Places and towns in Provence

Areas of Provence -  what's where in Provence

• Alpilles : regional park - a small outcrop of arid hills in the middle of the Rhone delta, south of Avignon. At the edge of les Alpilles stand the part-ruined, part-renovated mediaeval city of Les Baux de Provence.
• Camargue - Rhône Delta: regional park - wetland area, spreading out in a triangle between Arles and the coast. The area is famous for its nature reserves,  its wildlife, including pink flamingoes, and its white horses. Rice is cultivated in paddy fields, and the area also produces a rosé wine known as "vin gris". More information : Camargue guide.
• Côte d'Azur - See Riviera.
• Drome Provençale: the southern part of the Drome department, which was historically attached to Provence. Wine growing area, lavender fields, historic small towns
• Esterel : The dry and rough range of hills, of volcanic origin, that runs along the Riviera coast from the Var to the Alpes Maritimes departments.
• Haute Provence: the Provençal Alps, rising to an altitude of over 3000 metres, near the Italian border. Two of France's national parks are located in Haute Provence
• The Luberon / Le Lubéron: regional park - a band of hills and mountains running east from the Rhone valley to the Alps, between the river Durance and the department of the Drome, from Cavaillon to Manosque. This is where Peter Mayle's "Year in Provence"  is set. The area is largely a protected natural area, with dry, wooded limestone hills.
• Pays d'Aix: very dry area of low hills around the town of Aix en Provence, and typically covered by Mediterranean pine forest.
• The Riviera (French Riviera) : there is no formal definition for the extent of the French Riviera; but normally the term is used to describe the south-east facing coastline between Hyères and Menton. Sometimes the term is used to refer to the French Mediterranean coast to the east of Marseilles.  More information on the French Riviera  .
• Verdon: An area along the river Verdon, running east-west betwen the departments of the Var and the Alpes de Haute Provence. The dry limestone hills, crossed by rivers running down from the Alps, have been cut through by deep canyons, notably the Verdon Gorge (regional park) , the depest gorge in Europe (20 km long and 300 metres deep). 

Administrative departments
The "Provence alpes Cote d'Azur" region is:
 04 Alpes de Haute Provence
05 Hautes alpes
06 Alpes Maritimes
13 Bouches du Rhône
83 Var
84 Vaucluse
Historic Provence is also  parts of 26 Drome and 30 Gard

Main cities and towns:

• Aix en Provence. Historic university city, once capital of the province. Very attractive old town with museums, markets and a large historic centre. See Short guide to Aix en Provence
• Antibes: popular seaside resort on the French Riviera
• Apt: town situated in the Luberon regional nature reserve.
• Arles: Centre for the Camargue, historic city beside the Rhone, with several major monuments including the famous Roman Amphitheatre and the mediaeval church of Saint Trophime. 
• Avignon: Capital of the Vaucluse department, Avignon is a historic walled city ; the old city is a UNESCO world heritage site. Close by the old city stands the famous mediaeval bridge over the Rhone, the Pont Saint Benezit,  - or what remains of it, immortalized in the song "Sur le pont d'Avignon". Among Avignon's other great attractions are the Palace of the Popes, a fine fortified mediaeval palace (photo right), the gardens overlooking the Rhone, and t(he city's complete set of derensive fortifications. Avignon is one of the departure points for Rhone river cruises .
• Briançon: at an altitude of over 1300 metres, is the highest town in France, and one of the highest in Europe.
• Cannes: A famous Riviera resort, and major venue for festivals and congresses. Nearby Riviera resorts, very popular with jet-setters, are Saint Tropez and Juan les Pins
• Carpentras: an old country town in the Vaucluse, not far from the foot of the Mont Ventoux.
• Cavaillon : capital of the Provence fruit and vegetable industry.The alluvial plains round Cavaillon are largely given over the market gardening and orchards, and the area bursts into blossom from late February onwards, when most of the rest of France is still in the grips of winter.
• Digne les Bains: between lower Provence and the Alps, Digne is at the heart of a magnificent mountainous area
• Draguignan: small inland town in the Var, close to the Gorges du Verdon.
• Fos sur Mer:  port on an inlet 50 km west of Marseilles, with petrochemical complex and other industrial sites.
• Fréjus: Attractive old town on the riviera coast, with historic centre, Roman remains, small medieval cathedral, and marina.
• Gap: standing at an altitude of 750 metres, Gap is the capital of the southern Alps
• Grasse: in the hills inland from the Riviera, Grasse is the capital of the French perfume industry ; there is an interesting perfume museum.
• Ile sur la Sorgue : small town in the Vaucluse department, north of Avignon, famous for its bric à brac and antiques markets - notably the Sunday morning antiques market, one of the biggest in France. The town, once an important silk-spinning centre, also has fine old water wheels that are still working.
• Manosque : largest town in the Provence Alps department, though not in the Alps. Manosque is the capital of the olive oil industry in France, and the hills around the town have many olive groves. The old town still has three ancient city gates
• Marseilles. Regional capital, and capital of Bouches du Rhone department. France's biggest port, and the third biggest city in France.  See Marseilles tourism guide
• Martigues: an old town beside the canals linking the lagoon known as the Etang de Berre with the sea. The centre is pretty.
• Menton: very old seaside town almost on the Italian border, famous for its magnificent gardens.
• Nice: Capital of the Alpes Maritimes department, a major tourist resort famous for its long beaches and mild climate, but also for its museums (Chagall and Matisse museums in particular). Nice's long beach along the famous "Promenade des Anglais", was the first tourist beach in France, thanks to the arrival of the first British "tourists" in the late 18th century. Nice airport is one of the best connected in France.  See Nice tourism guide
• Orange : a town in the Rhone valley, north of Avignon, Orange has a spectacular Roman theatre - the best in Europe -  and Roman triumphal arch, classed as a UNESCO world heritage site. There is a short opera festival each summer in the Roman theatre.
• Saint Paul de Vence :  small hill town not far from Nice, reputed as an artists' retreat. The attractive small town boasts arts and crafts shops as well as the top quality Maeght Foundation art gallery.
• Saint Raphael: Riviera seaside resort, with an small old town, archaeological museum, markets and harbour. More on Saint-Raphaël
• Toulon: A major naval port, capital of the Var department. La Seyne sur Mer: a suburb of Toulon, was once one of France's major shipbuilding centres.