The concentration of the picturesque views themselves, including laid in the middle of fields, farms and colorful villages tourist routes, is located mainly in the northern part of the province. Since ancient times, lilac fields, strewn with small neat houses and trees, have attracted photographers and artists from all over the world to these places, each of whom seeks to capture the beauty of Provencal landscapes in their creations.

Lavender belongs to the mint, rosemary, basil, sage, marjoram, lemon balm, and other plants. There is speculation that it originated canary islands or in the territory of Persia (modern Iran). Regardless of where the fragrant lilac flower got its start, during its existence it has managed to accumulate enough rich history. In the Middle Ages, the ancient Greek civilization referred to lavender as a "noble plant", and the Romans used it for washing and called it "lavandula". The name comes from the Latin word "lava", which translates as "wash". Later in Rome, they found a way to extract lavender oil and began to use it in perfumery and pharmacology.

Today, lavender is grown in the largest volumes in Provence. A few decades ago, harvesting and selling crops were exclusively female occupations, and men, as a rule, were engaged in other agricultural work. To create large flower plantations often had to resort to hiring workers. In 1952, with the advent of harvesting machines, the process of processing lavender fields was greatly facilitated, and until that moment, the entire crop was harvested by hand using a sickle. Today, "blue gold" is cultivated by many farmers, most of whom live exclusively by growing it, improving the quality and appearance of the plant.

In Provence, lavender symbolizes local history and beauty. Despite the rather high annual harvest, in their native lands they always find application in various fields. The plant is regularly used to create cosmetics, perfumes, soaps, and some restaurants even use it in the preparation of original dishes to add local cuisine special charm. In such establishments, you can taste lavender by ordering lavender sorbet, cookies or honey.

Under natural conditions in the famous historical region of France, Provence, two types of lilac plants grow - lavandin and lavender. Lavandin grows in fields below 600 meters above sea level. It is generally intended for functional perfumery - the manufacture of soaps, creams and cleaning products. Lavender also grows at an altitude of more than 700-800 meters. It is mainly grown to create essential oils. The rich aroma and beneficial properties of lavender are highly valued by cosmetic manufacturers and perfumers.

The flowering time of lavender fields in Provence falls on mid-June-end of August. The best time to visit Provencal lavender is in July, when the flowering reaches its peak of splendor and beauty. Harvesting begins at the end of the second summer month.

In different regions, the flowering of a lilac plant occurs at different times. For example, in the vicinity natural park Luberon and the Rhone Valley, it blooms from mid-June to early August. In the communes of Drome-Provencal and Valensole, lavender blooms in early July. The fields of the Vaucluse department begin to smell sweet in mid-July.

The most picturesque lavender places in Provence include the Drôme-Provencal tourist region, the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse, cities and small villageswhich will delight tourists with their colorfulness not only during the lavender flowering season, but all year round. Often, next to the lilac fields, golden fields of wheat or sunflowers flaunt, giving the overall look even more picturesque.

Four kilometers from Gordes (Department of Vaucluse) is the ancient 12th-century abbey of Notre-Dame de Senanque, surrounded by bright lavender fields. The monks are engaged in growing lavender here, in addition, they maintain an apiary and produce honey. The abbey shop offers lavender honey, dried lavender, soaps and lavender home fragrances. The picturesque plateau of Valensole, in Haute Provence, is famous for its endless flowering fields stretching to the horizon. In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the main lavender region in the southwest of the province, it is possible to go to any of the lavender farms and arrange a tour or a mini-lecture about the plant from the farmers. One of these farms, which has a good reputation and is open to tourists, is called Chateau du Bois and is located in Lagarde-d-Apt, which is 20 kilometers from Apt. This farm has been producing cosmetic products using lavender extract since 1890. The owners of Château-du-Bois, Sophie and Jacques Lansole, have organized the Lavender Museum on the territory of their farm, which is open almost all year round, except for January. Naturally, various products containing real Provencal lavender are offered here.

In addition to the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the lavender fields, guests of Provence have the chance to visit one of the many festivals that take place every summer in the region. The largest of them takes place in the village of So, in the department of Vaucluse, from August 15th. The population of the village is only 1200 inhabitants. In So, the cultivation of lavender and the production of all kinds of products from it is the main activity, so here it is especially revered. During the holiday, bright events, a fair, and competitions are organized on the territory of the settlement. At the festival, you can buy essential oils, lavender soap, bouquets, honey, bags of dried flowers and other products containing lavender.

