Inspiring with their wonderful aroma, lavender fields excite romantics and painters with their blooms. Lilac and blue bushes , planted exactly in a row, amaze with their natural perfection. The lavender flower itself is not very noticeable, but when the even bushes of a lilac shade are covered with flowers, bees from all over the area flock to this smell. But not only insects have chosen these plants.
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When does lavender bloom?
Every year lavender fields tourists, photographers and painters visit it, hoping to remember this fascinating moment. The flowering time of lavender in Provence begins in mid-June, in some places it can bloom until the end of August. It depends on the area, climate and plant variety. But if you want to see this magnificent spectacle while visiting France, then it is better to come to the province by the end of June. The most beautiful flowering in mid-July. The plant begins to be collected at this time.
Where are the lavender fields?
Lavender fields can be found not only in France. This plant grows in Latvia. But the most extensive and picturesque fields are located in the province of Provence in the south of France. It is there that 80% of the world's lavender harvest is harvested.
For that, to find lavender fields in Provence in France it is necessary to figure out where this plant is most often found. In the province of Provence, this plant can be found in many places. It is the official symbol of the region. Farmers plant it on their plots. It is also grown in fields of various sizes. But the most picturesque and endless fields can be found in three regions of Provence:
- Alps of Haute Provence.
- Drôme-Provençal.
- Vaucluse.
What tours are there for lavender blossoms?
To enjoy the sight and aroma of blooming lavender, you can go to sightseeing tour from Nice or Marseille, as well as other cities in the south of France. The excursion program usually includes a visit to the largest Valensole valley with blooming lavender. A variety of plant known as lavender is grown here.
It's more fragrant and has large flowers. You don't need to climb high to see it. But such a plant does not have medicinal properties, which mountain lavender has. Lavender is used only in the production of cosmetics. It is against the background of such bright fields that excellent and mesmerizing shots are obtained. Very often, plans made in this area are used to produce postcards.
Lavender field tours often include visits to farms where you can learn about the process of producing lavender oil and growing the plant. Another place to visit is the Lavender Museum, located in the small town of Custelle. There you can get acquainted with the flower itself, its types and learn how the essence is extracted from it. The extracted essence is used in cosmetic production. There is also a small shop where you can buy products using lavender. In the store you can even buy honey collected by bees from these fields.
In addition, fairs and festivals dedicated to this plant are held every year. One of these festivals takes place in the town of Soult. A huge lavender field stretched out in front of him.
The following products can be purchased at the fair:
- Lavender honey
- Ice cream.
- Soap with lavender.
- Cosmetics based on lavender oil.
At each fair, various shows dedicated to this plant are held. Competitions are held among festival guests. Everyone has the opportunity not only to buy lavender and products based on it, but also to collect it with their own hands. The festival is held on August 15 and is dedicated to the harvest of the plant. But if you arrive in this area earlier, you can visit the lavender fields while hiking. Paved everywhere walking routes, which will allow you to enjoy all the beauty of the fields with these flowers.
Lavender looks incredibly beautiful in photographs taken at the time of flowering.
How to get to Provence
The most convenient way to get to the lavender fields is by car. Doesn't go to the fields railway transport. It is better to start your trip from or Marseille. The path can be laid using the route map to search for fields. If you don't have a car, you can get to the lavender fields by train, reaching Carpentrass, and then by bus going to ancient city So, on the way passing lavender fields. If you are in good physical condition, you can go explore the lavender fields on a bicycle. But you just need to remember that the road will not be easy. Along the way you will have to overcome hills and mountains at temperatures of 30-35 degrees Celsius.
Routes in Provence
On a trip to Provence It's better to go by car. This will guarantee that you will be able to visit beautiful and interesting places. Public transport is not available everywhere. The most interesting places located in Provence:
- Plateau de Valensole. There are quite a few lavender fields located in a small area. To see them all, you need to take the D6 highway towards the north. You can return along the D8 highway.
- Mont ven Toux. In this area the fields are located in the vicinity settlements So, Gord and Apt. But one, but quite large, lavender field is located in the Senangue Abbey.
- Verdon Gorge. 45 kilometers from Castellane towards the west, there are lavender fields. In order to get to them, you need to drive through the most beautiful village Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Right from the village you can see lavender fields.
The most beautiful and memorable photographs of lavender fields are taken by tourists who are lucky enough to go on such a trip.
Surely everyone has read the fairy tale story “The Wizard of the Emerald City” by Alexander Volkov. A little girl was traveling with her friends around small town, decorated with emerald stones. It would seem that these are all fairy tales and such cities do not exist. But maybe there is no emerald city, but there is a purple one! Lilac town in France. I mean the lavender fields of Provence.
Where are the lavender fields?
