From Marseille to Montpellier, the South of France with a focus on culture

Inaugurated in 2013 on the occasion of the 'Marseille, European Capital of Culture' event, the MUCEM is the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations. The building, with its latticework shell of fiber-reinforced concrete, is as much worth a visit for its view and its outdoor walkways as for its rich collections. Today, these collections contain around 50,000 objects, 350,000 photographs and 200,000 posters recounting the history of the Mediterranean, from Neolithic remains to contemporary art.

Notre-Dame de la Garde symbolises Marseille. It is a domed basilica crowned by a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary, perched at 160 m on its own hill, from which it dominates the entire city. It is a place of religious fervour and its walls are covered with legions of commemorative plaques. It also provides a superb view point commanding magnificent panoramic views of Marseille, the sea and the coastline. The locals refer to it as the ‘Good Mother' and it is somewhere you simply have to visit when you come to stay in Marseille!

On the way to the village of Goudes, on a former industrial site marking the entrance to the Calanques National Park, the Friche de l'Escalette is (somewhat) secretly home to two structures designed by the famous architect Jean Prouvé. Made of sheet metal, wood and steel, these two completely demountable houses have been erected here, open to the winds. A place and an atmosphere both magical and mysterious.

The Vieux-Port is the heart of Marseille, and has huge numbers of cafés, restaurants and terraces right next to moored boats. It stretches as far as the Palais du Pharo and Fort Saint-Jean to the west, and in the east to the famous boulevard of La Canebière. Every morning it throbs to the rhythm of the fish market. Marseille Town Hall, at Quai du Port, faces Saint-Victor Abbey and looks up at Notre-Dame de la Garde towering above it.

Master of kinetic art, Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) built his Foundation on the hills north of Aix-en-Provence in 1976. With this avant-garde institution, the Franco-Hungarian artist wished to create an interaction between the general public and contemporary art. The building's architectonic design is composed of hexagons to match the works on display. Renovated in 2013, the Foundation offers different types of visits to discover and understand the marvelous 'lumino-kinetic' sculptures...

This small town of 5,000 inhabitants has been hosting one of the most important piano festivals on the continent every year since 1981. For 4 weeks in the middle of summer, crowds flock to the park of the Château de Florans and its surrounding area. Hundreds of performers and dozens of the world's most renowned soloists follow one another on the outdoor stages. A splendid communion around classical music (and jazz!).

La Louve was classified as a Remarkable Garden of France by the French Culture Ministry in 2007, and is one of the finest contemporary gardens in Provence ... and even in the whole of France. Created in the 1990s by the famous designer Nicole de Vésian, the garden passes from mineral to plant elements along the length of wonderful terraces. Stone sculptures, river pebbles from the Durance, wooden benches and trimmed plants make up the beginnings of a heavenly place.

Self-proclaimed as 'the biggest theater in the world', the Festival Off d'Avignon, held every July, is the alternative to, or the complement of (depending on one's point of view), the Festival d'Avignon. Each year, the Off features around 1,500 shows in all the venues and back corners of the city. It's a hotbed of culture, creations, and emotions for all theater and live performance lovers.

Founded in the XIV century, since 1991 the splendid Chartreuse du Val de la Bénédiction (Carthusian monastery) has housed the National Playwriting Centre. During the Nuits de la Chartreuse, authors and artists in residence present their ongoing projects. With its readings, premières, theatrical talks and other shows, the dramatic arts here find an exceptional setting in the former monastery.

Whether you are a fan of bullfighting or not, The Feria de Nîmes is above all a popular event which brings the town's inhabitants together around its arena. In answer to the carnivalesque Pégoulade procession comes the abrivado, the parade of the bulls through the streets, and the slow meander of the peñas, the impassioned musical groups. The whole town only moves to the rhythm of the bodegas...

Founded in 1970 by Arles photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier, and historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette, the Rencontres d'Arles has become an unmissable event over the years for professionals and photo enthusiasts. Each edition features around forty exhibitions by young talents or star photographers in various historic sites around the city, such as 12th century chapels and 19th century industrial buildings.