A Provence Summer
Provence in the lavender season — the Valensole plateau in July when the purple extends to the horizon, the Gordes market on a Tuesday, a rosé tasting at a Bandol estate above the Mediterranean, and the Alpilles hilltop village of Les Baux at the hour the stone turns gold. A private, tailored journey of 7 Days · 6 Nights in Provence, France, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$9,800 per traveler.
- Ideal length: 7 Days · 6 Nights
- Best time: From May to June and from September to October, the best window for Provence.
- Private guiding, access and transfers throughout
- From US$9,800 per traveler — a starting point, tailored to you
- Designed one-to-one by a Forest Travel advisor
- Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels
Provence in the lavender season — the Valensole plateau in July when the purple extends to the horizon, the Gordes market on a Tuesday, a rosé tasting at a Bandol estate above the Mediterranean, and the Alpilles hillside village of Les Baux at the hour the stone turns gold. A private, tailored journey of 7 Days · 6 Nights in Provence, France, designed end to end by a Forest Travel advisor — with Virtuoso privileges at the finest luxury hotels, from US$9,800 per traveler.
France rewards those who slow down, moving from grand boulevards to vineyard cellars and coastal villas with effortless grace.
When to go
From May to June and from September to October is the best window for Provence. Your advisor times it to the light, the crowds and your own calendar.
The experiences
A sense of what this journey can hold — each one arranged privately and shaped to you:
- A privately guided sunrise walk across the Valensole plateau in peak July bloom, when the lavender rows converge at the horizon and the light is still cool enough to linger.
- A Tuesday morning at the Gordes market, with a local food writer who can navigate the producers' stalls and arrange a spontaneous tasting of fresh chèvre and tapenade before the coach tours arrive.
- A reserved afternoon at a family-run Bandol estate above the Méditerranée, tasting barrel samples of the appellation's celebrated mourvèdre-driven rosé with the winemaker in attendance.
- A private access visit to Les Baux-de-Provence in the early evening, when the day-trippers have left and the ochre limestone turns molten in the last hour of Provençal light.
A sense of the rhythm
Days begin early to hold the best light and the coolest air — a market, a hillside, a vineyard before noon. Afternoons are deliberately unhurried: a long lunch in the shade of a plane tree, a drive through the Alpilles, a swim if the itinerary allows. Evenings belong to the village squares and to tables that take the summer seriously.
Whether to anchor in the Luberon or move between areas
Staying in one beautifully positioned base — a mas in the Luberon hills or the finest luxury hotels in Gordes — gives each day a sense of return and allows the landscape to settle into you. Moving between two properties, adding a night near Bandol or in Arles, captures more of the regional texture but costs a morning on the road each time. For a seven-day journey, Forest Travel generally recommends a single anchor with well-planned day excursions; the distances in Provence are modest and a private driver absorbs them entirely. The right answer depends on how much you want the room itself to feel like a destination.
How to do it well
The counsel our advisors give travelers planning this journey:
- Book the finest luxury hotels in Gordes or the Luberon plateau no later than November for the following July, as the best properties hold very few rooms and fill on repeat clientele before open-season listings appear.
- The Valensole lavender is at full bloom between the first and third weeks of July; a single week of strong mistral or early heat can accelerate or compress the season, so Forest Travel monitors conditions and can shift arrival by a day or two if needed.
- The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence runs through July and seats at the Grand Théâtre de Provence for marquee productions require separate booking the moment the programme is announced in January — we handle this as part of your file.
- A private driver for the full week is not a luxury here but a logistical necessity: parking in Gordes, Les Baux and the Bandol back-roads is limited, and the rosé tastings are better enjoyed without a designated driver in the group.
What only your advisor can open
The difference between a good trip and an unrepeatable one is access — and access is a relationship, not a booking. Every guide, room and moment is chosen and sequenced for you.
Who it's for
Travelers who value privacy, time and doing it once — beautifully — and who would rather have one trusted advisor orchestrate every detail than assemble it themselves.
Estimated investment
From US$9,800 per traveler, based on double occupancy — scaled to your dates, party size and level of privacy. A starting point, not a final quote; confirmed once your advisor tailors the itinerary.
Designed entirely around you
Nothing here is a package. A Forest Travel advisor shapes the whole journey and stays one message away before and throughout your trip.
Your Virtuoso privileges
As a Virtuoso member, Forest Travel includes benefits reserved for Virtuoso guests at the finest luxury hotels, at no added cost: a room upgrade on arrival when available, daily breakfast for two, a property credit toward dining or spa, and early check-in with late check-out when the hotel allows.
