Provence

One of the holiday destinations that has become more suitable for short breaks in the last few years is the south east of France. Low cost airlines now fly direct to Nice and Marseille from the UK for less than £50 (including taxes) for a return if you book early. With a flight time of just over two hours, a week long holiday would give you enough time to see a bit of the area, take some great pictures and unwind (if you need any unwinding!)

Unless relaxing, reading, and sunbathing are the only things you want to do during your holiday, I would say that a car is indispensable. There are so many landscapes, towns, museums, animals, churches, markets and other things to see if you can get there, that not hiring a car would eliminate many worthwhile photo opportunities. Again, this need not break the bank: a small car with air-conditioning, which is essential during the summer months, would cost from about £115 pounds for a week.

As you would expect, there is a wide variety of accommodation available in this area. Campings, hotels, gîtes, guesthouses, villas can be found everywhere except the most remote places. We opted to rent part of a restored farm near Sigonce, about two and a half hour’s drive from Marseille airport. I think that hiring your own place for a week and having the option to cook your own meals is ideal. It is also much cheaper than staying in a hotel! Having the option to cook your own meal gives you the flexibility to get up or come back whenever you want: there are no hotel meal times or restaurant opening hours to take into consideration. Cooking your own meals also means you can plug into the local culture at a different level. I always think that buying food in the local outdoor market, greengrocer, baker and butcher can tell you a lot more about the places that you are exploring than being served restaurant meals. Apart from being good places to buy fresh local produce, outdoor markets also offer excellent opportunities for photography. Candid shots of buyers and sellers, close ups of fruit or vegetables typical for the area, colourful pictures of local dress, can all be made in one place. The nearest market to where we were staying was in Forcalquier and it offered all the opportunities mentioned. We got some really nice vegetables, meat, cheese, and of course wine. Cooking our own meals allowed us to not only see and smell where we were: we tasted it!