The Provence I Love Is Often Not in the Guidebook

When people imagine Provence, certain pictures immediately come to mind.

Lavender fields. Famous hilltop villages. Sunflowers. Beautiful markets. Stone houses covered in climbing plants.

All of that exists.

And all of it can be beautiful.

But the Provence I have grown to love is often much less spectacular.

Take the Smaller Road

One of my favourite ways to discover somewhere new is ridiculously simple:

Take the smaller road.

Not when you are in a hurry, obviously.

But when there is time, leaving the main route can lead you through tiny villages, vineyards, orchards and landscapes you would otherwise never see.

Sometimes you discover somewhere wonderful.

Sometimes you discover absolutely nothing.

That is part of the adventure.

Look for Ordinary Places

A hidden gem does not have to be secret.

It might simply be somewhere most visitors drive past.

A village square with enormous plane trees.

A tiny bakery.

An old washhouse.

A walking path beside a vineyard.

A viewpoint without a souvenir shop beside it.

These places may not justify travelling across the world specifically to see them.

But when you happen upon them, they can become the moments you remember most.

Follow the Signs

France is full of small signs pointing toward chapels, viewpoints, walking trails, local producers and places you have probably never heard of.

Sometimes it is worth following one.

This is how little discoveries happen.

Not through a perfectly optimized itinerary, but because something made you curious enough to turn left.

Ask People Who Live There

If you want to find interesting places, ask simple questions.

Where would you go for a walk?

Which nearby village do you like?

Where do you buy good bread?

Is there somewhere beautiful to have a picnic?

The answers are often very different from the places appearing at the top of a travel search.

Leave Space in Your Itinerary

This may be the most important part.

You cannot discover much accidentally if every minute has already been planned.

Leave an afternoon empty.

Allow yourself to stop when you see something interesting.

Turn around for the view you noticed from the car.

Spend longer somewhere simply because you like being there.

The famous places of Provence are famous for a reason, and I would never suggest avoiding them completely.

But between those destinations is another Provence.

Quieter.

More ordinary.

Sometimes slightly imperfect.

And very often, much more memorable.

Those are the places I want to share here.

The ones worth taking the smaller road for.