People go to Valensole to see its Lavender fields, but it is not just a country with purple fields but also a cute small village in the south of France.
Photographer
in the Lavender fields of Provence
If you wish to have a photo shoot in the Lavender fields of Provence you can go to this page and see all the details. The fees are from 400 EUR.
If you are going for a vacation or a romantic trip to the Lavender fields, I highly recommend to you spending some time in the village of Valensole and have a nice walk around its narrow old streets and alleys framed by the mediaeval pastel houses. What to see in Valensole is in my article about this nice village here.
How
to get to Lavender fields in Valensole?
There are lots of lavender farms around Valensole in rather short distance from each other. It is possible to have a round 33 km trip by car to see all of them: from Valensole D56 to the east up to Puimoisson – D953, from there to the north up to “PoteaudeTell” junction – D8 and back to the west up to Valensole.
To avoid a logistic problem you’d better rent a car starting from Marseille, because it is not so easy to reach lavender fields by public transport. You can check my recommendations regarding car rent in Europe on this page.
The best is a “pack offer” – to get a professional photographer with the personal car that will drive you around the lavender fields and take amazing pictures on the background of the purple flourishing rows.
What
is the best time to visit Lavender fields?
The best time for a journey to the Lavender fields is from late June till mid-July. Lavender is mainly harvested starting from July to September. The Luberon and The Rhone Valley are in blossom in mid-June. The Valensole Plateau and the Drome Provencale are blooming in early July. The fields in the Sault valley are ready for visitors in the middle of July.
The majority of lavender fields are located side by side with wheat fields, so, you can admire this “golden sea”, shining in the sun, framing the purple rows. Sometimes, you can come across a sunflower field next to the lavender farm (they are in blossom from July to August).
You can as well have a photo shoot in a sunflower field on your way to the lavender farms.
When
the Lavender fields are harvested…
In 2019 the Lavender fields of Valensole were completely harvested by July,23.
There is one field in Sault harvested every year on the 15th of August. Though it is not as big as the others, but the lavender is blooming here till mid-August!
I can share with you the locations of the lavender fields upon your request and help to make the route of your journey.
If you are not planning to spend your entire vacation watching lavender fields, I recommend you to stay in Valensole for 2 days. Beside its nice streets, alleys and nice cafes, you can also explore its chapels, the 17th century’s traditional laundry rooms, shadowed café terraces and observe sleeping dogs along with the numerous architectural details typical for Provence and creating its special unique charm.
As all the accommodation in Valensole is mostly booked in July, Manosque is the next option nearest to the Lavender fields. You can search for rooms on airbnb or book a hotel.
Your journey to the Lavender fields can also be combined with visiting one of the lavender festivals functioning in the several main “lavender” villages at different time. Usually, the lavender festivals are celebrating the harvesting of the fragrant flowers, therefore, you should see the fields before the festival but not after it, when it will be already too late.
