickets on the Ouigo website. They have inexpensive tickets compared to trains leaving from central Paris. The only negative is that Ouigo trains do not arrive in the center of Aix-en-Provence, but from the station to the center you can easily take a bus for a few euros.
Okay, we got to Aix-en-Provence, but how to get further to the fields if you don’t have a car?
From the bus station in Aix-en-Provence (Aix-en-Province Gare routière) we take the on the bus to the town of Manosque. Here is a link to the Bus Schedule in 2019. We get off at the bus stop Manosque Garerouter. The fare in 2019 is 9 euros. It is more profitable to take a round-trip ticket.
From Manosque to Valensole is about 15 km. However, only 4 buses go there per day and only on weekdays. The last bus back from Valensole leaves at 13.10. Very inconvenient, the option of buses was no longer available.
We decided to rent electric bikes. On them you can accelerate up to 50 km/h downhill. Fast and useful!
At the Manosque bus station there is a very cute little shop called La Station de Lavande.
The owner called representatives of the local tourism office and we rented wonderful electric bikes from them. Purple, lavender color. The rental cost was about 20 euros for half a day and 40 euros for the whole day.
It is easy to find your way to Valensole by following the signs.
I will long remember the moment when I was riding a bicycle to the lavender fields. A feeling of boundless happiness, the wind blowing your hair, alluring aromas around. I clearly imagined myself as the heroine of a French film from the 60s.
And here are the lavender fields themselves! A light blue and almost cloudless sky overhead, the enchanting aroma of lavender, the hum of bees. Just a fairy tale!
On a huge plateau covered with lavender to the very horizon, you can get lost for a long time, inhaling the unique smells.
In addition to lavender fields, Valensole is also famous for its olive groves and sunflower fields. The L’Occitane cosmetics factory is also located nearby. Amazing place.
Where to live?
The trip to the lavender fields occurred during my Parisian student years, so we saved as much as we could. We lived for free in Aix-en-Provence using couchsurfing with a hospitable Frenchman. For those unfamiliar with the system, check out the website https://www.couchsurfing.com/.
There are also many offers for housing in Aix-en-Provence, Manosque, and even in Valensole itself on the airbnb website. By the way, I have prepared for you a discount of more than 2,000 rubles on your first trip, get it via the link www.airbnb.ru
As you can see, the trip to the fields turned out to be quite inexpensive. We did not find a similar route map on the Internet when we were preparing for the trip. The scheme was built by trial and error, but it works well. Many of my friends have already used my tips to see the miracle of lavender fields without a car.
Come to Valensole! I am sure that the lavender fields will not leave anyone indifferent.
Helpful information! Updated in 2019
Map of French regions with approximate lavender flowering dates for 2019.
