Camping Saint Gabriel

If there's one thing Provence does particularly well (and, truth be told, there's a whole bunch of things…) it's parties. Nearby Tarascon (10 minutes' drive) happens to host quite a lot of them throughout the year, including folklore gigs, carnivals, equestrian shows and bullfighting bonanzas. (This last one is controversial, but it's worth noting that the local variety, known as 'course camarguaise', never ends with the bull being killed.) Check the tourist office to see what’s on during your stay. Camping Saint Gabriel is also on the edge of the Alpilles Regional Nature Park, a hilly massif where there's an awful lot to keep walkers, cyclists and horse riders busy. If the kids in your gang are liable to get tired out by cross-country treks, more family-friendly options include the well-preserved Roman relics on show at Glanum archeological site (20 minutes) or the Carrières de Lumière (10 minutes), a former quarry that's become the unlikely backdrop for one of southern France's most spectacular light shows. Keen on castles? Check out Tarascon (10 minutes), Beaucaire (15 minutes) and Châteaurenard (20 minutes), without forgetting Avignon and its absolutely enormous Palais des Papes (30 minutes).