Visiting the Lavender Fields in Provence, France

All my life, I’ve always been drawn to lavender. There’s something about the sweet perfume smell that is so reminiscent of summer. It has been almost a year since finding a path to herbalism, and lavender and I have always shared a deep connection to one another.

This summer, I was lucky enough to have been able to travel around Europe for three weeks to Italy, Switzerland, France, and Spain where I was able to exercise my knowledge of plants by visiting various botanical gardens and parks around the cities. I thank my lucky stars that my dream of visiting the lavender fields of Provence someday was able to come true this year.

My mom and I rented a car at the high speed TGV train station in Aix-En Provence which we drove an hour out to the famous lavender town of Valensole. We stayed at a lovely Airbnb in the center of town right by the main water fountain that was located directly above a pottery studio, in which the host also owns. Her handcrafted pieces of pottery were just lovely and I highly recommend staying with her if you plan a trip to Valensole.

If you enjoy pottery, I also recommend making a day trip out to the mountain town of Moustier Sainte Marie where they are known for their traditional ceramics called Faience. They too have everything lavender from lavender honey ice cream to lavender beer. With water and stone represented throughout the entire village, Moustier Sainte Marie has been recognized to be one of the most beatiful villages in France.

Lavender Fields

The town of Valensole is one of many that is home to the most beautiful lavender fields throughout Provence. Waking up early to watch sunrise is the way to do it, as well as coming out for a picnic on the fields for dinner and staying to experience sunset. The hues of purple change depending on not only the variety of lavender but the time of day you see them. As golden hour gleams over the lavender fields a hue of magenta projects over the shades of purple that feel different from vibrant purple daylight hours and blue sunset tones.

This has to be my favorite lavender field; it slopes upwards and extends far beyond the eye can see.

Sunset out here was so incredibly peaceful with the background humming of bees dancing from bud to sprig. The smell of lavender caressed our noses the minute we opened the car doors. I would go as far to say that we could even smell the lavender through our car vent because these fields are everywhere! There is so much open space that you will never have trouble photographing the landscape with other visitors in your shot. Imagine it from a bird’s eye view, instead of seeing green fields, there are acres of purple land.

I was bummed to find out that we were going to be missing the annual lavender festival by just a few days on July 15th and 16th since we had planned to be out there from July 9th-12th. Needless to say, we still had the most amazing time visiting Lavandes Angelvin, a working lavender farm that distills their own essential oils and sells all sorts of lavender beauty products and consumables.

I decided to bring back two large bottles of Lavendin essential oil to use in my cold process Lavender Soap, Lavender Chamomile Deodorant Cream, and Everything Salve which you can find in my shop. Even though I tend to support more local suppliers and prefer to grow herbs myself, there’s something to be said about lavender from Provence, the lavender capital of the world, that is so appealing! I didn’t just travel 2,000 miles to Provence to not get any lavender products. Trust me when I said I went crazy!

What Else is Provence Also Known For

Provence isn’t just known for lavender however, they are also known for their wheat, sunlfowers, honey and olives! Within every lavender field, there are thousands of buzzing bees which is no wonder there are hundreds of beehives. Best of all, since lavender is the primary flower that bees pollinate, the honey is truly lavender honey. As for olives, have you ever heard of Marseille soap? Marseille is just south of Valensole which will be on my future travel list. They are known for their iconic green cubed soap block with a formula of 72% olive oil. It is unscented and all natural using pumice which is the third pressing of olive oil.

Shot on Hasselblad 500cm

European Drinking Fountains

For those of you who have never visited Europe and plan on visiting some day, it is worth it to mention that every beautifully sculpted fountain with running water is free and safe to drink. My sister and I absolutely love bringing our collapsible water bottles and refilling them at every fountain we see. Berne, Switzerland especially has glacier water that tastes so pure and delicious that comes out of every fountain around town.

Shot on Hasselblad 500cm

A Dream

What a dream it was getting to run through the fields of lavender at sunset, taking in the sweet aroma, and watching the bees dance from flower to flower! If you would live the full visual experience, I made a peaceful video of my trip through the fields <3

Let me know in the comments if you have ever visited a lavender field and where was it located? :)