Provence & the Countryside

Settling into one country house lets you live like a local, returning each evening to the same welcoming table. Moving between villages reveals more of Provence's variety, from perched hamlets to vineyard valleys. For most, a fixed base with day trips strikes the loveliest balance.

Our advisors suggest keeping a car and driver on hand rather than self-driving the narrow country lanes. The driver waits for whichever villages you wish to see, from perched hamlets to vineyard valleys, so you can enjoy a long lunch or a rosé tasting without thinking about the road. There is no need to fill every hour; the car is simply there when you want it.

Yes. Our advisors recommend a mas with its own chef and gardens so the house itself becomes a destination. A private chef prepares dinner from the morning's market baskets, and afternoons can be spent by the pool at your private mas. Many travelers find that returning each evening to the same welcoming table is one of the quiet pleasures of the countryside.

Ask your advisor to reserve them. Many of the smaller village restaurants do not take direct bookings, so your advisor arranges the table for you. It pairs naturally with a walk through a hilltop village with a local guide, ending at a table with a view over the valley, or with an afternoon among the vines tasting the region's rosé where it is made.

Plan on 7-10 days for Provence & the Countryside. The days are unhurried, built around markets, long lunches and afternoons by the pool at your private mas. There is room for a slow morning among the lavender fields, a hilltop village walk with a local guide, an afternoon tasting rosé among the vines and dinners cooked by a private chef from the morning's market baskets. For most, a fixed base with day trips by car and driver strikes the loveliest balance, with no need to fill every hour.

As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$10,000 per traveler (double occupancy) and scales with your dates, party and level of privacy — a starting point, never a fixed package price. Your advisor confirms the figure once the itinerary is tailored.

The guide's window is May through early October, when Provence blooms. For the lavender, aim for the first weeks of July, when the fields are at their fullest and a slow morning among them, before the day warms, is at its most fragrant. The same months suit long lunches, afternoons by the pool at your mas and rosé tastings among the vines. Your advisor times the journey to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.

A typical day in the Provence countryside is unhurried, built around markets, long lunches and afternoons by the pool at your private mas. A car and driver wait for any villages you wish to see, but there is no need to fill every hour. Evenings can end with dinner prepared at the mas by a private chef from the morning's market baskets. The countryside asks nothing of you but to slow down and settle in.

A hilltop village walk in Provence is led by a local guide and arranged privately, shaped to your pace and interests. The walk ends at a table with a view over the valley, a natural moment for a long lunch. Your car and driver can wait while you explore, and your advisor can reserve the smaller village restaurants that do not take direct bookings.

Yes. A Provence countryside journey can include an afternoon among the vines, tasting the region's rosé where it is made, arranged privately and shaped to you. With a car and driver on hand rather than self-driving the narrow country lanes, you can enjoy the tasting without thinking about the road, then return to your mas for the evening.

May through early October, when Provence blooms and the days suit markets, long lunches and afternoons by the pool. For the lavender, aim for the first weeks of July, when the fields are at their fullest; go early in the morning, before the day warms. Your advisor times the hilltop village walks and the rosé tastings around the light, the crowds and your own calendar.