I would love to be in Provence when the lavender is in bloom, but everything I read saids that the summer is the highest prices and most crowed time to travel in France..but given that this is when the lavender blooms, what are the choices and is it really that bad? Also where is the best places to see the lavender fields?
Thank you for your input.
Posted by
near NY, NJ, USA
445 posts
I was in Provence last June anad the lavendar was just starting to bloom when I left on June 17th. It starts late June and continues into July. The best lavender fields are around Sault and in generally high elevations. (which bloom a bit later). There is a lovely lavender field in fron of the abbey at Senaque but this are is heavily frequented by tourists as it is quited near Gordes...another crowded place everyone seems to go to. If you are driving, and can stay away from Avignon (Festival in July) and stay in off-the-beaten path villages, it is not bad. When I was there in mid-June it was not crowded at all...not that many cars on the road, etc.
I suggest you do some internet searcah as there are a few sites that give a lot of information. PM me if you would like more info. Stay away from the Lavender Museum which is too commercial and heavily touristed
Posted by
oregon
131 posts
I was in Provence last summer from mid-to-the-end of July. A lifelong dream had been to stand in a field of lavender!! I saw it first in St. Remy, behind the hospital where Van Gogh stayed- a little taste, and quite moving.
I then stayed in Avignon during the theater festival. I didn't have a car and found a package online for two nights at a hotel just near the papal palace. None of Rick's places ever responded. Then I used ViaTour for a day-long lavender tour that circled with a stop in Sault and briefly in Gourdes as well as a small lavender farm and the aforementioned museum. It was a small minibus, and the guide sought out photo ops and we stopped a ton of times. Certainly by the end of the day I was saturated with lavender, inside and out!!!
You would not want to go a whole lot later than late June/early July. I loved every minute! It was crowded, sometimes, some places but I was all alone in my lavender field!!