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The Ultimate Provence Lavender Field Guide | France


When Ashley and I purchased our tickets to France we knew right away what our main goal was, to see lavender fields. This was the catalyst that got us to buy those pricey tickets on a whim. It was agreed upon that we couldn’t wait any longer to see them and we HAD to go this summer. We mapped out our drive and figured out the logistics of hotels and rental car.

The only thing left was to figure out where to see lavender fields.

So began my plunge into all things lavender related. I scoured the internet searching for addresses or maps really anything that would tell me where to see lavender fields.  All this searching and I kept coming up empty handed. I can’t tell you how many blog post or website said, “driving through Provence you’ll come across so many fields.” My first thought was wow that is a vague and generalized statement Provence is large.  My second thought was no seriously why can’t ANYONE actually tell me where the fields are.

It seemed that no one could offer up clear directions to where you could find the fields.

I know as travelers we are supposed to be “all about the journey” and not the destination but, no.  If I was spending my whole paycheck to go to France to see lavender fields, I needed to know I would see some goddamn lavender fields. After weeks of searching, I came across a very obscure blog that had some sort of google map with places to see lavender fields. So this was our working guide. The only problem was once we touched down in France the website seemed to have gone missing and all we had to go off of was the google map I had printed out.

So with all that planning Ashley and I were flying blind.

But something amazing happened we took our map, made some detours and found the holy grail. And I can now say it was worth it. The idea of visiting a lavender field has been a childhood dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I am not sure why or how it got there but I just knew that I had to see one. I never in a million years would have thought that I would to see them in France and with my best friend. It was perfect and words simply cannot describe the flurry of excitement I had to be there, so I won’t even try. I will however, tell you WHERE, WHEN and HOW we got to a few different fields. Some things are worth the trouble and this is one of them.

Below you will find the 2017 Ultimate Provence Lavender Field Guide.

For the purpose of making things easy, there are two types of places to see lavender fields; public fields and privately owned fields. Which ever type of field you choose unless stated otherwise do not pick, destroy or step on the lavender. This is the farmer’s lively hood so it is not cool to mess it up. True travelers aim to leave a place the same or better than how they found it, please be respectful!

 


WHERE

Public Locations – will have more tourist but you are welcomed into the fields.

–Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. This monastery has been in use since 1148. The lavender fields are plentiful but aim to get here either early or late in the day because it does get very crowded. 7.50 €

–Lavandes Angelvin. This lavender farm has a ton of lavender rows for viewing. This does fill up with tourist so again early or late is key.

Private Locations- will have less tourist but you are trespassing and may have to ask permission.

-From Moustiers-Sainte-Marie to Lavandes Angelvin is where we saw most of the lavender fields. Driving down highway D6 you won’t see them until you see the first one and it’s one after another. On our map below we pinned roughly around where we started to see them pop up.


WHEN

The blooms vary but roughly you want to aim to get there mid-July. This ensures that you will see fuller blooms. If you go to early the fields aren’t as filled with lavender. Roughly it blooms between last week of June to the beginning of August when it is harvested.


HOW

You really only have two options to see them either with a tour group or on your own. A tour group will be more expensive and you will be stuck with a lot of people which is not idle for photos and to enjoy the fields. Alternatively, you could do what we did and rent a car. Keep in mind there will be tolls and we recommend bring lots of coins in case your card doesn’t work this is the best way to see Provence in general. You are able to stop in cute towns and just pull over when you start to see the lavender fields.


Below is our Google Map

 

 


Written By:

Hi, I’m Jay. A twenty-something-year-old living in New York. There’s not all that much to say about me other than; I love to eat, drink and travel. I’ve lived in some incredible cities from Paris to New York to Florence, and along the way, I’ve crossed off a ton on my bucket list. I hope we inspire you to go out there and see for yourself, just how beautiful life can be.


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33 Comments

  • Reply
    Heather Johnson
    July 24, 2017 at 11:43 pm

    I must admit that I am super jealous! I would love to visit the lavender fields with my family. I keep trying to grow my own but have not had any luck.

    • Reply
      Earth Below Girls
      July 26, 2017 at 10:37 pm

      I am trying to grow my own too now !!! I’ll keep you posted if anything comes through 🙂

  • Reply
    Angela Milnes
    July 25, 2017 at 12:45 am

    Wow, it looks like it would be hard to miss! Strange that no one could give you directions to something so bug, gorgeous, and memorable!

    • Reply
      Angela Milnes
      July 25, 2017 at 12:45 am

      big*

    • Reply
      Earth Below Girls
      July 26, 2017 at 10:38 pm

      I thought the same thing !!! Problem, is there are a ton of roads in this region and a lot of them are hidden in heels off dirt roads which can be confusing.

  • Reply
    GiGi Eats
    July 25, 2017 at 9:20 am

    Oh man, when I was younger – I used to go to France ALL THE TIME. This brings back so many memories!

    • Reply
      Earth Below Girls
      July 26, 2017 at 10:39 pm

      Awee we love that !!

  • Reply
    Jenn JG
    July 25, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    The field looks so amazing, the purple color is just stunning and i am sure it smells amazing! I hope to one day get to France and this adventure will def be added to my bucket this!

