Notre-Dame de Senanque might be considered a must see in Provence in lavender season. It is a Cistercian abbey near the spectacular hilltop village of Gordes in Vaucluse-en-Provence. The Abbey was founded in by Cistercian monks and is a interesting and rewarding visit all by itself, made all the more rewarding by its position in a lovely valley and by the acres of gorgeous lavender that surround it.
Be warned that though almost every photo of the abbey during lavender season shows it miraculously devoid of tourists, the reality is somewhat different. Sites aside, if you sadly!
Being at a medium altitude its fields are generally harvested slightly later than most of the Luberon; in late July. Valensole is as charming and lovely as any village in Provence, with or without its surrounding lavender fields , and a great place to base yourself for a few days. Across the Luberon , on its western edge lies the town of Sault. This is among the highest, and coolest, areas of the Luberon and so its fields are harvested the latest , mid August in most cases. It opens all year, and does its own range of organic essential oils.
Visitors are welcome to tour the farm and the production lines. They produce lavender oils for therapeutic and medicinal purposes which you can buy on site. Bouquet de Lavande farm. It opens from the end of April until the middle of November , farm tours are available every day in the lavender season , and outside the season every day except Wednesdays and Sundays.
They too have a wide range of their own, nicely packaged, lavender products for you to buy. Distillerie les Coulets is a lovely old style distillery , which uses traditional open fire methods to produce its own Provence lavender products. You can visit year round to buy its nice range of lavender products , but the distillery itself is only open for tours in July and August. The above are just a few examples; you will find many, many more lavender farms and distilleries just by driving the roads and looking out for signs.
At least, since it rarely rains during this time of year, there are good chances that your trip to the lavender fields in Provence will be sunny. If you truly want to experience the region, I advise you to stay with locals by renting an Airbnb or an actual local bed and breakfast some even have pools! Staying around Valensole or Manosque is a good idea if you want to visit the lowlands plateaux. Bear in mind that you have to plan your trip and book your housing early because those tend to get taken months in advance!
Lavender fields are beautiful no matter the time of day. In the middle of the day, the lavender has a vibrant purple color while during sunrise or sunset it has different shades from light pink to blue.
If you want to escape crowds, sunrises are the best time to take photos. Regarding lighting, sunrises and sunsets are the most magical times.
It was my first time using a drone to take photos in the lavender fields and one problem arose fast while doing so. They attacked my DJI ferociously without any second thought.
Sadly, the drone propellers injured a lot of those poor bees which did not deter them from going at it. Because of that, we stopped right away taking drone photos and videos in the middle of the day. And if you are scared of bees, it is also the best time to take photos!
I personally never got stung while visiting the lavender fields in Provence those past few years. Did you know that there are three types of lavenders? The lavande fine , lavande aspic and lavandin , the latest being a hybrid of the former two.
The fields in Valensole and most of the other famous fields are not lavender fields but lavandin fields. Lavandin produces way more oil than the traditional lavender lavande fine. Lavandin oil is mainly used for household products or cosmetics such as soap while lavender oil by being more rare and precious is used in perfumes. Each type of lavender possesses different properties and qualities. The lavender aspic is a strong anti-inflammatory but can also be neurotoxic. The traditional lavender is fully consumable and possesses many medicinal virtues from helping with insomnia to stomach problems.
Lavandin, by being a mix of the two is usually used to repel insects and heal insect bites. I hope this guide to the lavender fields in Provence will help you plan your perfect Provence gateway! If you have any travel tips for the South of France let me know in the comments below! Want to keep reading? Did you know? To produce just one litre of lavender essence you need kilos of flower little wonder there are so many lavender fields in Provence!
Your email address will not be published. Share on Pinterest. The lavandine is used for cleaning products and filling the little lavender bags for tourists and other Provence souvenirs. The lavender season in Provence is short, usually between mid-June and mid-July until the end of July and the beginning of August.
There are many beautiful spots to see lavender fields in Provence, but the blooming window is different for each spot. You can be at the perfect lavender spot for the perfect picture, but if it is not the perfect time too early or, like in our case, too late , it does not work!
Check out the lavender season in Provence by region. Where to see lavender in Provence? We have grouped the most beautiful places to see lavender fields in Provence into four areas.
For each area, we will tell you the types of lavender, the lavender season, things to see and do, and our best tips. The best way to explore the lavender fields of Provence is by car. We use, and we recommend booking your car with RentalCars. This site is excellent because it takes all of the major rental companies, such as Hertz, Avis, etc.
This helps to ensure that you get a great price without all the time and work. Click here to book your car in France with RentalCars. The lavender fields in Provence are among the top things to do in France , so you will find many lavender tours starting from the major cities in the region.
The Plateau de Valensole , in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, is where you will find the most photogenic lavender fields in Provence. A few years ago, nobody knew about the Valensole lavender fields or the town of Valensole.
Thanks to a Chinese TV show and a couple of Instagrammers hanging around, now the area is fully packed during the lavender season in Provence, and buses of tourists from all over the world are flocking to Valensole. The Valensole Plateau is located at a low altitude m , so you will only find lavandine and it is more photogenic. What we love about Valensole is its beautiful landscapes, the feeling of being in a violet sea.
Next to the Valensole lavender fields, there are also sunflower fields and wheat fields, perfect for making beautiful photo compositions. You can also combine lavender fields in bloom with harvested lavender fields.
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