Pays de Fayence is the hinterland of the French riviera. This is where savy holidaymakers go to escape the crowds on the Cote d’Azure and enjoy the nature and laid back atmosphere of the Provence and its delicious food. You can still reach the Mediteranean Sea in about 45 minutes by car if you want to lay on the beach and swim in the sea. But it feels a world away, quiet and authentic compared with the souless seaside resorts.

The best way to enjoy the region is to rent a house (or ‘gite’ in French), preferably with a heated pool where you can refresh at the end of the day. We used this website in German (there is EN availalbe too) to look for a place and loved the house we found outside the village of Mountauroux with an infinity pool. To get there, we drove from Brussels which is a straight 10-11h drive but we made a overnight stop around Macon. From other parts of Europe or the world, the fastest way would be to fly into Nice Airport and rent a car from there.

There is plenty to do with the family in this part of Provence. It boasts some postcard pretty villages to explore, plenty of local and farmer’s markets to buy picnic and snacks and opportunities for nature-based activites. There is no secret that we like visiting farmer’s markets and the Provence ones are full lavander based products, olive oil, cheese and cured meats. If you think we are travelling around the world looking for farmer’s markets and stuffing ourselves with local food, well, that happens to be quite true. Except we also look for craft beer! But enough about the mouthwatering food, fresh croissants, tasty olives, full-body wines ….ok, we have to drive back to France now!

Here are our favourites spots in the region, outside the farmer’s markets 🙂

1. Hilltop villages of Fayence – Seillans

There are several perched hill-top villages located in the Var department, each with its own charm. We were based in Montauroux that is a sleepy and very compact place with a few atmospheric cobbled streets. But we visited a few other villages in Fayence as well and Seillans definetely stands out. Narrow cobbeled streets, sometimes climbing then all of a sudden, you reach a balcony or the terrace with a great view of the valley. Small squares with quaint restaurants, crumbling fortress walls are all cohabitating peacefully. It definetly deserves its title as one of the prettiest villages in France. Although not aimed at children, our son was enthusiastic to discover where the small winding streets were leading and starting imaginary fights with the dragon sculptures.

2. Gorges of Verdon

The Verdon Gorges are about 90 minutes by car from Fayence, just as you cross from the Var region in the neighbouring department of Alpes de Haute Provence. The drive throgh the 25 km canyon rim is impressive, with the road turning under tunnel like stone formations and revealing white limestone cliffs walls at every turn. At the bottom of the Gorge, the blue waters of the Verdon river create a beatiful contrast with the othewise barren rock. Eagles are often passing above to give it the complete canyon atmosphere. It is the closest thing Europe has to a Grand Canyon.

There are viewpoints at specific locations on the side of the road but in high season parking may be a challange as each view point only has about 10 or so parking paces available. We were there in the first week of September, just as school started in France so it was still acceptable as regards access. Our favourite viewpoint was from the Falaise de l’Escalès.

There were a few groups doing the canyon rim circuit by electric bike and it looked as the best way to enjoy the scenery and being able to stop as often as an Instagram worthy shot presented itself. If you have older children, another option is to go by kayak on the river below or even try both biking and kayak for a complete experince of the canyon. Rafting and rock climbing are also on offer. With a baby and a toddler in tow, our experience of the canyon was on the less-adrenaline side, unless you count diaper changes on the front seat of the car as extreme sports.

3. Mougins

Another Instagram paradise. Not as narrow and steep as some of the hilltop villages but full of charme and a sort of ‘artsy’ atmosphere. It was the last village that Pablo Picasso called home as he spent here the last 12 years of his life. His former atelier now houses the Tourism Office so make sure you stop for a visit. Many other artists followed in his footsteps and the you will find several plaques and statues commemorating the former famous inhabitants of this village, inlcuding Edith Piaf and Catherine Deneuve.

The proximity to Cannes makes it also popular with the contemporary well-off French in Summer. There are a number of Michelin-star restaurants lining the cobbeled streets but when we visited they were all closed following Covid-19 restrictions. Still, walking the narrow streets, admiring the art shops and eating an ice cream while ovelooking the sweeping views from the terrace in front of the Tourism Office were lovely moments that will make Mougins stick in your mind. Granted, there is nothing particularly child friendly about this place. When we visited there was a temporary open-air exhibition with animal shaped sculptures all over the city and we engaged our son in a game of treasure hunt, trying to uncover all the animal sculptures from the map. Sometimes you have to improvise …..

