Tulips in Provence are the springtime equivalent of lavender. You don’t have to go to the Netherlands to admire tulip fields – it is enough to visit the vicinity of the town of Lurs.
Tulip fields in Provence are both surprising and ephemeral attractions. Provence is associated primarily with lavender fields, not the tulips that the Netherlands is famous for. Most interestingly, it is in the south of France that tulips are grown, the bulbs of which are later used by the Dutch to create the beautiful flowers that are sold all over the world!
Tulips fields in Provence
The fields shimmering red, purple, yellow, white, and pink really make a great impression. When planning a visit to Provence in early spring, it is definitely worth visiting the area described below.
When do tulips bloom in Provence?
Provence is famous for its lavender fields, and this is quite indisputable. Lavender blooms in the region from mid-June to mid-July, and the higher the field is above sea level, the later it blooms. So you can also admire lavender at the end of July, and sometimes even into the beginning of August.
It’s completely different with tulips. First of all, they bloom at the turn of March and April, and we only have 2 or 3 weeks to admire them. Secondly, and most importantly, the tulip fields are much smaller. They can only be admired in the area bordered by the towns of Lurs, La Brillanne, and Forcalquier, in the department of Alpes Haute Provence.
Tulips fields in Provence
There are not many fields, but it is enough to drive a car or ride a bicycle through the aforementioned area, and you will surely come across them. When planning photo sessions, however, you must remember that these are private areas! Some tulip fields are even fenced and the no-entry signs are clearly visible. Others can be admired up close, but you must not walk between the tulip beds. And do I need to mention the ban on picking or trampling flowers?
Where do tulips grow in Provence?
Talking to the owner of one of the tulip fields, I learned that the cultivation is, unfortunately, quite harmful to the soil, because it requires the use of chemicals. For this reason, the fields in which the tulips are planted are rotated each year (i.e. tulips that grow in a given field in a given year, may not grow there the next year).
Tulips fields in Provence
For this reason, the locations indicated below may not be exact. So if you don’t find tulips at these spots, you only have to look around the immediate area, and you will soon spot the colored fields.
Here are 3 tulip fields in Provence that are close together and worth visiting (links point to places on Google maps): field 1 / field 2 / field 3
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