Provence lavender fields in July

A good blog with information on when and where the lavender will bloom is Le Long Weekend on FB.

I think it would be pretty hard to see the lavender fields by public transportation. In Provence, at least the countryside, it pretty much is non-existent. Without a car, your best approach is probably a tour. A good website is provenceguide.co.uk.

Thanks Sandra for the article recommendation; could you tell me more about it, like how to access it. I'm not familiar with "FB".

Wanderlust58, I agree that it will be difficult to see the lavender fields without a car, so I was thinking of renting a bike or joining a tour. However, I plan on visiting many towns (not to immerse myself in lavender) that are on public transit so I will need a base with good public transportation options. As Avignon is centrally located between most of my sights, that would be ideal. But since I'll be visiting during the Avignon Arts Festival, Avignon does not appear to be a good option. Do you have any recommendations? Nimes seems to be a good 2nd choice or maybe Arles. Is there someplace better?
Thanks again to both of you!

Nîmes is perfect for July. I lived a summer in Nîmes 5 years ago. Not only is the town beautiful/festive/friendly, it has high quality Roman ruins, beautiful parks, lots of good lodging/dining options, wonderful indoor and outdoor food markets, an easily walk-able town full of shady tree-lined streets, and lots of festivities in summer months (dancing+concerts+outdoor markets one evening every week in July). Best of all, Nîmes is the regional bus hub with convenient daily buses to Avignon (Avignon festival in July), Pont du Gard, Arles (the big Saturday weekly market), Uzes (Fête Votive) -- all well under 1 hour cheap scenic bus ride (2-3 Euro).

40 min on TER train from Nîmes is Aigues-Mortes, a lovely well-preserved walled medieval town. Their famous medieval Fête de la Saint Louis is spectacular fun, even the visitors come in medieval costumes.

Pretty beach town Le Grau-du-Roi is a short local train ride away (1 Euro). Lots of nature within short train distance from Nîmes, on the way to Toulouse/Montpellier/Bezier. Aix-en-Provence is an easy day trip by train..

Impressive walled medieval town Carcasonne (Festival in July) is an easy day trip from Nîmes on SNCF IC/TGV (under 2 hr ride), the old medieval town is walking distance from train station.

Regional bus +TER system map:
https://www.edgard-transport.fr/presentation/?rub_code=1035

FYI -- lodging with mosquito net/screen is a good idea in summer. A landlord who owns 4 tourist apartments in Avignon told me the entourage for Avignon Festival book up most lodging in Avignon from 2 weeks before the start of festival (to set up/rehearse) to one week after the festival (to take down, pack up), hence the lodging is 7-10 times the usual price.

AshleyMIA, thank you for your detailed and thoughtful response to my post. I've done a fair amount of research on Nîmes (and Arles, Avignon, Orange & other cities in the region) and you have validated my initial thoughts about Nîmes. And it's especially helpful given that you were not a short-term visitor but spent the summer there. I'm pretty sure that Nîmes will be my home base during the three weeks I'll be in the Provence area. I'll definitely look into spending time Aigues-Mortes and it's good to know that I can take a train to Le Grau-du-Roi - - I wasn't sure about that. In addition, I'll probably go as far afield as Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (visited many years ago while in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat) and Carcassonne. I've also planned on visiting Arles, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Gordes, Ménerbes, Lourmarin, Valensole plateau, Cassis, Pont du Gard, Uzes, Montpellier and maybe a longer trip to Antibes. I had hoped to spend a day in Toulouse but that may be a bit too far. If you have experience with any of these I'd welcome your thoughts - or if I've missed some gems. I suspect I may be hiking or riding a bike to some spots (perhaps Sénanque Abbey near Gordes) and may have to spend a night in some places (Toulouse?) while staying in Nîmes.
Thanks again for taking the time and effort to respond to my post. You're very thoughtful!

Nîmes tourist office has very comprehensive info re the towns/transport/festivals/weekly market in the region. From Nîmes, I had visited all the towns I mentioned in my post using train/bus. In addition to large number of restaurants/eateries and weekly open air markets offering ready-to-eat food, Nîmes' covered market hall (Les Halles, opens everyday) is full of gourmet goodies and wide selection of ready-meals to-go.

I combined Carcassonne & Toulouse in 1 day-trip by train --visited Carcassonne first, then to Toulouse in mid-late afternoon, train back to Nîmes in the evening. A more interesting day-trip by train combination is Carcassonne & Montpellier (visit on the weekly market day!). On my 2 visits to Carcassonne, I spent around 4-5 hr there (including walking b/w train station and fortress. There is a bus but not running frequent enough). Toulouse is a lively uni town, I stayed 3 nights there in the past and did not find it to be a must-see. Montpellier is also a lively uni town, prettier than Toulouse.

I lived 4 winters in one of the swankiest towns in Côte d'Azur (for blue sky and warm temperature) and visited many towns in the region. I had never recommended Côte d'Azur to my friends. Provence is far prettier and far more interesting/fun/festive.

I'm not familiar with "FB".

That is FaceBook

I think Toulouse is a very attractive city. The red-brick architecture gives it a look that's quite different from most other French cities. The streets were lively with locals (and probably foreign students). It's also a good base for a day-trip to Albi.

Day trip to the lavender fields. Go to the purple tour.

https://day-tours-from-avignon.com/day-tours-from-avignon

The TER train will get you to Avignon in about a 1/2 hour.

Edit: we've not used them, only did it by car, but it's hard to miss the purple vans.

Thanks to everyone who responded. Your suggestions have helped me make a decision.