Continue exploring Provence
Part of our Provence travel guide. Related private journeys:
Begin the conversation
Tell a Forest Travel advisor how you like to travel and they will design A Provence Summer around you — privately, every Virtuoso privilege included. Request your private consultation →
Questions, answered.
Staying in one beautifully positioned base — a mas in the Luberon hills or the finest luxury hotels in Gordes — gives each day a sense of return and allows the landscape to settle into you. Moving between two properties, adding a night near Bandol or in Arles, captures more of the regional texture but costs a morning on the road each time. For a seven-day journey, Forest Travel generally recommends a single anchor with well-planned day excursions; the distances in Provence are modest and a private driver absorbs them entirely. The right answer depends on how much you want the room itself to feel like a destination.
Book no later than November for the following July. The finest luxury hotels in Gordes and on the Luberon plateau hold very few rooms, and they fill with repeat clientele before open-season listings appear. Your Forest Travel advisor secures the base early, whether a mas in the Luberon hills or a hotel in Gordes, so the rest of the week can be planned around it.
A private driver for the full week is a logistical necessity here, not a luxury. Parking in Gordes, Les Baux and the Bandol back-roads is limited, and the rosé tastings are better enjoyed when no one in the group has to drive. With distances in Provence modest, a private driver absorbs them entirely, making a single base with day excursions easy.
The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence runs through July. Seats at the Grand Théâtre de Provence for marquee productions require separate booking the moment the programme is announced in January. Forest Travel handles this as part of your file, so festival evenings can be woven into the same week as the Valensole lavender and the Bandol rosé tasting.
A Provence Summer is designed as 7 Days · 6 Nights. Days begin early to hold the best light and the coolest air — a sunrise walk on the Valensole plateau, the Tuesday market in Gordes, a Bandol vineyard before noon. Afternoons are deliberately unhurried: a long lunch under a plane tree, a drive through the Alpilles, a swim if the itinerary allows. Evenings belong to the village squares, with an early-evening visit to Les Baux-de-Provence once the day-trippers leave. For seven days, Forest Travel generally recommends one base with well-planned day excursions, with a private driver throughout.
As a private, tailored journey it starts from roughly US$9,800 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 season runs May through early October, but this journey is built around July. The Valensole lavender is at full bloom between the first and third weeks of July, and a week of strong mistral or early heat can accelerate or compress it, so Forest Travel monitors conditions and can shift your arrival by a day or two. July also brings the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and early mornings keep the best light and coolest air for the lavender, the Gordes market and the vineyards.
A sunrise walk on the Valensole plateau catches the lavender at peak July bloom while the light is still cool enough to linger. On A Provence Summer it is privately guided, timed for the moment the lavender rows converge at the horizon. Days in Provence begin early for exactly this reason: to hold the best light and the coolest air before the afternoon slows into a long lunch in the shade.
Go on a Tuesday morning, and go early. On A Provence Summer, a local food writer walks you through the Gordes market, navigating the producers' stalls and arranging a spontaneous tasting of fresh chèvre and tapenade before the coach tours arrive. It sets the rhythm of the journey: a market, a hillside or a vineyard before noon, with the afternoon left deliberately unhurried.
A Bandol tasting on A Provence Summer is a reserved afternoon at a family-run estate above the Mediterranean, with the winemaker in attendance. You taste barrel samples of the appellation's celebrated mourvèdre-driven rosé. A private driver for the week means no one in the group needs to stay sober for the Bandol back-roads, where parking is limited anyway.
Early evening is the moment for Les Baux-de-Provence. On A Provence Summer the visit is arranged with private access once the day-trippers have left, when the ochre limestone turns molten in the last hour of Provençal light. It suits the journey's rhythm, in which evenings belong to the village squares and to tables that take the summer seriously.
Provence is best known for dry rosé, and Bandol, above the Mediterranean, makes a celebrated mourvèdre-driven rosé alongside its reds. This journey includes a reserved tasting of barrel samples at a family-run Bandol estate with the winemaker present. To the north, in the Vaucluse, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is within reach for a private cellar visit; the best domaines open only by introduction, so your advisor requests it six to eight weeks ahead.
France
See the collection →Tell a private advisor how you like to travel — no quotes, no obligation.
Speak With a Luxury Travel AdvisorA real person answers: an in-house luxury travel advisor, in English or Spanish. The first conversation is complimentary.
