What are the best times to go to Provence to see the lavender fields?

They say that lavender is in bloom in Provence from late June to early August so summer time would be a good time to visit. But I will add that one year I stayed in Provence from July 26 to August 26 and I did not see a single blooming field of lavender and every where we went looking for it everyone told us that the lavender was done blooming that year. Weather and nature are like that.

I think July (probably mid- to late-late July) is generally the peak season, but as noted above, it's nature so no guarantees on the timing. Seasonal blooms vary from year to year, and from place to place. As with any natural phenomenon, timing is everything. Also be aware that commercial lavender fields will be clipped, probably a bit earlier than many tourists might hope/expect.

I've seen beautiful lavender fields elsewhere (in northern Japan, and on Washington's Olympic Peninsula) - both lovely - but have not timed a trip to southern France right for that.

In researching for our trip last year, what I heard most often was mid-June to mid-July for the peak lavender blooming. So we were there the last week of June and they were in full bloom everywhere.
We rented a car in Aix and drove through several villages on the way to where we were staying near Gordes. You can plot a route on the map, but I think we drove through Lourmarin, Bonnieux, and maybe Goult on that day. We saw the most beautiful lavender field just past Bonnieux and stopped for pictures. While staying in that area we also went to Roussillon, Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vancluse, L’isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and the Abbey-de-Senanque. We basically made a day of driving and connecting the villages - stopping at lavender fields along the way! Arles was also an easy day trip from there.

If seeing the lavender in bloom is a priority, which it was for me, make sure you plan your trip according to those dates. You don’t want to get there only to find you’ve missed it by 2 weeks. Also, different parts of Provence bloom a little earlier or later, this was the time frame for the Luberon Valley.

You also asked for suggestions on where to stay. This is where we spent 3 nights. It was wonderful. A little haven to come back to every afternoon. We had dinner there the first night. I highly recommend it. It is minutes outside of Gordes and convenient to all the villages we visited. I wish we could go back!
https://www.lafermedelahuppe.com/

Gigi8 I’ve stayed at Ferme de la Huppe too! Yes it’s wonderful and so well located. The restaurant is where I ate roast pigeon for the first and only time. The Ferme was a highlight of our trip.