Les Baux-de-Provence
Baumanière
An estate of five houses in gardens beneath Les Baux, with 53 rooms and suites, three pools, a spa and the restaurant L'Oustau de Baumanière.
France
Luxury travel in Provence
Stone villages, market mornings and long afternoons at a country hotel. Avelia plans private, tailor-made time in Provence, as a stay of its own or as part of a wider journey through France. Choose a base that suits the Provence you want to see, then leave room between the outings.
Provence at a glance
- Recommended stay
- Four or five nights from one base; a second for a different Provence
- Best seasons
- May and June, September and October
- Getting there
- Paris to Avignon by direct TGV, around three hours; Marseille airport
- Best for
- The Alpilles, the Luberon, Avignon and its wine country, and Aix
- In a wider trip
- Pairs well with Paris, Nice or the French Riviera
- World Heritage
- Avignon's papal centre and Arles' Roman and Romanesque monuments
A trip with us typically includes hotels, private transfers, guided days and restaurant reservations, and always support while you travel.
01Inspiration
Experiences in Provence
Each of these is arranged privately for your dates, subject to availability.
The Alpilles
A day around Les Baux and the countryside beneath it: a village visit, the current Carrières des Lumières programme and an arranged olive-oil tasting, with some of the afternoon kept for the hotel.
The Luberon
Choose two villages and enjoy them properly. Gordes and Roussillon make a suggested day; the final route can follow a market, a lunch reservation or your interest in walking and photography.
Avignon and wine country
Avignon with a guide, then a pre-arranged estate visit in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The number of visits should leave time for the places themselves, rather than turn the day into a timetable.
A day without a programme
A country hotel deserves time of its own. Leave a day for the garden, the pool or a long lunch, with treatments and other activities arranged separately if you wish.
02Featured hotels
Where to stay in Provence
Two hotels beneath Les Baux-de-Provence, both in the Alpilles, both suited to the same five-night base. Baumanière is our choice for a food-focused country stay: a distinctive estate of separate houses near Les Baux, where the choice of house and room is an important part of planning your visit. Domaine de Manville is the alternative for activities and families: a country base with varied accommodation and facilities that suit travellers who want more to do at the hotel between excursions. We can also arrange other properties — in the Luberon, in Avignon or in Aix — to suit the base you choose.
Les Baux-de-Provence
Domaine de Manville
A five-star farm estate on the plain below Les Baux, with 30 rooms and suites, nine villas, an 18-hole golf course, a spa and a Kids' Club — the Alpilles base for families and golfers.
| Baumanière | Domaine de Manville | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | Les Baux-de-Provence | Les Baux-de-Provence |
| Setting | Estate of five houses in gardens beneath Les Baux, in the Alpilles | A farm estate on the plain below Les Baux, its houses around a golf course |
| Star category | 5 étoiles | 5 étoiles |
| Rooms | 53 | 39 — 30 rooms and suites, 9 villas |
| Pool | Three pools in the gardens, for hotel guests | Courtyard pool (seasonal, as the MICHELIN Guide describes it) and a heated indoor pool in the spa |
| Spa and wellness | Spa Baumanière, 500 m², six treatment cabins, hammam and sauna | 600 m² spa: heated indoor pool, sauna, hammam, ice fountain, jacuzzi, yoga and fitness rooms |
| Dining | L'Oustau de Baumanière and La Cabro d'Or | L'Aupiho, the Bistro, the Bar and the Cabane at the first hole |
Facts from the hotels' official websites and official tourism sources, checked 19 October 2026. A dash means we have not confirmed that detail.
Featured hotels on the map
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Western Provence lies between the Rhône and the Luberon: the Alpilles around Les Baux and Saint-Rémy in the middle, Avignon and the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to the north, the Luberon’s villages to the east and Aix to the south-east, with Marseille Provence airport about an hour’s drive south of Les Baux. The map shows our two featured hotels, both beneath Les Baux.
03Seasons
When to go
Late spring May and June
Our preferred start: highs of 24°C (75°F) in May and 29°C (84°F) in June, rain on four to six days a month, the villages green and the days long before the heat.
Summer July and August
Longer days and busier villages: highs of 31–32°C (88–90°F) and almost no rain. We plan the outdoor visits early and late, and keep the middle of the day for the hotel.
Heat: Highs of 31–32°C (88–90°F) in July and August. Lavender, where it flowers, is usually in bloom until early August, but flowering and harvest vary: a possibility, never a promise.
Autumn September and October
Our other preferred window: highs of 26°C (79°F) in September and 21°C (70°F) in October, the year's heaviest rain beginning, the villages and vineyards after the crowds.
Winter to early spring November to April
A different programme: highs of 11–17°C (52–62°F), frost on some nights, the mistral's cold north wind; April is mild and green. We check hotel and restaurant opening dates first.
EventsThe black truffle season, from mid-November to mid-March: truffle hunts with a dog, and the market at Richerenches, Europe's largest.
04Shape your trip
Routes and itineraries
Each route is a starting point, tailored to you. To combine Provence with Paris, begin with four nights in Paris, then take a direct train to Avignon and continue by private transfer to your country hotel: our Paris and Provence journey gives you five nights in the Alpilles after four in Paris, from one country hotel, with no further hotel change before departure from Marseille.
