Provence

Provence – What you should know

Provence has a Mediterranean climate with a dry, hot summer: 32°C in July with 19 mm of rain and 10.6 hours of sunshine daily. Winter is mild at 10–12°C, but nights drop to 2–3°C. Unlike the coast around Nice, the interior is shaped far more strongly by the day-night swing.

The defining weather phenomenon is the mistral, a cold dry northerly that funnels south down the Rhône valley. It blows most often in winter and spring, frequently for several days at a stretch, and can lower the perceived temperature considerably. Its side effect is famous: it clears the sky and produces the hard, clear light that drew the painters of the nineteenth century here.

For the lavender fields on the Plateau de Valensole and in the Luberon, the window is narrow: flowering usually falls between late June and mid-July, with the harvest beginning shortly after. The exact timing varies by two to three weeks depending on altitude and year. To experience Provence without heat or crowds, travel in May or September, when 24–26°C and low rainfall coincide.