Provence Lavender Photography Tour

Written by Emily Durand. Posted in Provence Villages, VIP Itineraries

Provence Lavender Photography Tour

Quiet hilltop villages in the high lavender region of Provence are waiting for you and your lens.

More than a photography tour – this is the true Provencal lifestyle tour. Provence will forever be captured not only in your artistic eye but in your heart as well.

From Medieval architecture, to gourmet food experiences, to rolling lavender fields leading to a hilltop village, you will engage in a sensory experience each day. This is your opportunity to rediscover (discover) your creative talent in one of the most inspiring lands in the world. 

Enjoy the high region of Provence combining Mediterranean flavors with a pre-alpine influence while the lavender is in bloom.  This backcountry of Provence is a hidden gem offering spectacular views of rolling hills of lavender and authentic villages nestled up high in the sky.

6 night, 7 day tour 

 Tuesday, July 11th - Monday, July 17th, 2023

Small Group Tour - 8 spots maximum
All inclusive package price
$4,800 USD per person (single room price)

 ($200 per person discount for shared room) 

2023 Tour is full  
Inquire for 2024 (July 9 - 15)

An Unforgettable restored farm house awaits you in Provence…

6 nights at Le Domaine de la Done near Montbrun-les-Bains

Connect with nature — the venue is nestled in the serene mountains of High Provence.  The photography element is a means by which you can immerse yourself into your surroundings.  One does not need to be an artist nor a photographer to enjoy this tour.  An openness of the mind & eye to see and connect with nature and your surroundings is all you need to benefit from this unique experience in Provence.  

The 2021 & 2022 Lavender Photography - a memorable Provencal experience.  

Read the reviews here on the testimonial page...

Tell your story through photography

On this tour you will be using photography to capture magical moments, artistic flair, and the Provencal way of life.  Raina will help you open your eye to the art before you and enhance your technical skills:

•  Create beautiful digital photographs with your mobile phone and or digital camera

• Learn how to slow down and create more artful images

• See and understand the use of natural light and shadows to create more depth in your imagery

• Take compelling photos of landscapes, people, and more, by learning simple composition rules

• Enhance your photos using photo editing apps on your phone and or computer.

• Learn to tell stories through your imagery.

• All skill levels are welcome.

• You do not need a fancy camera to participate. Mobile cameras are very welcome, in addition to DSLR’s

Provence Lavender Photography Tour Itinerary

Provencal imagery and lifestyle at its best!

Day 1 – Tuesday, July 11th

• The pick-up place for retreat is at the train station in L’Isle sur la Sorgue (or your lodging in the town should you arrive the day before).  Pick-up time at 11 am.  Our first stop, en route to our retreat location, is lunch at a rustic farm restaurant in the high hills of lavender country.  

• • Information on the pick-up place and suggestions for arrival will be sent to you.  Possibility to arrange tours with Emily before the group tour starts to see the lower Provence region.  

• After lunch, and a some  lavender photo shoots, we’ll settle into our accommodations.
• Free time to enjoy the amazing pool and quietness of the domain.
• Before our dinner outing at the nearby village, we’ll choose one of the quaint sitting spots at the B&B to go over the photography & tour highlights of the day.  
• Dinner outing at the nearby village.

Day 2 – Wednesday, July 12th

• After a leisurely breakfast at the farm house, the journey to wide open lavender fields and authentic Provencal villages begins.  We will be capturing the lavender fields, Medieval village backdrops, ancient doors, colorful shutters, and so much more. 
• Lunch today will be with a view at a remarkable rose garden (Jardin de Valsaintes) with history and geology that will make you ponder the ancient stars. 
• Later afternoon, back at the B&B,  refresh by the pool before a workshop with Raina to go over the editing of your pictures.
• We will not venture out again so you have plenty of time to unwind (rest, swim, nature walks).  Optional trail hike leaving from the B&B to a chapel looking out over the valley – early evening when the heat has worn off.  
• This evening you will enjoy a catered dinner at the B&B by local chef Alexandra.  

