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Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is the best gateway for Nice, eastern Provence and the Cote d’Azur and Monaco, with frequent flights from Paris, London, New York and other major cities. Flight times are around two hours from the UK, one hour from Paris and nine from New York. The airport is 7 km (4.5 miles) west of Nice and 17 km (10.5 miles) west of Antibes. Buses to Nice bus and railway stations run every 10 minutes. A taxi to the centre costs around €20. There are hourly buses to Antibes and Cannes, and buses every 90 minutes to Monaco, 45 minutes away. Most international flights use the east terminal; domestic flights use the west terminal.

Marignane (Marseille-Provence) Airport is handy for central Provence, Aix, Avignon and Marseille itself. The airport is 25 km (17 miles) northwest of the city centre and 24 km (15 miles) southeast of Aix. Buses run to Marseille-St Charles railway station every 20 minutes. Taxis to the centre cost around €40. International flights use both terminals.

Nîmes, just beyond Provence’s western border, is the landing place for cheap charter flights and is a good gateway for Provence, particularly the Camargue, Bouches-du-Rhône, Arles or Avignon. The airport is 8 km (5 miles) southeast of the city with buses every 30 minutes. Taxis into Nîmes cost around €20.

Packages which involve a flight and a hire car, available from airlines and tour operators, can be cheaper than taking your own car. However, main car rental companies have desks at Marseille and Nice airports and offices in major towns including Avignon, Nice, Cannes, Marseille, Monaco and St-Tropez.

International and specialist airline, ferry and rail websites are worth checking out before you go – flying, for instance, can often be cheaper than going by rail, and driving is usually the most expensive option.

The TGV Mediterranée high-speed train takes just three hours to travel between Paris and Marseille, with stops at Avignon and Aix. The journey time to Marseille from London is under seven hours, including a change from the subChannel Eurostar service to TGV in Lille.

French Railways (SNCF) operate a seasonal overnight motorail service from Calais to Avignon and Nice, transporting cars while their owners travel in sleeping compartments.

Avignon, gateway to Provence by road, is around 1,000 km (640 miles) from the Channel ports. The fastest drive, via France’s Autoroute du Soleil, takes around 8.5 hours and costs around €50 in tolls. Avoiding toll motorways (péages ) lengthens the journey time by six hours.

The most romantic and stress-free way to arrive in Provence is on a Rhône river cruiser. Many cruise lines operate luxury, full-board river cruises between Lyon and Avignon.

Chartering a jet to fly, as the stars do, direct into Cannes airport (used only by private aircraft) may break your budget, but helicopter flights from Nice to Monaco and Cannes are quite affordable and an exciting way to start your holiday.