Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

There’s a wonderful view towards the Camargue from the battlements of the fortress in Les Baux-de-Provence. In summer, go early in the morning to avoid crowds. High above the village of Beaumes de Venise (ask a local for directions), Domaine de Durban offers not only a superb vista but also some of the finest pudding wines in the world (+33 (0)4 90 62 94 26; www.domainedurban.com). Or you can take the twisty route up Mont Ventoux.

Arts and culture

Arles and Orange each has an impressive amphitheatre, used for cultural events, such as open-air opera. Just outside Les Baux, you can wander among vast art images projected onto the walls of a huge quarry cave, the Cathédrale d’Images (www.cathedrale-images. com). The Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence has a special room dedicated to Paul Cézanne, born in Aix in 1839. Avignon’s Unesco-protected architectural finery includes the famous pont from the song (aka Saint- Bénezet bridge), and the Popes’ Palace, a Gothic powerhouse, left beautifully bare within (www.palais-des-papes.com).

Something for nothing

Vincent Van Gogh painted almost 200 canvases during the year or so he spent in Arles. Many of the places he worked are marked by a series of panels dotted around the city.

Shopping

Apart from giant blocks of savon de Marseille, the best buys are olive-wood kitchenwares and lavender products (we like the Popée family’s tiny shop on the road from Sault up to the Ventoux). In Sault, nougaterie André Boyer (+33 (0)4 90 64 00 23; www.nougat-boyer.fr) sells sweet treats amid historic decor. Isle-sur-la-Sorgue hosts a famed antiques market every Sunday morning. Aix-en-Provence has enticing design boutiques on Rue Fabrot, and a food market every day on Place Richelme.

Daytripper

Between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, the perched villages of the Luberon cling to craggy ridges, among cedar glades. Gordes, Ménerbes, Roussillon and Bonnieux are a treat to admire from afar; pack a picnic and gaze up from the walking trails of the Luberon Regional Park (www.parcdeluberon.fr).

Perfect picnic

Head to the market (Carpentras on Friday is one of the biggest and best) and fill your bicycle panniers with bread, goat’s cheese, onion tart, figs and rosé. Then find a shady spot off-road to enjoy your feast.

Children

Let your brood clamber over the Roman ruins in Arles. The great amphitheatre, builit around 80AD, has a watchtower still intact (+33 (0)8 91 70 03 70).

Activities

The best way to see the Camargue is on horseback (+33 (0)4 90 97 91 38). Kayak down the Gardon river to the towering Roman aqueduct of Le Pont du Gard, with Kayak Vert in Collias (+33 (0)4 66 22 80 76; www.canoe-france.com/gardon; March to October). Provence Vélos (+33 (0)4 90 60 28 07; www.guideweb. com/provence-velos) will deliver bikes and tandems from their base in Carpentras, for half or full days of back-road cycling. There’s quad biking on the slopes of Mont Ventoux; contact Ventoux Quad in Crillon-le-Brave (+33 (0)6 19 06 05 92). Station du Mont Serein has skiing in the winter and go-karting in the summer (+33 (0)4 90 63 42 02; www.stationdumont serein.com). Wine-tasting routes criss-cross the region; see www.rhone-wines.com for details. Oenologist Julien Poujol arranges walking tours of Gigondas’ vineyards to give visitors an understanding of terroir and cave culture (+33 (0)6 78 70 55 93; www.viti-oenotourisme.com).

And

The Camargue is almost as famous for its mosquitoes as for its horses. If you’re venturing to its boggy expanses, go armed with box-fresh repellent.