Trying to figure out where to stay in Provence? We think L’Isle Sur La Sorgue is the perfect place to stay in Provence! When planning our week in Provence, we spent a lot of time researching the perfect home base. We were renting a car, so transportation wasn’t a big concern, but we also didn’t want to spend all of our time driving. Our list of requirements were somewhere that wouldn’t be too far from any of the Provencal cities we wanted to visit, would be an amazing town to explore on its own, have a great market and great food, and be located in the Luberon or close to it since we knew that was where we wanted to spend the majority of our time. We ended up deciding on Isle Sur La Sorgue for the best place to stay in Provence and we were so happy with it!

If you like towns that are on the quieter side while not being remote, Isle Sur La Sorgue is perfect place to stay in Provence. It’s a smaller town with not a lot to do and only gets crowded on market days, but it still has a fantastic food scene and enough to keep you entertained on days you don’t want to travel to another town. We are planning on returning to Provence next year and will stay in Isle Sur La Sorgue as our Provence home base again. While we highly recommend having a car in Provence, Isle Sur La Sorgue has a great train and bus station, which will make getting around really easy. Whether or not you will have a car while visiting the South of France, Isle Sur La Sorgue is the perfect place to stay in Provence!

Where To Stay in Provence:

L’Isle Sur La Sorgue Travel Guide

Things to Do in Isle Sur La Sorgue, the perfect Provence home base

1. Visit the antique market of Isle Sur La Sorgue

The antique market is the number 1 attraction in Isle Sur La Sorgue! There are dozens of antique stores all over Isle Sur La Sorgue all week long, but Sundays are the official antique market days. On Sundays, the entire town turns into one giant antique market. It becomes very difficult to drive through the town as almost all the streets are closed off to cars and antique vendors set up booths all along the streets and sidewalks. In addition to the antique market, there is also a food market on Sundays. It’s almost an overwhelming experience, but also such an amazing sight to experience. Start early in the morning and give yourself ample time to explore the many winding streets of the market. Each street will take you to another street, also full of antiques and food sellers. Some of the markets also lead into pretty little cafes.

It’s very easy to spend several hours getting lost in all the different stalls of the markets. You will find a stall for almost anything you can think of from beautiful French china to thimbles and thread. I fell in love with beautiful china that was handmade by a local artist who pressed pieces of fine lace in delicate plates, tea cups, and platters. They were a bit more than our budget would allow so I left them behind, but I often think about how beautiful the pieces were. If you do want to buy yourself something special while in France, consider buying it in Isle Sur La Sorgue as you are sure to find something that catches your eye.

If you are taking our advice on where to stay in Provence and using Isle Sur La Sorgue as your home base in Provence, we highly recommend staying in town on Sunday. You will definitely want to experience the magic of the antique market.

Tips on shopping the Isle Sur La Sorgue antique market:

• Always greet the seller! Even if you are just browsing and don’t have any intention to buy. It is considered extremely rude to walk into a store or a stall without greeting the seller. It’s basically like walking into someone’s home without saying hello
• Do not just start talking to the seller in English or any language other than French. If you do not speak French, at least learn how to say, “do you speak English” {parlez vous anglais} and say that in French before proceeding in English
• Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate! It is expected and you will definitely be over paying if you do not negotiate
• Be careful not to offend the seller when negotiating. Vendors in Isle Sur La Sorgue {as with most French towns} aren’t just doing this for the money, they are really passionate about what they do. The vendors in Isle Sur La Sorgue are also very well versed in antiques. Make sure you are showing respect for the seller and the item you are negotiating over. You need to maintain a fine line between acting like you are neutral enough to walk away if you don’t get the price you want, while also being respectful of the item
• Keep in mind Isle Sur La Sorgue attracts antique hunters from all over the South of France and all over the world! The antiques can often be priced a little bit higher here than in other towns. If there’s something you are looking to buy, we recommend searching for it in other villages in Provence first. If you don’t find what you are looking for and then fall in love with a piece you found at the Isle Sur La Sorgue antique market, you will know it’s unique and maybe worth the purchase
• Bring an extra bag with you to take your purchases home! We love this small fold-able duffel bag that you can pack easily in your suitcase and then check it in or carry it on the plane once you’ve filled it with purchases
• If you are buying more than you can carry home or it will be too difficult to carry it home, you can also have your purchases shipped to your house. While this can be costly, each vendor will be able to give you a quote on how much it will cost to ship the items home. Keep in mind that you are paying for the cost of a crate, so you may want to choose this option if you are buying enough pieces to make it worthwhile. If cost is a concern to you, I would advise to limit how many vendors you are having ship your items and see if you consolidate with 1-2 vendors instead. You might also want to see if the vendors might be willing to ship together

2. Wander the town

This isn’t exactly a “thing to do”, but I feel it’s deserving to be on the list of things to do for any Provencal town. This is really how you get to know any of the towns in Provence. Throw away your itinerary or your guide {yes even this one} and spend ample time just wandering. Each cobblestone street will take you to a new street, where you will find hidden surprises and treasures. There’s really nothing I love more than just spending hours without an agenda, wandering the charming streets of any town in Provence and stumbling upon whatever there is to stumble upon.