Day 3 – Thursday, July 13th

• Our day will begin in a stunning mountain village, Brantes.  We will meet Laurie & Odile who will guide us on a foraging walk. We will need some flowers and herbs in order to make our farm-to-table lunch. 

• The whole setting is one photographic moment after another. From the quaint village house where we will make lunch to the table set out on the patio, not to mention all the food prepared with beautiful herbs and flowers.

• Later afternoon will be a time to relax back at the B&B before our evening village photoshoot and dinner in Montbrun-les-Bains.

  • This evening is the village festival (pre-Bastille Day party).  Choose to stay around after dinner and partake in this Provencal small village festive atmosphere.  

Day 4 – Friday, July 14th

• An optimal morning photography outing for those who wish to capture the magic of the rising sun over lavender fields.  
• After breakfast, we’ll meet Nicolas who will come along with his dog so we can find some truffles in the back property of the B&B.  The last couple of years we got lucky to find some truffles.  
• Back at the B&B, we’ll have a truffle tasting to learn the different ways of eating a truffle to best savor its aromas.  
  • Truffle tasting and other snacks casually at the farm house for lunch.
• Afternoon excursion is to the Lavender distillation plant: learn more about this aroma plant, how the oils are extracted, how it is harvested, the uses. We will meet with a lavender grower to get all the answers and see first hand.  
• Stroll through the charming village Sault (Provence’s lavender capital) with a stop for ice-cream and some artful village photography.
• Free time back at the B&B. During this time, one-on-one appointments with Raina will be set up so you have an opportunity to dig into questions pertaining to your personal pictures.
• This evening we will enjoy another evening meal catered to us at the B&B.  A Provencal barbecue to celebrate France’s Bastille Day: some French music & a game of Pétanque if you are up to it.

Day 5 – Saturday, July 15th

• Today is market day in Montbrun-les-Bains.  You have time this morning to roam the market at your leisure and also with Raina for capturing compelling market images.
• Lunch will be in the village after the market at Alexandra’s Salon de Thé (vegetarian home cooking meals and the best ice-cream in France)
• The afternoon is set aside for relaxing by the pool, photography at the domain, and time for discussions around storytelling in pictures.
• 7 pm – Dinner at a small village retro bistro
• 9 pm – an evening photo shoot at an amazing location (near the bistro) where the lavender rolls up to the sky.

Day 6 – Sunday, July 16th

• This morning we’ll venture into one of the larger towns in the area; Vaison-la-Romaine.  Here, our photography contemplation will take us back to the Roman era.  The town is known for one of the largest open air Roman archeological sites in France.
• The afternoon will be free time at the B&B to make the most of your contemplative time before the end of the tour.  
• Dinner outing at nearby village. 

Day 7 – Monday, July 17th

• Enjoy your last leisurely breakfast, a last mindfulness walk in the inspiring lands of High Provence.
• Drop-off at Avignon TGV train station at 12 pm.
  • Transfers to Marseille airport can be arranged should you have a flight out later evening (price supplement)

Meet your hosts…

All about Raina (the essential anyways)

Raina is an American international award winning portrait photographer and has been living in Provence for the past two years. She worked as a registered nurse for 34 hears and decided to take an early retirement to follow her dreams of living in France and pursuing her photography career full-time. Raina is a fun a social person and loves to meet new people from all over the world.  She feels quite lucky to be able to live in France.  

Raina will be sharing her process of how to tell a unique and powerful story through your travel photography.  She will teach you different ways of seeing and shaping light, composition, and how to connect to your environment so that you can create interesting travel images.  

Her instruction will deepen your visual awareness while imparting skills that will make your photography more satisfying and fun.  As a gift to all participants Raina will be taking a portrait of every participant in the beautiful lavender fields of Provence for you to take home.

To learn more about Raina and to see her gallery of Provencal images…visit her website HERE!