4. Lake St Cassien

This is the most visited site in the Pays de Fayence and driving around it for pretty much eavry day of our holiday, we could see why. The 420-hectare lake offers lots of activites, both in and outside of the water. There are water games, pedal boats (some having slides), inflatable games, fishing, rowing, hiking and several restaurants. You can bathe in the lake in Summer. On the day we visited the wether was not too warm so we decided to admire the lake from the shores.

There are several walks around the lake, varying in distance and difficulty. You will keep an eye on the path as it is not always well market and some stretches may be covered with water if there was a lot of rain in recent weeks. But the effort is worth it as the views of this strangely shaped lake are great. We had a small map of the walks from the Tourism office in Fayence.

5. St Rafael and the beach

The charm of Saint-Raphaël is partly owed to its privileged location at the foot of the Massif de l’Estérel and its magnificent views over the Bay of Fréjus. This was also the closest place from Fayence to offer some lovely natural beaches and a chance to dip our toes in the Mediteranean. We took the recommendation of the locals and headed to the Plage du Debarquement – a Blue Flag beach with water sports and bathing possbilities. This site has also hystorical significance: it was one of the main landing sites of Provence in WWII. On August 15, 1944, on the pebble beach, 20,000 GI’s of the 36th Texas Division of the US Army landed in Europe.

The best thing for families is that it provides lots of parking within a very short distance from the beach and lots of shade under martitime pine trees. The kids could play in the sand without being in the Sun while the grownups admired the enchanting site of the Ile d’Or and the red rocks. The less great aspect is that this is a pebble beach. We had water shoes and that helpped a lot to get in and out of the water. Otherwise the small pebbles can really hurt your feet. If you are considering the Plage du Debarquement, water shoes are strongly recommended.

6. The Bison safari at the Mont d’Azure Bio Reserve

We had booked this activity in advance and were very happy we did as it ticked a number of boxes that are usually a hit with kids, ours at least. First it was the safari – you would visit the animal reserve not in a jeep bit in a horse drawn carriage. There is also a walking safari option for more active families. Second, there were animals running free in the reservation. We saw bisons, wild horses and deer jumping freely. Lastly, there are enthusiastic and children-friendly guides that would accompany the families and share the history of bizons in Europe and the work or the reserve to reintroduce these species that were once extinct. There is of course a playground for children to burn their energy after the safari. The food options were limited when we visited (SUmmer 2020) but there was a small shop offering ice and drinks. All added up to a lovely afternoon activity that we would recommend to other families visiting the area. The drive up to the reservation from Grasse was also quite impressive.

7. The Perfume museum of Grasse and perfume making workshop

The International Perfume Museum is the only museum of its kind in the world and is located in the town of Grasse, the birthplace of French luxury perfumes. Through its collections of objects and the staging of different industrial processes, the museum retraces the history of perfumes as well as soaps, make-up and cosmetics back for four thousand years. There are visits and workshops for both adults and children.

The perfume making workshop was an activity that friends of ours tried together with their two daughters aged 4 and 6 and declared it a success. I did suggest it to our son (hoping he will say yes so that I can join in too ) but he did not seem too keen and our daughter was still too young to understand the point of the activity. But for children as of 4 years old, this might be a great way to exercise their smell and learn more about how perfumes are prepared.

The Bonus – Sisteron

Technically not part of the Pays de Fayence (so not part of the Top 7), as the city of Sisteron is located already in the neighbouring Department of Alpes de Haute Provence, we stopped hier on the way up to Belgium for one night and found it to be a true hidden gem. Or maybe not so hidden considering that the Tour the France had just passed though the day before us.

We explored its fortress and walked on the river prommenade for half a day and found it very calm and cosy. It has a walkable city center, an old city that was very nice preserved and a pictoresque river flanked by steep stone massifs. Finally, and most importantly, it has a lovely playground by the river and some delicious bakeries to see you off with delicious flakey croissants and …Hmm, better stop the article here before I go back to talking about food again.

Have you visited any of the villages in the French Provence? Which one was your favourite?

We would love to have your comments on what to visit next.

Happy and safe travels!