Eating, drinking and dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Provence. All you have to do is make sure you've packed your favourite threads…
Restaurants
La Chassagnette
Deep in the Camargue, in a building that used to be a sheepfold, this restaurant is unmissable. Sit in the kitchen garden at lunchtime and enjoy their modern organic cuisine. The restaurant even supplies diners with straw hats on sunny days.
Le Sambuc, 13200, Arles
(+33 (0)4 90 97 26 96)
Le Lisita
This restaurant next to the amphitheatre in Nîmes is a stylish option with a fine, seasonally adjusted menu based around local suppliers and ingredients.
Boulevard des Arènes, 2, 3000 Nîmes
(+33 (0)4 66 67 29 15)
Le Magister
Established over 20 years ago, Le Magister is an intimate, family-run restaurant with an extensive menu of Provençal specialities and fine wines of the Languedoc region.
rue Nationale 5, Nîmes
(+33 (0)4 66 76 11 00)
Chez Bru
Run by a Belgian couple, Chez Bru, aka Le Bistrot d’Eygalières, is a Michelin-starred place of pilgrimage for gourmets. Their salt-marsh lamb is perfection.
rue de la République, Eygalières
(+33 0(4) 90 90 60 34)
Le Petit Bru
Chez Bru’s baby sister bistro is very popular, with good reason – the food is excellent.
Avenue Jean Jaurès, Eygalières
(+33 04 90 95 98 89)
Le Cilantro
In the heart of the historic town centre of Arles, this modern, contemporary restaurant offers world cuisine with a Mediterranean influence, a wide selection of wines and a good-value fixed-price lunchtime menu.
rue Porte de Laure, 13, Arles
(+33 (0)4 90 18 25 05)