Ah, the golden province of Provence! This area, one of France’s most popular tourist destinations, is blessed with an average of 300 days of sunshine a year. It also has one of the most beautiful spring times.

To find out how pretty spring is in Provence visit the charming hill town of Bormes-Les-Mimosa. It is the epitome of exactly how perfect France is in the spring. As you walk down its green fields, you will see the Mimosa trees in radiant, exuberant full bloom. Their branches are heavy with golden yellow flowers, as bright as the sunshine. You can take a break in the sidewalk cafes and enjoy the gorgeous view. You’ll see hills and the ocean of the Mediterranean sparkling in the distance. You can also spend many happy hours browsing through the goods in the village shops.

Ah the shopping is wonderful in Provence. You’ll find jewellery stores, fresh olives, olive oil flavoured with basilic and cushions filled with fragrant lavender. You can also visit stores to taste the famous limoncello (a local drink made from lemons),

Spring is a good time to visit Provence if you want to avoid the tourist crowds. During this time of year the road and beaches are clear and empty. It’s very relaxing. You can enter a restaurant and the owners will greet you happily and have plenty of time to serve you and make your time there enjoyable.

Even the famous city of St Tropez sheds its cosmopolitan reputation and becomes quieter and serene during the Spring. You can find a waterfront seat in one of the cafes situated by the picturesque harbor. Be sure to visit there early in the morning so you have time to explore the designer shops in the little alleys. Take your brunch at a sidewalk cafe and enjoy the famous French pastry, such as a croissant or petit pain with a hot chocolate or coffee.

Children will absolutely enjoy the chance to play in the sand and frolic in the water as you relax on the beach with a good book. You can then retire to the villa in the afternoon for a leisurely nap. What a relaxing way to enjoy Spring!

French wines are enjoyed all over the world, and enjoy a reputation for their fine quality and delicate flavors. A lot of the wines come from the southern region. In fact you can visit about 60 winegrowers in the “Cotes de Provence” region alone.

This place is very small but it is the heart of a thriving industry and certainly one of the most beautiful spots on earth. A bright blue sky, wide stretches of sandy white beaches, picturesque limestone cliffs, pine scened forests, calming rivers, and medieval villages that are tribute to Provence’s rich history. And the ambience is simply like paradise. You will be bathed in sunshine and warmth, and drink in the scents of jasmine, lavender and wild thyme. Provence includes the departments of the Var and part of the Bouches-du-Rhone.

So where do you stay when you are in Provence? You can choose from a wide variety of accommodations. You can try finding a hotel in the lively metropolis where you’ll find all the modern conveniences and facilities. Or you can choose to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and retire in a turn-of-the-century country guest house filled with 17th and 18th century antiques.

But there is a side of Provence that people often overlook, and that is its winemaking. Maybe because it has so many other attractions, especially those in Nice, Cannes and elsewhere along the French Riviera, its wine tours are not that heavily marketed. But like the rest of France Provence has a long tradition of making wines, which started 2600 years ago when the Phoenician settlers created the first vineyards to honor the god of wine, Bacchus. The center of Provence’s winemaking industry is the “Maison des Cotes de Provence” which is proud of its diverse selection of appellation wines.

In fact, Provence has many master oenologists (winemakers) who will be very pleased to share the nuances of wine and how to pair the right food with exactly the right wine.

Provence’s wine growers have obtained the license to place the “AOC” designation (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) on their wine bottles. This is the proof that a wine comes from the designated region and is a sign of the quality of the wine. It is a very respected and coveted award given by the Ministry of Agriculture in Paris.

The winegrowers in Provence still use traditional methods of harvesting and bottling their wines. They study the climate, the soil, and various kinds of grapes.

The South of France, particularly the Azure Coast and Provence, has become a haven for tourists as well as people who are looking for a sunny and quiet place to retire. The weather is beautiful, the scenery is lovely, and the people are friendly and warm. What’s not to love? Everything looks like painting, from the cloudless blue sky to the ships sailing in the horizon.

The best time to visit southern France is around September. That way you avoid the large droves of visitors who come here for the Cannes film festival, which is always held in May. The weather is also cooler here, since you escape the sweltering heat of the summer. You also avoid July and August’s crowded coastal highways that are characteristic of the peak tourist season.

In September the region becomes quiet, serene, and tranquil. You can enjoy the beauty of the area, uninterrupted by the noise and the partying that occur during the tourist months.

Be sure to enjoy the Provence cuisine, which has a heavy Mediterranean influence. There is a lot of Italian flavoring and heavy use of ingredients normally associated with Italian food. You’ll love the aioli, which is usually served over everything from raw vegetables to fish, and ratatouille. This is a yellow garlicky sauce made from fresh tomatoes, eggplant and squash. These vegetables are stewed together with green peppers, garlic and different kinds of herbs. Another regional specialty is the bouillabaisse, a magnificent fish stew.

You can also do a lot of excellent shopping in Cannes, or relax in one of the sidestreet cafes to go people watching. Don’t be surprised if you see a celebrity of a movie mogul walking here, the place is known to attract the rich and famous. It also has probably the classiest seaside promenade in the world.

If you can visit the famous Monte Carlo Casino. It’s not as gaudy as Las Vegas. Think class and elegance. You can’t even enter the Private Salon without following the proper dress code (no shorts; jacket and tie required for men).

For those not enthralled by world class beaches, monstrous yachts, and movie stars, you can visit the charming region of the Haute Provence, an area featured in the literary classic The Three Musketeers. Envision moonlight, lavender fields, old abbeys and intimate villages, red wine, and fresh baguettes.

One thing worth doing while driving around the South of France, is stopping to try some fresh french bread accompanied by chevre or goat’s cheese (one of the hundreds of delicious fresh cheeses to be found in France).