Choosing your time of year
At any time of year, with Pinch Me Provence, you will walk the steps of Cezanne, Van Gogh, Picasso, Albert Camus and Peter Mayle!! We will go behind the scenes to all my favorite wineries, hidden abbeys, quintessential villages, chateaux and gardens. You will picnic by a 2000 year old Roman bridge or walk the ruins of Nimes or Arles. We will see art.. taste olive oil and wine..walk in cherry blossoms, poppies, lavender, sunflowers and vineyards. Hike or bike as you wish (I love the nature side) or I can plan my favorite days touring antiques, boutiques and cafés. A dip in the sea….a dip in the pool …you’ll be sun-kissed at any time of year. Its Provence after all! Read below and dream of your perfect Provence experience - and s’il vous plaît, contact me soon to help you plan. À très bientôt, j’espère!!
Spring en Provence (April / May) is full cherry blossoms and irises (just like a Van Gogh painting). In mid-May, the poppies begin to bloom to form a magical red carpet that typifies spring en Provence. May 15 - June 15 is rose magic. The Provence roses are in bloom. We have so many local remarkable gardens to visit either at a chateau or a winery. A garden master can tour you around. For roses and wild flowers, this is the peak! Yes, it can rain from time to time but expect temps from sweatshirt weather to linen dresses as you enjoy Provence markets free from the summer tourists. All the experiences (art to history) and restaurants begin to open from their winter rest and so you have your own private Provence in Spring!
June is the touch of summer but not quite the full effect of visitors. Poppy fields weave into lavender blooms and this time is lovely with Provence flowers. Rolling hills of lavender pop purple ands we can smell the harvest is just a few weeks away. The grapes too are just beginning to pop out on the vine and you can hear wineries bottle the previous harvest getting ready for the August one to come. The cigales (our Provence locust) begin to chirp and, for the French, this is the sound of Provence is summer. Stroll through many a Provencal farmer’s market, linen shops and olive wood - take a nap in hammack under an olive tree or a warm day village stroll - have a glass of rosé around the pool and put a bouquet of lavender in your room - dine on farm-to-table meals or your own picnics - take a bike ride or hike or kyacking (sea or lakes) — its all June perfection!
Idyllic summer en Provence is July and August. July 1-15 is when the lavender is at its peak just before the harvest (Dont miss my July 2024 Lavender and Rosé tour on the Experience tab! You want to consider this 2024 tour where we have a villa on a lavender farm!). While the villages brim with tourists, my PMP way of touring navigates you around the busy times so we can see your ‘must-see’ places at a perfect time of day - and then weave in all of my ‘hidden Provence’ places where you will swear I have privatised wineries, abbeys and chateaux just for you (even in the height of summer!) The temps average around 75 degrees (night) - 90-100 degrees (days). The temperatures go down every evening and it is lovely to watch sunsets, moonrises and dine late into the evening en plein air. (August meteor showers are breathtaking in our dark skies of the countryside of Provence). Remember that many AirBnBs are not air conditioned. But, simply closing your widows and shutters during the day to keep your room/house comfortable (and you always have a pool for a ‘plouf’ (French for a dip!) — and then open it all up in the evening to cool down your lodging and enjoy the sound of the cigales, the birds and feel the gentle breeze! Even the middle of summer en Provence is summer perfection (and the Mediterranean sea is not far…Sea, countryside, villages and cities, Roman ruins, food and wine…!! July is the Avigon Theatre festival and the Arles Photography festival. Evening in July and August - week days and weekends are full of sunset vineyard dinners, music nights, classical concert series, art exhibits, weekend antique markets…& more and more!! Harvest times: July 10-30 Lavender harvest. Aug 15-Sep 20 Grape harvest
September is GRAPE HARVEST en Provence. The days are still warm and can move into chillier temps in the mornings for hiking and lovely days touring. The summer family crowds calm as school starts and couples and individuals - locals too - frequent the markets and the café scene feels oh-so local! Dont miss my Sept 2024 Wine and Women of Provence Tour on the Experience tab! You want to consider this 2024 tour where we may even have a villa at a Luberon winery.
Oct and March are on the fringe season — some warm days but mostly on the cooler side. Prepare for a little rain, but ça va…it’s Provence. The magic of the villages never wanes. The weekly Provence markets go on all year long. Winter ranges from 45 to 65 degrees during the day from Nov to Feb. Yes, it can freeze but only in the early morning where temps generally dip to 29 - 33 degrees. Once the sun hits, the frost (if any) melts and your days are mostly glorious.
While Provence is generally sunny and dry, we do have our weeks of rain (at any time!) and you can’t forget about the famous Mistral wind which blows from time to time. So… bring your hat, sun screen (even in winter), maybe a fleece or rain shell in mid seasons and a summer shawl for sure — layer your clothes based on the month of your visit. Feel free to contact me…I am happy to help you choose the right preparations for your Provence experience.
Whenever you visit, I know that as you will wake up each morning - rain or shine - and you will say what I exclaim every day — Pinch Me Provence.
