Lavender and time of year

I believe the lavender blooms from mid-June on and is harvested in late July/early August. I planned my trip to Provence this year for July so I could see the lavender fields and sunflower fields - both should be in peak bloom then. Have fun planning your trip.

Things don't all close down in August anymore. Of those who take vacations, many go in July and even June.

Rick had a wonderful statement about "everything" closing in August. He said this means it's hard to find a dentist, but that for tourists, there's little impact. The only thing you will notice is if you want to go to a particular restaurant; many of them do close for part of August. There's still plenty of places to eat, but if you have your heart set on a specific place, do check their closing dates to avoid disappointment. Museums, monuments (Eiffel Tower, etc) and other tourist attractions do not close for August. A week in Avignon? I went without a car, and staying there a few days was good, but I also stayed in Arles a few days. I took trips to Nimes from Arles and to Orange from Avignon. Without a car, I had to focus on more "urban" Provence. I liked splitting up my overnights; I ended up preferring Arles, but of course opinion is divided on this. However, if you have a car (and you'll need one to see lavender fields), I'd stay outside of a city (which Avignon is) to avoid driving and parking hassles. Avignon doesn't have a week's worth of sightseeing by itself, and I'm not sure if it's a good base for the more rural parts of Provence. For trip planning, get a copy of Rick Steves' Provence And The French Riviera. Note that his general France book has much less information about this area - don't rely on it alone.

I'd choose Arles over Avignon, but Avignon is good for bus transport throughout Provence, so you might want to stay there if you don't have a car. But if you have a car, I'd skip Avignon altogether except maybe for a day trip.