A trip to Nice and a Nice Walking Tour is incomplete without a soulful excursion to the beautiful Champs de lavande, or lavender fields, of France. These vibrant fields are well known across the world for their iconic “couleurs,” which serve as desktop backgrounds and screen saver photos reflecting the classic French beauté. So word to the wise personnes, do not miss the paysages in the sud “South” of Frace and plan your next tour to include the beautiful locations that feature the world’s most impressive Lavender fields like the Moustiers Sainte Marie, Gorges du Verdon, and lac de Sainte Croix.
However, before setting out on your voyage, do a little “recherche” and find out how to plan your tour to include multiple activité, sites, dates, and the best available transport options.
Following are a few tips that you will find helpful over the durée of your whole trip. These tips will help you plan a safe retour trip by finding the disponibilités prise en charge or available assistance if needed.
Lavender Fields Day Trip from Nice
To spend your whole day productively with minimal time spent on commutes, PLAN AHEAD! Yes, a simple pre-tour day game plan can save you a lot of prix, resources, and time on your début day. If you plan on joining a tour guide group for your trip, email ahead for confirmation of required réservation and ask for the itinerary to learn more about all the villages, alpes, lakes and, of course, the Champs de lavande you will be visiting. Also, is it wise to have a look at the remboursement policy to safeguard your funds and time.
Instructions for visiting lavender fields
When planning a visit to any public or private property, it is essential to familiarize yourself with the proper etiquette to maintain the sanctity of the location, especially if it is a source of income for local farmers, like in the case of lavender fields. It is important to refrain from causing any damage to the fields in any way, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to ensure the preservation of this valuable resource and the livelihoods of the farmers who rely on it.
Use GPS Coordinates to locate the Champs de Lavande in Gorges Verdon And Alpes de Haute Provence Tours
When travelling by yourself, use GPS coordinates to get the exact locations of the fields you have included in your itinerary. Do not make the mistake of just relying on Google Maps to get you to your desired location. Most fields are located in vast open alpes, canyon or on isolated plateau, and usually do not have a business name required to add them to Google Maps as a searchable location. So look up GPS coordinates ahead of time that can be easily found on reliable French tourism websites.
To help our readers plan their lavender-filled adventures, we’ve compiled a list of the top three highly acclaimed lavender fields within a convenient two- to three-hour drive from Nice. Find their exact locations using the coordinates provided below:
Valensole lavender and sunflower field: 43.84672N, 6.15327E
Valensole lavender field #2: 43.89145N, 6.0668E
Valensole lavender field #3: 43.86022N, 5.99004E
Another good option to manoeuvre across the paysages easily is by downloading offline maps of Nice and its surrounding région before the début of your trip. You will be quite thankful for this foresight before you hit the fin line in your tour.
Make the Most of Your Time
“Temps libre” or free time, becomes a luxury in any version of the voyage when you travers a vast paysage. So do not waste time searching for a single field you have set as your destination. Although the whole Provence region is not lined with field after field of flowers, you will likely come across many incredible sites including ville paysage, village souvenirs shops, and even incredibly beautiful promenade paths in smaller fields. Pause to appreciate them as well.
When to Visite the Champs de Lavande?
Planning to see the lavender fields sadly can not be a spontaneous decision, unless you are present in Nice in a precise time window before harvest.
If you’re looking for an unforgettable experience, we recommend visiting the lavender fields in Valensole from late June to mid-July. This is the best time to see the fully bloomed lavender, which is a truly captivating sight. Moreover, visiting the beautiful Champs de Lavande earlier in the season allows you to avoid the large crowds that usually arrive in late July.
It is important to note that lavender has a brief blooming period before the flowers are ready for harvesting. The harvesting season typically commences in mid-July, and by August most of the lavender has been harvested.
Gorges du Verdon
Apart from the Valensole, just a two-and-a-half-hour ride from Nice is the deepest canyon in France, the Verdon Gorge. Filled with breathtaking landscapes, the Gorges du Verdon not only boasts a beautiful variety of lavender and sunflower-filled landscapes but also amazing options for watersport activities in the beautiful Eau of Lac de Sainte-Croix.
Travel Options to Champs de Lavande in Provence
Tourists have a few options for commuting to the Champs de Lavande in the surrounding Nice regions. Train, taxi, or rent a car. Although some may argue that taking a train to the nearest possible station and then taking a taxi to the lavender fields would be economical, it would rob you of the freedom to pause and take in the images, sounds, and fresh air of the lacs. So the best option, in our opinion, is to commute by car.
Rent a car at the Nice Airport
The international airport in Nice is the perfect spot to rent a car for your journey. The airport has two terminals, with both of them having many car rental services. Popular services like Budget, Europcar, Entreprise, and many more provide good cars with full coverage insurance.
Alternatively, you can rent vehicles from online car rental services like rentalcars.com for a wider selection pool.
Avail the Getaround/Drivy rent-a-car service
You can also use the Getaround, formerly Drivy, website to rent cars directly from private car owners for a more quick rental option. This can be a cheaper option, but you will need to agree on partial or full insurance coverage out of your pocket to avail of this type of service.
Hire a Tour Guide
If all this preparation seems like too much hassle or overwhelming, please opt for an experienced tour guide operator. They will take care of the commute options for you and provide you with an enchanting full-day experience to the Valensole Plateau or Verdon Gorgeor to admire the lavende!!! Nice Fun Tours is your go-to service, for anyone who wants to walk through lavender fields.
Packing For Safe Départ
Apart from your usual travel fare, be sure to pack clothes and items that will protect you from the sun. The southern region of France enjoys sunny and humid weather in the lavender-blooming months, so pack ample amounts of sunblock, hats, sunglasses, and light, breathable clothes for a safe and enjoyable trip.
Bon voyage!!!