The 7 Most Picturesque Towns in Provence France

St. Remy

Saint Remy de Provence is about as charming as a town can be - ancient streets lined with beautiful, restored homes, elegant boutiques, picturesque cafes and lovely old fountains. Best known as the home of Vincent Van Gogh.We bought some beautiful locally made pottery here, which the shop had shipped to our home in the U.S. Wednesday is the major market day, with a smaller food market on Saturday.

Isle Sur la Sorgue

Known for its Sunday antiques market - Isle sur la Sorgue is a small town centered around the antiques industry. The Sorgue River surrounds the town, and there are small canals winding through town itself, with bridges and water wheels giving perfect backdrops for photography.Twice a year the town is filled to capacity with tourists and dealers for the Antiques Faires, which have become internationally known. We were lucky enough to be there over Easter weekend for one of these, and took home some great deals - including a Victorian vanity mirror and perfume holder that we purchased for under $100!

Aix-en-Provence

Considered to be the most livable town in France, the center of Aix is the old portion of town ringed by a circle of boulevards and squares. It's a small-enough area to explore by foot, and perfect for a morning stroll through the streets. End your walk at Cours Mirabeau, the heart of Aix. It's a beautiful tree-lined avenue, with one side lined with wonderful terrace cafés and bookshops. If you sit at only one French sidewalk café outside of Paris, it should be here, where the air is warm, the light sublime and the sidewalk alive and perfect for people-watching.

Nimes

Bordering Provence is Nimes, known for its Roman ruins, in particular the amphitheatre is worth a day trip to this town. There's a lovely pedestrian-only shopping area, with a crepe stand that my husband and I still talk about.

There's also a labyrinth of winding little streets full of trendy shops, and every year there's a Marche de Noel ("Christmas Market") near the Maison Carree, and in the summer you can find the Jeudis de Nimes ("Thursdays of Nimes"), where you can find food, dance, street merchants selling almost anything you can imagine, and plenty more, late into the night.

Avignon

If you're taking the TGV from Paris, chances are you'll end up in Avignon. It's worth spending a few days here, and a must -see is the massive Palais des Popes, which resembles a medieval fortress-castle.

Avignon has a quaint medieval feel, but its large student population and fashionable boutiques make it more Cosmopolitan than the smaller Provence towns.

Arles

Arles is a town with some big sights to be sure, but also full of interesting art galleries, major photographic events and little artistic flourishes added by local people - a funky, altered lamppost, a mad shop front, a bizarre sculpture peeping out of someone's window.

Arles' most famous sight, Les Arenes, is a huge Roman arena which holds bullfights [without the death part].

A great picture taking spot is the famous Rhone River that forks in to two branches just upstream from the city.

Le Baux de Provence

A little off the beaten path of the more well-known villages in Provence, Les Baux is a fascinating hilltop medieval village, most of it dating from before the 16th century. It is officially classified and labelled as "one of the most beautiful villages in France".

Its cultural heritage is exceptional, with 22 architectural treasures classified as "Historic Monuments" (including the church, chateau, town-hall, hospital, chapels, houses, doorways... without counting items of furniture and a collection of paintings).

The village can only be seen on foot, so wear walking shoes, and you need to park at the base and wind your way through the narrow streets filled with shops and restaurants. At the top you are rewarded by the "Citadelle des Baux" with views that you will never forget.