4 days
Culture and cuisine, from Aix
- Places
- Aix-en-Provence, with Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the lavender in season
- Suits
- A city base: Aix's streets and markets, Cézanne, the vineyards and the table
5 nights
Five nights in the Alpilles
- Places
- Les Baux-de-Provence, the Luberon, Avignon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, from one country hotel
- Suits
- A first countryside stay, with no hotel change: the Provence days of our Paris and Provence journey
5 days
The coast, from Cassis or Marseille
- Places
- Cassis, Marseille, Bandol and the Camargue, with the lavender in season
- Suits
- The sea and the Calanques, given their own time from a base on the coast
Itineraries that include Provence
Paris and Provence
from $12,900 per person
Beyond Provence
Another stay
ParisAround three hours from Avignon by direct TGV: the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Seine. Best for the beginning of the journey — four nights there, then the train south.
Another stay
NiceAbout 175 km east of Aix-en-Provence by road: the old town, the port and the Promenade des Anglais, with an airport for the flight home. Best for the sea after the countryside, with time of its own.
Another stay
The French RivieraSaint-Tropez about 120 km from Aix by road, and the coast east of it to Monaco: the hill villages, the yachts and the beaches, by car or by boat. Best as a stay by the sea with a base of its own.
05Planning with Avelia
How we plan your time in Provence
We help you choose the base and the hotel, balance guided days with long lunches and a day of nothing at all, and fit Provence into your wider journey through France — or shape a stay here alone.
Share your plans
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and the pace you like, and whether Provence is the whole trip or one part of it, with Paris or the Riviera.
Shape your trip with us
Before any payment, we send a written proposal with a quoted trip price and what it includes — such as a country hotel beneath Les Baux, a driver for the days among the villages, and an olive-oil tasting arranged ahead — and refine it with you.
Travel with our support
Once you approve the proposal and complete the agreed booking requirements, we confirm your arrangements. We coordinate the details and support you while you travel.
Peace of mind
Financially protected. Your payments for a package trip are covered against our insolvency by a guarantee with AXA. Plan with peace of mind
What we can arrange
Your proposal sets out the arrangements included in your trip.
- The base and the hotel — a country hotel beneath Les Baux in the Alpilles, where we help you choose the house and the room as well as the hotel; or, to suit the base you choose, a hotel in Avignon or Aix or a small hotel in a hill village, on request.
- Private transport — a transfer from Avignon TGV or Marseille Provence airport, a driver for the days among the villages and the vineyards, or a car of your own with routes we plan.
- Private guides — guides for Avignon and Arles, for the Luberon’s villages and for Les Baux, and mountain guides for the Calanques.
- Experiences — an olive-oil tasting and one estate visit arranged ahead, the Carrières des Lumières, a canoe on the Sorgue, the lavender when it is in flower, a truffle hunt in winter, and a spa day with massage or yoga on request.
- Tables and tickets — reservations, from the hotels’ own dining rooms and the three-star tables of Marseille and Cassis to a bouillabaisse by the port, and the Palace of the Popes, the Carrières des Lumières and the Festival d’Avignon booked for you. Meals are reserved, not included, unless your proposal says so.
- Special occasions — honeymoons, anniversaries and family trips, planned around who is travelling.
06Questions
Questions we are asked
What does it cost to have a tailor-made trip designed by Avelia Travel?
Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.
How many days should we spend in Provence?
Four or five nights from one well-chosen base works for a focused stay: in the Alpilles, say, with the villages nearby, time at the hotel and a day each to the Luberon and to Avignon. Add a second base only when the places you want to explore genuinely take you into a different part of the region — the coast at Cassis or Marseille, or the Gorges du Verdon to the east.
When is the best time to visit Provence?
May and June, then September and October, are our preferred starting points for a countryside journey. Summer brings longer days and busier villages, and we plan the outdoor visits around the heat; the lavender, where it flowers, is in bloom from mid-June to early August in most years, a seasonal possibility rather than a promise. Winter is cool and windy, the season of the black truffle, and suits a different programme, with opening dates checked.
Can I combine Provence with Paris or the Riviera?
Yes. The direct TGV runs from Paris to Avignon in around three hours on a selected direct service, and our Paris and Provence journey does exactly that: four nights in Paris, then five in the Alpilles. Saint-Tropez is about 120 km from Aix by road, and Nice about 175 km, each better as a stay of its own. Our France page covers the rest of the country.
Do you arrange transport within Provence?
Yes: a driver from the airport or the station, a car and driver for the days out, or, if you would rather drive yourself, a car and the routes between the villages planned for you.
Do you only plan full itineraries, or can you help with just a hotel?
Both. We plan complete trips, and we also arrange a stay on its own: a hotel matched to you, with transfers, a guide or a few reservations added if you wish.
Is Avelia right for me?
Avelia suits travellers who want a private, well-paced trip planned around them: the right places in the right order, hotels chosen for them, guides who know the ground, tables and tickets taken care of, and one point of contact from the first conversation until they are home.
Start planning your time in Provence
Four or five nights in Provence from one base, or a second base for a different Provence: tell us your dates and who is travelling.
Usually answered within one business day.