Here are 5 places you need to visit in the South of France.

1. Lourmarin

The little village just to the south of the Luberon Massif is the quintessence of Provence: all the ingredients for a stunning holiday are here — not least of all the picturesque orchards (to spend many an afternoon getting lost in), towering mountains (almost like they’re standing guard over the village itself) and vineyards as far as the eye can see.

2. Biarritz

An embodiment of this transformation is the Hôtel du Palais, built as a summer getaway in the middle of the 19th century for Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French and wife of Napoleon III and till this day, still serves as a grand hotel open to the public (though be prepared to shell out some top dollar to stay here — it’s an amazing place with an equally ‘amazing’ price point).

3. Marseille

If you’re looking for some city action, even if it’s just for a day or two, Marseille is definitely worth visiting. If you’ve only got a short amount of time here and want to throw yourself into the thick of where the action is, Marseille’s humongous Old Port, founded by the Phocaeans around 2,600 years ago, is still the best place to see the city live and breathe.

4. Pézenas

Up to the late 18th century, Pézenas was the seat of the Governors of Languedoc; a fact that has left this town with lots of stately renaissance and baroque buildings — over 100 buildings here have been listed as “historic” — which is impressive for a place of just eight thousand inhabitants.

5. Arles

A UNESCO World Heritage site because of its abundance of Roman and Romanesque architecture (a Roman theatre, amphitheatre, baths, necropolis and aqueduct; to mention but a few), Arles is one stunning French town.

Every corner you turn is pretty much a guaranteed picture perfect moment. This probably explains why this was home to Vincent van Gogh for quite a few years.