As Claude Monet once said, “I want flowers, always and always”. And there is no better place to embody this sentiment than in the South of France. The beautiful region of Aix-en-Provence is about 30km north of the city of Marseille and is known for its abundance of lavender fields.

I remember seeing photos of these stunning fields years before this trip and hoping to one day see them in person. And they did not disappoint. For this leg of the trip, we stayed in an Airbnb apartment which was located just above the town centre. The bustling view of local markets and restaurants directly underneath was so infectious and was the perfect start to exploring this city.

We had a simple but very delicious lunch at a bagel store in the town centre before walking through the narrow lanes that were rich with historical buildings, much like the rest of France. We also picked up some refreshing frozen yoghurt, topped with berries and chocolate.

The following day we booked an afternoon tour of the nearby lavender and sunflower fields from a local guide. There are plenty of times available, but we chose the afternoon tour as it would give us the opportunity to capture the flowers at sunset, an effect that was truly magical.

The tour took us to Valensole, a nearby town which is known to get sunshine 300 days a year and is home to the stunning flower fields. We explored a number of properties and picked up local products for loved ones at home. Soaps, perfume and dried lavender are available at every stop in this town and I highly recommend picking some up.

 Apart from the beautiful scenery, we also got to enjoy some delicious lavender ice cream at the town centre and I’m still drooling at the thought of it.

While sunflowers aren’t the main attraction in this part of France, I’m so glad our guide took us to a field that had them. We saw the large blooming flowers sway with the wind as the sunset before returning home.

It was a simple and sweet stay but with memories that we will cherish forever.