    • Reply
      Earth Below Girls
      July 26, 2017 at 10:39 pm

      The smell was unreal !!Thanks for you love

  • Reply
    Sharon S. Lopez
    July 25, 2017 at 4:52 pm

    I just can’t take my eyes off the wonderful photos! Such a lovely lavender field! I never been to France and hoping that someday I may be able to visit that place too.

    • Reply
      Earth Below Girls
      July 26, 2017 at 10:39 pm

      Thank you so much Sharon!! It was so much fun to shoot here 🙂

  • Reply
    Crystal Carder
    July 25, 2017 at 7:25 pm

    I would love to visit lavender fields with my family! I don’t think we have any near us, but those look gorgeous, I bet they smell good too!

    • Reply
      Earth Below Girls
      August 4, 2017 at 4:45 pm

      They smelled amazing !!!

  • Reply
    Denay DeGuzman
    July 25, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    Those gorgeous lavender fields are straight out of a dream! I’d love to return to France and see that natural wonder. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.

    • Reply
      Earth Below Girls
      August 4, 2017 at 4:52 pm

      Thank you so much Denay !!

  • Reply
    Amber Myers
    July 25, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    Wow, what a gorgeous field. I’d love to find one. I think there are some in Texas, but I haven’t found any yet. But they are pretty!

  • Reply
    Phạm Anh Thảo Nhi
    July 25, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    My Dad was in France some years ago and when he came back, he brought me tons of lavender photos and even some dried lavender buds. I was passionate about them for a while, but honestly, after a month or so, 12-year-old-me quickly became bored and no longer paid attention to them. Yet now, seeing you being so small between this immense lavender field somehow reminds me of my childhood days when my life was simple and I could easily be thrilled at such a small thing. Thanks again for bring back such exquisite memories, and hopefully there are going to be more articles like this in the future!

  • Reply
    Blair villanueva
    July 25, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    It was a beautiful lavender field, and I could imagine the fresh breeze of lavender scent air. I am inspired to visit France someday.

  • Reply
    Nguyen Hai Ngan
    July 26, 2017 at 2:08 am

    Thank you very much for sharing your experiences and your helpful insight of lavender fields in France . I find your blog effectively gives me independent travel guidelines and I am inspired to be here someday, to be honest. Your blog makes me feel the fresh air, the beautiful sights and the attractive smell of Lavender though I have never been here. It will be a wonderful and unforgettable adventure!

  • Reply
    Samantha Bye
    July 26, 2017 at 8:11 am

    This looks so lovely! I don’t think I even knew France had so many lavender fields, so I’ve learnt something!

  • Reply
    Rebecca Swenor
    July 26, 2017 at 8:33 am

    It seems that all your trouble finding the field was indeed worth it. These are some awesome photos of you both in the field and just the field. If I ever get to France in my life time I will be sure to check out the lavender fields. Thanks for sharing your experience and the information.

  • Reply
    Nellwyn
    July 26, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    These lavender fields look incredible and your photos are stunning! I’ve never been to Provence but would really love to go!

  • Reply
    Megan
    July 26, 2017 at 12:27 pm

    I can’t believe no one could tell you how to get to the lavender fields. Glad you did find it, it’s beautiful and thanks for the directions so the rest of us don’t get lost! lol

  • Reply
    Nicole - Miss Sparkle
    July 26, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    How beautiful! I would love to go there 🙂 Btw it’s super helpful to see the google map there. Makes it much easier to see immediately where on earth this beautiful spot is! X

  • Reply
    Rosey
    July 26, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    I imagine it’s one of the best smelling photo shoots ever to be in a lavender field. I’d love to go for the fragrance alone.

  • Reply
    sondra
    July 27, 2017 at 12:20 am

    I’m glad you ended up finding them. I’d want to know where they are too if I was spending the money to go out there. It must have smelled amazing walking through those fields.

  • Reply
    lisa
    July 27, 2017 at 12:52 am

    I love the way lavender smells and your pictures in the lavander fields look so beautiful.

  • Reply
    David Elliott
    July 27, 2017 at 2:34 am

    I have always wanted to make it out to France and I do hope to go there some day in the near future. When I go I will definitely have to be taking a look into those lavender fields. They look amazing.

  • Reply
    Katja
    July 27, 2017 at 7:57 am

    See, everyone always thinks of Paris or Burgundy when they think of France. Things like this are often overlooked and what a shame that is! How beautiful.
    Katja xxx
    http://www.katnapped.com

  • Reply
    Angela Bethea
    July 27, 2017 at 11:42 am

    What a beautiful adventure! This lavender fields looks really magnificent. I hope we can also visit this place too!

  • Reply
    Elizabeth O
    July 29, 2017 at 7:11 pm

    Kudos on making the extra effort to search them out and document then too. I love lavender and I could spend hours in the fields too.

  • Reply
    fashionmommy
    July 30, 2017 at 6:23 am

    Provence is such a beautiful part of France, and I would love to visit the Lavender fields too as I’m a fan of L’Occitaine, they use the lavender for their products.

  • Reply
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