Pride Of Provence

With chic cities, wild mountain vistas, dramatic coastal landscapes and a rich and varied history, Bouches-du-Rhône offers the best of both rural and urban living, as Lara Dunn discovers

- Lara Dunn

Think of the historic region of Provence and chances are that some of the first things to spring to mind are rolling sun-drenched hills, honey-colored villages, brilliant blue sky and sea and perhaps a glass of chilled rosé wine… or two.

Birthplace of Marcel Pagnol – arguably one of the greatest promoters of Provence in popular culture – the département of Bouches-du-Rhône offers all of these Provençal characteristics in spades, as well as far, far more.

Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the original départements dating back to their creation during the Revolution and covers much of the western territory of the historic province of Provence. It stretches from the Parc Naturel régional de Camargue in the west, north to the Rhône river, just south of Avignon and east to La Ciotat and the green empty spaces where it meets Var.

Bouches-du-Rhône is the most populous of the departments that make up the administrative region of Provence- Alpes-Côte d’Azur. With a population of just over two million people, it has numerous cities and towns, the main centers being Marseille on the coast – the second largest city in France with approximately 865,000 inhabitants – and Aix-en-Provence, the former capital of Provence with around 145,000. Arles, Martigues, Aubagne, and Istres follow with significantly fewer (each less than 55,000). The area is far from packed with urban sprawls, also taking its varied character from wilder spaces such as the Rhône river, the Parc national des Calanques, Parc Naturel régional de Camargue, and Parc Naturel régional des Alpilles.

Taking Eurostar direct from St Pancras International to Marseille (just six and a half hours), the constantly changing character of the landscape is clear.