MINI GUIDE
Historic Provence and Côte d’Azur
COMPILED BY LORNA PARKES, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALEXIS AVERBUCK AND NICOLA WILLIAMS. PHOTOGRAPHS: DANITA DELIMONT STOCK/AWL IMAGES, CLAIRE RICHARDSON, LUIGI VACCARELLA/SIME/4CORNERS, SOPHIE SPITÉM/ATELIER DE CÉZANNE, CHÂTEAU EZA/PHILIPPEHAHN, IAN O’LEARY/GETTYProvence essentials The know-how
FURTHER READING
Lonely
Planet’s
Provence
& the Côte
d’Azur
(£13.99)
includes features on the
history and culture of the
wider Provence region.
Ladder of Shadows:
Reflecting on Medieval
Vestige in Provence &
Languedoc (£27.95;
University of California
Press) by Gustaf Sobin is a
lyrical narrative on Roman
and early Christian relics.
As a counterpoint, try F
Scott Fitzgerald’s account
of 1920s high life on the
Riviera, Tender is the Night
(£2.50; Collins Classics).A TASTE OF PROVENCE
Eating well and often is the
cornerstone of Provençal life.
Seafood Feast on bouillabaisse
(a saffron-enriched fish stew)
and fruits de mer at Marseille’s
harbourfront restaurants.
Niçois cuisine Nice’s old town is
awash with places to try local
trademarks like pissaladière
(Niçoise pizza; pictured below),
socca (chickpea pancakes) and
salade Niçoise.
Markets No matter what day it
is, there’s likely to be a market
nearby, such as the famous
Friday market in Carpentras.
Pastis Try Provence’s aniseed-
flavoured aperitif in 90 varieties
at Marseille’s La Maison du Pastis
(lamaisondupastis.com).
Wine Vineyards carpet the
landscape of Provence, including
illustrious names such as
Châteauneuf-du-Pape.A chic b&b in an 18th-century
Avignon townhouse, Le Limas
complements a state-of-the-art
kitchen and minimalist white
décor with antique fireplaces
and 18th-century spiral stairs
(le-limas-avignon.com; 51 Rue
du Limas; from £120).
There can be few more
memorable settings than clifftop
Château Eza near Èze. It’s perched
dramatically above the glittering
Mediterranean, with regal décor, a
Michelin-starred restaurant and
just 14 rooms (chateaueza.com;
Rue De la Pise; from £290).WHERE TO STAY
L’Épicerie is an intimate b&b
on a backstreet in Aix’s historic
quarter. The breakfast room
recreates a 1950s grocery store,
and the flowery garden is perfect
for evening dining and weekend
brunch (unechambreenville.eu;
12 Rue du Cancel; from £90).TRANSPORT
Provence has two regional
airport hubs: Nice and Marseille.
Turkish Airlines flies the most
direct from Singapore or Kuala
Lumpur via Istanbul to Nice
(from £556; turkishairlines.com).
Jet2 and easyJet also fly from
some regional UK hubs; CityJet
has limited flights from London
City Airport to Avignon. If flying
to Paris first, Rail Europe has
daily trains to Avignon (from
£40; raileurope.com). France’s
high-speed TGVs connect major
cities (Marseille to Nice from
£60 return; sncf.com); smaller
towns are served by slower TER
trains and/or buses.A Superior room at Èze’s swish
boutique hotel Château EzaSights Sleeping