You can enjoy the local attractions and the aromas of the flowering fields of Provence by bike, on foot or by car. It is most convenient to view the surrounding landscapes by car, since this way of transportation allows you to see the most secluded corners of the province. Designed for tourists a large number of routes that can be found on the Internet. When choosing to travel by bike, you should be prepared for steep ascents and descents. Lovers of real adventures are offered a walk over the colorful fields of lavender on hot-air balloon. Such excursions are happy to organize for everyone in Forcalquier, department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. There are many tour operators in Avignon and Aix-en-Provence that organize day trips to visit the lavender fields and surrounding attractions. You can also see purple landscapes from buses that run along the routes Carpentras - So and Apt - So. For those who are interested in staying in the heart of the lavender country, they can stay in the hotels and resorts of Provence, which are replete with endless fields of the symbolic plant of France - lavender.

Lavender fields.. this smell cannot be confused with anything .. and the romantic dream of photographs against the background of this lilac plain does not let thousands of fashionistas and Instagram stars fall asleep ... But not everyone knows exactly where these lavender fields are. Which airport to fly into? Marseille or Nice? Which tram goes to the lavender field stop and when does lavender bloom?

Pro.Vin.Sel tried to answer all these questions in the article.

In fact, there are many lavender fields.

They stretched along the triangle between Arles, Marseille and Nice.

Accordingly, it is best to buy a ticket to Nice (direct flight from Aeroflot, about 350 euros round trip) or to Marseille ( convenient flight from Luftgansa with one transfer, about 250 euros round trip)

Lavender blooms from the end of June to the 15th of July.

You should not follow her in August and be disappointed. Yes, it is true that some sites insist that lavender blooms until the end of August, but we insiders never saw fields blooming during this period, maybe only a few bushes.

Here is one of the most reliable maps to help you navigate your journey.

Lavender festivals are regularly held in the villages. But! Already after its collection, respectively, at the end of June - August.

One of the largest and oldest (it has been going on for 30 years) is a holiday in the city of Sault. It traditionally takes place on August 15th.

There are a lot of trip routes to the lavender fields.

You can follow the so-called "lavender path" by bike, car or motorbike.

If you rented a car, then here's what you need to type in the GPS to get to come to observation deck where a lot, a lot, a lot of lavender.

Les Grandes Marges. route D6

Chemin de Marignac

Driving through Provence in the summer, you constantly meet lonely cars on the side of the road, the owners of which with cameras conquer every plot of the nearest lavender field, trying to capture every blade of grass and bush of this fragrant and beautiful flower for a long time. The fragrance of lavender spreads hundreds of meters and catches up with you in the nearest towns and villages, especially during the harvest season. The mood improves, everything around becomes beautiful. That's purple magic. Let's figure out what, where and when to look for, and, in fact, why and why.

Lavender fields of Provencal Dromme

Not everything that blooms purple is lavender.

Of course, for us, simple lovers of beauty, any such flower is lavender. In fact, lavender has a huge number of different varieties, and there is also a brother, almost a twin, called lavandin. This is where confusion arises, which does not interfere with enjoying the beautiful.

Lavender- low, small bushes with small flowers. it grows, as in one famous song, high in the mountains.

small lavender bushes

Lavandin- a hybrid specially bred for low areas that combines all the beneficial properties of lavender, with greater resistance to weather conditions and less demanding on the environment. Its flowers are larger, the bushes are more powerful. On all the "postcard" photos of lavender - just lavandin.

Lavandin in autumn

Where does it grow and when does it bloom?

If we are talking about France, then anywhere in historical Provence you will find both lavender and lavandin throughout the summer.

Flowering - from mid-June to mid-August . These are average numbers. The principle is this: lavandin blooms a little earlier than lavender, and the higher the mountains, the later flowering. Well, the size of the bush, you remember.

lavandin bushes are about to bloom

Here is a translation of a map from a French site about lavender bloom (I always use it, they have never deceived me yet). Here you can immediately see where lavender blooms, and when it blooms:

map of lavender bloom in Provence

Armed with this card, you can safely go to photo shoots in the lavender fields. I checked a couple of weeks ago. Everything is there and where it should be.

Why so much lavender?

A trite question, but really, why?

The first thing that comes to mind is perfume. Quite right, lavender essential oil, which is extracted almost immediately after the flowers are harvested, is used for perfumery. Lavandin - for fragrances. Both essential oils are also very useful for therapeutic purposes. They soothe, treat a huge number of minor diseases, from colds to scratches, disinfect wounds and rooms, and so on, so on, so on. For example, I always have a small bottle of lavender oil with me, who knows what awaits us around the corner.

lavender fields

In addition to oil, bouquets of dried lavender and sachets with flowers are popular, which fill the room with a magical aroma.