You can get into this amazing fairy tale of France if you visit Provence, or rather go to Drôme Provence in the high Vaucluse - the Alps of Haute-Provence. And somewhere there you will find peace of mind.
In the lilac-lilac city there was a lilac-lilac field with lilac-lilac flowers and a lilac-lilac sky. This is how lavender fields can be described.
Endless purple fields, trails, clean fresh air full of lavender aroma. What else do you need for peace and relaxation in nature!? This endless carpet of lavender flowers is simply mesmerizing! It not only pleases the eye, but also warms the soul!
Finding yourself in the middle of such a field, you want to jump, scream, fly! Incredible and magical!
And you know, such an environment inspires creativity! So, if you are a creative person and are looking for inspiration, then especially come here.
When is the best time to visit the lavender fields of Provence?
To be sure to see all this beauty with your own eyes, it is recommended to visit the lavender fields at a favorable time for this, more precisely from the end of July to August. It is during this period of the year that lavender blooms in full force.
In addition, in August you can visit lavender processing factories. And even if you are lucky, you will be able to participate in the process itself. You will see how essential oils are obtained from a common plant. And the air full of the aroma of lavender will be remembered for a lifetime!
As you know, lavender sprigs are very often used in folk medicine. They relieve fatigue and help restore strength.
Attractions in Provence
There is so much more to admire in Provence! For example, the northeastern part of Provence is interesting in both winter and summer. In warm weather, it’s nice to just stroll here and enjoy the beauty of the narrow river gorges, pine forests and pastures, and in winter you can ski up the mountains. And above Tarascon rise the majestic walls of a 15th century castle in the Gothic style. It will interest you with its elegant and exclusive interior.
The south of Provence will also not leave you indifferent. It will captivate you with one of the most powerful natural springs in the world - the Vaucluse spring. And the Sarg River will surprise you with its most picturesque view. If you look into the village of Vaucluse, you can visit the Gofret Eco-Museum with a collection of Nativity figures of saints. If you wish, you can also visit the Vallis Clausa paper mill and the nearby art market. Nearby is the Museum of the Second World War and the Petrarch Museum.
In a word, Provence and its picturesque flowering endless fields cannot be missed! And if you have the chance and desire to go to this most picturesque corner of the earth, don’t hesitate for a minute! Go there!
Yes, beautiful places there are many on earth. Each one is special in its own way.
Where are the lavender fields of Provence located on the map?
Lavender, a low plant with purple flowers, makes your head spin no worse than Crimean nutmeg. Wherever you find yourself - on the deserted Tarkhankut, in strict Sevastopol or in the ever-cheerful Koktebel, in Crimea, it seems that there is no place where her smell, which is so well remembered, does not reach.
As the correspondent of the portal "" reports, lavender in Crimea blooms from mid-June to the end of August. And if you find yourself in Crimea at this time, plan a trip or hike to the fragrant lavender fields - the impressions will last a lifetime.
True, the best time to visit and photograph plantations is from early June to early July. Then it becomes too dry, dull, fades, although it does not lose its aroma, it becomes even more spicy and alluring.
History of Crimean lavender
In Crimea, narrow-leaved or true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is grown. It is unpretentious, drought-resistant, and grows even on rocky soils.
This is a plant native to the French and Spanish coasts. Mediterranean Sea, were first sown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden about 200 years ago.
In 1928, it began to be grown on an industrial scale to produce essential oil used in perfumery and medicine. Its flowers contain 1.5-2% fragrant oil.
Thirty years ago, lavender fields occupied about 2.5 thousand hectares in Crimea, and oil from Crimea was even supplied to perfumers in France. Now the plantations have shrunk and many fields are abandoned. There is not much wild lavender in Crimea; it can be found in the foothills of Krasnolesye, on Chatyrdag and near Gurzuf.
What is made from lavender
At any market or impromptu bazaar during the season there will be a grandmother with lavender. A bunch of aromatic herbs costs from 40 to 100 rubles, depending on its thickness and place of sale.
Sometimes they sell sachets filled with threshed lavender flowers. The sachet can be placed in the closet - this will give the bed linen an exquisite aroma. It is believed that dried lavender repels moths, but in practice this did not help the author of these lines.
Lavender is added to herbal teas to add aroma or sold separately (50 g from 60 rubles). This tea is drunk for colds; it calms and relaxes.
Another useful product that is worth buying is aromatic oil in small bottles (120-180 rubles per 10 ml). It is believed to relieve headaches, suppress flu, help with insomnia and calm neurasthenia. Use this oil in aroma lamps or add a few drops to the bath (preferably with salt under running water). A traditional Crimean souvenir is a postcard with a test tube of lavender oil attached to it.