All about Emily (well almost)

Emily created Your Private Provence, speciality tours in the South of France, in 2013.  Her French love affair started in 1996 and since then she has always lived in Provence.

Over the years, she has become accustomed to life in France as a local.  Her expertise in knowing the region and all it offers is greatly appreciated among foreigners and the French. 

Her tours are the perfect balance of seeing the well-known sites, discovering the hidden gems, engaging in the Provencal lifestyle and getting to know the people behind the scenes (the potter, the wine grower, the olive oil producer, the master chef, the truffle grower…)

Beyond seeing magical Provence and hearing historical anecdotes, guests can embrace the real essence of travel: letting go of pressures and reconnecting with self.  Emily’s philosophy for every tour is creating an atmosphere of fun, leisure and inspiration.

More details about this Provence Lavender Photography Tour Experience:

Meals Included:

• Breakfasts (6)
• Lunches (6)
• Dinners (6)
• Local wine included with meals 

Not included:

• Transportation to/from Provence
• Cocktails or digestive drinks are not included 

Activities included:

• Photography workshop sessions with Raina throughout the week
• Foraging & Cooking lesson
• Provencal market (Montbrun-les-Bains)
• Lavender farm & distillery 
• Learn the historical anecdotes that marked the villages and towns.

Villages visited:

• Montbrun-les-Bains (classed as « One of the most beautiful villages of France »)
• Simiane-la-Rotonde
• Aurel
• Sault
• Brantes
• Vaison-la-Romaine
• And many scenic routes passing through other small lavender villages.

Tour remarks:

• • Drop-off is at the Avignon TGV at 12pm.  You can find a train later afternoon to take you up to Paris or even a train to take you to Nice should you want to visit the French Riviera.  You may also want to spend more time in Provence. 
    • Arrangements can be made to take you to your next accommodation in the area or the Marseille airport (price supplement based on distance). 

This tour is a wonderful opportunity to see the more rugged and authentic part of Provence (authentic meaning less touristy but with all the elements that make up a Provencal village – remains of ramparts, chateaux, medieval influences, fountains, cobblestone, and of course all the Provencal colors splashed on doors and shutters)

Rugged terrain means winding roads.  Should you have a tendency to get motion sickness, you should think about a treatment to help.

The tour has been designed to give rest time at the B&B every day.  Summers in Provence can be quite hot.  The advantage in High Provence is the cooler temperatures – but nevertheless, it can get hot.  Please be prepared to sweat a little.  Outside of the photography and lavender elements, you will enjoy this tour if you love the wilderness, relaxing and cooling off at the pool (one of the best pools in all of Provence), love to take nature walks, and contemplate the stars and moon.  

ARRIVAL:

• • The tour starts in L’Isle sur la Sorgue at 11 am on Tuesday the 11th.  You will need to arrive in Provence at least the day before (Monday, 10th).  We suggest staying the night in L’Isle sur la Sorgue for your convenience.  L’Isle sur la Sorgue is a lovely small town with quaint boutiques, antique shops and a multitude of nice places to eat.  Why not even stay here a couple of nights before the tour starts.
  • Transfers from Avignon TGV to L’Isle sur la Sorgue (taxi, train or bus).  It’s about a 40 minute transfer.  

DEPARTURE:

• • Drop-off is at the Avignon TGV at 12pm on Monday the 17th.  You can find a train later afternoon to take you up to Paris or even a train to take you to Nice should you want to visit the French Riviera.  You may also want to spend more time in Provence.  Arrangements can be made to take you to your next accommodation in the area (possible price supplement depending on distance). 

Contact Emily Today to reserve your spot on this unique Provence Lavender Photography Tour:

 July 11 - 17, 2022

6 nights / 7 days

4,700 USD per person (single room price)

$200 per person discount for shared room

Deposit to secure your spot: $1000

Tags: lavender tours, Provence small group travel, Provence Villages, small group tours