Lavender is also used to make the so-called hydrosols or hydrolates - flower water that remains after the distillation of the oil. It is good to use such water as a lotion or tonic for ditches, diluted with distilled water.

You will find all these lavender products anywhere especially in season. Be sure to buy yourself lavender oil - it will be your best souvenir and memory of purple fields filled with the intoxicating aroma of peace and joy.

Bouquets of lavender - a memory of summer

Lavender is also used in cooking. Very often it is added to the composition of herbal teas, or a set of spices. There is lavender liqueur and lavender honey. And I highly recommend trying the lavender ice cream. Very interesting taste!

Blooming lavender fields are as impressive and world-famous as the brand of the south of France, as the Eiffel Tower is for Paris or the island-fortress Mont-Saint-Michel is for Normandy.

The pastoral pictures of Provence with its bright, neat houses standing in the middle of a lilac field have long attracted painters and photographers here, each of whom, to the best of his ability, tried to capture the beauty of these places on canvas or film.

If your travel itinerary passes through the south of France, or you purposefully plan to travel around Provence in the summer, do not forget to include lavender fields in your itinerary. This is an extraordinary sight, especially at dawn or dusk. To do this, you will need to know when and where exactly to go, so as not to wander aimlessly in search of the most beautiful fields.

Lavender bloom time in Provence from mid June to end of August, it reaches its greatest splendor and beauty at the end of July, although this depends on the variety of lavender, climate, weather and latitude in which it grows. There are in Provence and lavender festival, which usually falls on August 15 and takes place in the small village of Co (Sault) in the department of Vaucluse. Co is located 50 kilometers from Avignon, at an altitude of more than 700 meters above sea level, it is inhabited by only 1200 inhabitants. The inhabitants of Seo live by agriculture, primarily by growing lavender and harvesting various products from it, so it is given special importance in the village. During the cute village Lavender Festival, there are colorful events, competitions, a fair-sale of lavender products, etc. The program of the upcoming (in French).

A little general information about these plants:

In Provence, in natural conditions, you can see two varieties of plants: lavender and lavandin. Actually, lavender grows at an altitude of more than 700-800 meters, that is, on hills, mountain plateaus, etc. Lavender is the main component in the creation of perfumes and cosmetics, with the addition of lavender, mainly essential oils are made. Lavandin is another species that grows in fields below 600 meters above sea level. Lavandin also goes to the needs of the perfumery and cosmetics industry, but mainly in cheaper types of products - creams, soaps and others.

Lavender has been used by man since antiquity, in particular, clear references to this plant have been found since the time of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, often in the Middle Ages. But the use of lavender reached its greatest flourishing in the 20th century with the development of perfume production near Provence, on the Côte d'Azur in Grasse. "Blue gold", as lavender is called here, is today cultivated by farmers, many of whom live exclusively by growing it, caring for the improvement of species and its quality.

I will list some lavender places» in Provence:

In the vicinity of Gordes, four kilometers northwest of it, is the medieval abbey of Notre-Dame de Senanque (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque) of the 12th century. Around the abbey are the most picturesque lavender fields, where the monks work. Here you can also buy products and souvenirs made of lavender or with lavender symbols. The abbey is depicted on many postcards.

The Valensole Plateau is located in Haute Provence (Alpes Haute Provence). On this huge plateau, covered with lavender to the very horizon, you can get lost for a long time, breathing in unique smells. To get there, for example, from Aix-en-Provence, you need to go towards Manosque, and then turn to the village of Valensole, which is surrounded by the fields of the plateau of the same name.

In the department of Alpes Haute Provence (Alpes Haute Provence), this main lavender region, you can also go to some lavender farm, where you can arrange a tour or at least a short story of farmers about this plant. reputation for excellent farming, open to tourists, has Chateau du Bois in Lagarde d'Apt, 20 kilometers from Apt. Château du Bois is the oldest (since 1890) production of cosmetic products with lavender. Its owners, Jacques and Sophie Lansole, also organized a small Lavender Museum, which one . The museum is open almost all year round, with the exception of January. In it you can take an audio guide, including in Russian. Needless to say, here you can buy a variety of products from real Provencal lavender. Pay attention to lavender honey!

There are quite a few “lavender routes” in Provence, and they have long been classified for tourists on the website http://www.moveyouralps.com/fr

The site is in French, but when you open the "Lavender routes" section on the main page, you can switch to the English version. To plan your trip, the language is not so important: everything is detailed and intuitive, there are maps. When you click on each of the six main routes, its first and last points, the length and travel time for different vehicles (car, motorcycle, bicycle) are displayed, the most interesting sights are marked with special signs with asterisks. Each of the long routes is divided into segments, and you can choose any that is closest to your planned route through Provence to stop by to admire the lavender for a couple of hours. .