Lavender honey is also highly valued. But although supposedly monofloral lavender honey is offered in markets and stores in Crimea, it is, at best, just a herb. Real lavender quickly sells out to familiar and regular customers.
Where are the lavender fields located in Crimea?
There are lavender fields in many regions of Crimea. If you are staying in Sevastopol, Gurzuf or Alushta, you can get to the lavender fields by car, public transport or on foot.
True, finding fields is not easy - blooming lavender on the peninsula has not yet become the same brand as in the famous French Provence. Special excursions, signs, guides to lavender places are a rarity. We have prepared a list of the most beautiful lavender places, but some of them are abandoned and appearance getting worse from year to year.
The best places for photography are near Bakhchisarai. In the area of the village of Turgenevka there is the largest and fairly well-groomed lavender field in Crimea.
Also near Bakhchisarai there are fields near the villages of Kudrino and Shelkovichnoye (behind the reservoir), in the mountains near the villages of Rastushchee and Zavetnoye.
Quite large and beautiful lavender fields can be seen near the village of Lavender (Simferopol-Alushta road). In Simferopol you need to take a trolleybus, get off in the village of Lavender and then walk for about an hour through Luchistoye towards Northern Demerdzhi.
Many lavender fields are located on both sides of the Simferopol-Sudak highway. The fields begin 40 km from Simferopol near the village of Crimean Rose.
If you drive from Simferopol to Nikolaevka, you can see fields near the villages of Vodnoye and Medicinal.
Around the villages of Mazanka and Opushki near Simferopol there are large unkempt fields of lavender.
In the Belogorsky district - near the villages of Aromatnoye and Tsvetochnoe.
In Sevastopol - there are small fields not far from the boarding house. Mokrousov (Uchkuevka) and in Uchkuevka itself near the post office, as well as on the Mekenzi Mountains and in Andreevka.
On Cape Tarkhankut near the village of Olenevka there is a small but quite picturesque lavender field.
- one of the main attractions that have literally become its calling card. Unfortunately, you can see the fragrant purple fields almost only in July (a little +/-, depending on the altitude of the fields). You can explore the fields on foot, by bike or by car along one of the many routes (see maps below). There are many fields, they are very different, the most beautiful ones can be occupied by crowds Chinese tourists. But you can step aside a little, and you will be alone on the field.
Lavender blossom
Approximately mid-June - mid-August, depending on the area and weather. Best time for the trip - the last week of June and July. The lavender harvest is usually harvested from July to September. In the region and Rhone Valley lavender blooms in mid-June. On and Drome Provence- at the beginning of July. blooms in mid-July.
As a rule, fields of wheat and lavender are located nearby, surrounding the lilac fields with a golden sea that shimmers in the sun. Sometimes there are fields of sunflowers nearby (they bloom in July-August).
Lavender flowering periods in Provence:
Lavender festivals
A trip to the lavender fields of Provence can be completed with a visit to one of the lavender festivals that are held in different time in several of the main lavender towns. As a rule, the holiday is timed to coincide with the harvest of fragrant flowers, so after such holidays it is too late to see the lavender fields.
Schedule of lavender festivals in Provence:
- Riez: last days July – Lavender fete
- : Lavender fête. Annual lavender festival in the second half of July (usually the third Sunday in July)
- Digne: Lavender Parade, every year in early August. At the end of August is Lavender Day.
- Thorame-Haute: Lavender festival: 2nd weekend of August
- Esparron sur Verdon: lavender festival in mid-August
- Sault: mid-August (August 14 - 15) - lavender festival, lavender picking competitions, flower crews
- Valreas: lavender parade, flower carriages, folk performances. Every year on the first weekend of August.
- Along the D8 road between and D953 (4 km north of Puimoisson) there are lavender fields. GPS: 43.896292 N, 6.128771 E
- Along the D6 between and Riez, about 5 southeast of there are beautiful lava fields at the entrance to Petit Arlane (Centre Naturiste).
Sault and Mont Ventoux
Region Mont Ventoux, including the city Sault, northeast of and, includes a number of beautiful lavender fields. In the east of Avignon, around the towns and Saignon, you can also see the lavender fields. Some of them have picturesque stone buildings - Borie (the large settlement of Bories is located next to the village).
- Route 1.
Route 2. Nyon - Vaison-la-Romaine:
101 km, 2 hours or so - driving.
Route 3. Drome Valley, Diois and Haut-Buech:
169 km, just over 4 hours drive.
Route 4. Rosans - Sault
Drôme and Hautes Alpes region
126 km, just over 3 hours of driving alone, not counting stops.
Route 5. Carpentras - Apt
76 km, almost 2 hours just driving, not counting stops.
Route 6. Sault - Forcalquier
114 km, approximately 2.5 hours just driving, not counting stops.
