DK Travel : Provence and Côte d'Azur

Provence’s top sights span the region’s rich and varied history, from Roman arenas, isolated abbeys, and the palace of the medieval popes, to the more recent opulence of the belle époque era and the glamorous resorts beloved of the 20th-century jet set. Sunsoaked beaches, pretty villages nestled among lavender fields and a mountainous hinterland have inspired generations of artists, and continue to enchant every visitor to the area.

Aix-en-Provence

Cosmopolitan Aix is packed with fascinating museums and historic buildings. Nearby Mont Ste-Victoire inspired one of the greatest Provençal painters, Paul Cézanne (see Aix-en-Provence).
Albert Camus

This French author and existentialist (1913–60) wrote his autobiography at Lourmarin.
Alexandre Dumas

Dumas (1802–70) used the Château d’If (see Château d’If) as the grim backdrop to The Count of Monte Cristo (1845).
Allemagne en Provence

Allemagne en Provence stands between the rugged canyon country of the Verdon and the lavender fields of the Valensole plateau. It is dominated by the palatial Château d’Allemagne, founded in the 12th century, which is now a luxury guesthouse (see Château d’Allemagne, Allemagne-en-Provence).
Alphonse Daudet

Daudet (1849–97) is best remembered for Tartarin de Tarascon , the tale of a Provençal bumpkin (see La Tarasque, Tarascon).
Annot

Annot stands in unspoilt countryside in the Vaire valley. Many houses are built into the giant sandstone glacial boulders, known as the grès d’Annot – some have 17th- and 18th-century carved façades.
Ansouis

This village, with its wandering little streets, is made truly remarkable by its chateau, built in the 12th century and still lived in by descendants of the same family. The vaulted rooms, armoury, salons and, especially, the kitchens are extraordinary.
Antiques Market, Antibes

Rummage through stalls selling everything from cut glass and statuary to antique porcelain, lace, embroidery and linen in search of something small enough to carry home. Thursday and Saturdays, from 8am to noon.
Antoine de St-Exupéry

The aircraft of the French author and pilot vanished in 1944 while on a reconnaissance flight over Provence.
Aquascope, Embiez

Glass “bubble” over water allows close encounters of a marine kind.