In connection with climate change towards warming year by year in France, lavender begins to bloom earlier, and many farmers by the beginning of July mow and collect plants that have begun to dry out under scorching sun. This does not mean that, for example, by August you will not find flowering fields anywhere, but it is worth bearing in mind that due to the weather, lush lavender in bloom may not be everywhere.

Those who rest on the Cote d'Azur are usually interested in the closest to the coast and big cities(Nice, Gangnam, etc) lavender fields. To do this, you should go to the mountains on the route Castellane - Grasse, between which there are about 70 kilometers of path and many lavender fields (although they are more modest than directly in Provence). The aforementioned French site suggests starting the journey in the village of Castellane and descending from it along the mountain serpentine towards Grasse, although this is not logical - usually from the coast everyone goes in the direction from Grasse to the mountains. , pay attention to, through which this "lavender route" passes.

Rent a car for your travels in Provence and Cote d'Azur you can here:

(the largest search aggregator of leading car rental companies provides comprehensive information about the price, car equipment, insurance and other points. It remains to choose the best offer for you in terms of price / quality and pick up the car at the point you need)

(unique bays-Mediterranean fjords)

Lavender fields, Provence, France photo

The Abbey of Notre-Dame de Senanque, founded in 1148, would be worth seeing even if there were no lavender fields around it.

It is difficult to imagine without visiting these.

How to get to the lavender fields

The most convenient way to see the lavender fields is (you can rent a car, for example, in Nimes, Avignon or Marseille, see the best prices at this link). Plantations occupy quite large area, and in all villages and towns, stopping at any field and stopping by local farms and. The Vaucluse department can be reached via the A7 and A9 motorways, the Drôme region via the A7 and A49 motorways, and to arrive in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, you need to follow the A51 motorway. You can also see it while traveling on one of the buses running along the route Co - Carpentras and Co - Apt.

Where are the lavender fields

Lavender fields can be found throughout the countryside. But the most popular are the areas of northern Provence: Vaucluse, Drome Provence and Alpes de Haute Provence are the leaders in terms of the scale of lavender plantations.

Wonderful lavender fields are also located on the territory of the ancient abbey of Senanque (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque) in the department of Vaucluse. The monks not only grow lavender, but also make honey, soap, and sachets from it.

If you go to Provence, you should definitely visit the village of Valensole, which is famous for the largest plantations of lavender in the world. This picturesque place attracts tourists not only with the endless fields of this beautiful plant, but also with medieval architecture. for a holiday in Valensole, you can follow this link.

Villages in the Luberon area - perfect place for those who want to enjoy the cozy narrow streets, located on the tops of rocks and hills, as well as the scent of fragrant flowers growing in the fields between the rocky villages. Find and book the right one.

Lavender season in Provence

Lavender blooms from the end of June. In Drome Provencal and Valensole, it begins to bloom earlier, in June, and in Vaucluse - in mid-July. In order to be sure to catch the lavender blooming before harvesting, it is better to plan a trip from mid-July to early August - at this time it reaches its greatest beauty and splendor. But in August, when the harvest takes place, you can visit the processing plant of this beautiful plant and, if you're lucky, even take part in the process of obtaining oils. in honor of lavender are usually held in Valensole, Co (Sault), Digne-les-Bains (Digne-les-Bains) in mid-August.

Features of visiting lavender fields

When going for a walk, be careful: fragrant flowers are also very fond of bees, and snakes can hide in the bushes. In addition, it should be remembered that lavender plantations are someone's property, so you should not go into the fields and pick flowers without the permission of the owner. It is better to move along the fields along the public road.

Lavender festivals in Provence

In July and August in different cities Provence hosts numerous festivals dedicated to lavender. The holidays of this beautiful plant here are, they are carefully prepared for them and celebrated on a grand scale. Citizens dress up in traditional costumes, fairs open where you can buy not only essential oils, soap, honey, but also try lavender tea, alcoholic drinks, enjoy unusual sweets from a fragrant plant. During the festivals, competitions are held for adults and children, concerts are held, as well as master classes in the preparation of lavender oil.

In general, the most convenient mode of transport for traveling around Provence is a car, you can drive into any village and stop in a field. But if you yourself do not want to drive a car on vacation, you can book a tour or photo shoot through the lavender fields.

Happy Travel!