Go into any shop that catches your eye. Greet the storekeeper. Chat with them. Let them help you discover their town. Most of them are very passionate about whatever it is they sell and they want you to have a fantastic experience in their shop.

One of our favorite shops that we went into in Isle Sur La Sorgue was a cheese shop. Although it was almost closing time, the storekeeper took her time with us, determined to help us find our perfect cheese. She asked us all kinds of questions about the types of flavors and textures we typically like. She finally narrowed down that a comte {an unpasteurized hard cow cheese} would most likely be our cheese match. We wanted to rush and buy the first comte we saw as we didn’t want to hold her up. She was closing and a line had formed behind us. She was in no rush at all. She told us she wouldn’t let us choose a cheese to buy until we tasted all the comtes she had available, in the order of their age. We tried a comte aged 8 months, 12 months, 24 months, and 32 months. With each sample we tried, she chatted to us about the different notes that have appeared in the cheese as they were aged for that duration of time. It was the best cheese tasting experience we’ve ever had and the there truly is no cheese like a comte aged for 32 months. Although it was more expensive than the others, we splurged on a small piece of take home to eat in the apartment we were renting in Isle Sur La Sorgue.

While this is a very simple story, we learned a very big lesson. In France, especially in Provence, you do not rush. It didn’t matter that a line had formed or that it was closing time. For this cheese shopkeeper, the most important thing was the present moment, that we enjoyed our cheese experience, and that we chose the perfect one. This attitude of giving importance to an experience and the current moment is one that really resonated with us and that we have tried to keep in our minds even after we came back to our hectic daily lives in the states.

3. Take a trip to Fontaine De Vaucluse

This medieval village just 10 minutes outside of Isle Sur La Sorgue is well worth a visit for a couple of hours. It’s an adorable little village with emerald green water running through it. The village was quiet when we visited in the fall, but in the spring and summer it’s much more lively with tons of ice cream vendors and people taking kayaks out on the water. There’s also a small hike you can go on, which we didn’t have time to do. The hike takes you to see the ruins of the castle, Bishop of Cavaillon and offers a great vantage point of the town. The village also has a historical museum you can visit to learn more about the area and see tiny little replicas of the village in the old days. Around the holidays, the whole town dresses up as characters from the nativity scene and puts on a whole town performance. We saw photos of this at the historical museum and it was quite a sight!

Where to eat in Isle Sur La Sorgue

Le Vivier –

This is a Michelin recommended restaurant and one of our favorite places we dined in all of France. All of the food was presented so beautifully, tasted absolutely amazing, the service was impeccable, and we had the best wine of our whole trip. The dinner is about $60/person and SO worth it. We couldn’t believe that Le Vivier is just Michelin recommended and not Michelin starred.

We found it while walking around one night looking for a place to eat. It’s located in a random strip mall and looks like nothing exciting from the outside. We had no idea we were going into a nice place and walked right in, without a reservation and not in the nicest clothes. Although the host was taken aback by our lack of reservations and appearance, he accommodated us with a table quickly and the staff treated us like royalty.

Bella Vita –

Okay, seriously life changing pasta. The freshest, most delicious pasta we’ve ever had {even more than the Lake Como leg of the trip}. The pasta and the gelato are both made in house by the cutest Italian grandmother. The only thing we recommend skipping is the gnocchi because it’s not made by in house. The prices are very reasonable here. You can plan to have a 3 course meal + wine even if you’re on a budget.

We actually came and ate here multiple nights, that’s how much we loved it. On our last night we way over ordered and couldn’t finish our last dish. The cute Italian grandmother became very offended and started yelling in the back kitchen. The staff came by multiple times to make sure we weren’t upset by the food and we tried our best to reassure them that we loved it, we were just full, but the grandma still didn’t seem too happy. We’ll have to come back and make it up to her next time we are in Provence!

Jouvaud –

The cutest spot, most instagrammable spot! We stopped here every morning to pick up a quick breakfast before heading off on our adventure for the day. They have lots of healthy options as well as not-so-healthy options. There’s sure to be something for everyone here. We also came by here a few times to just relax in the outdoor tea garden. Jouvaud has a fantastic coffee and tea bar, lots of delicious pastries, a chocolate counter, and a small gift shop. Definitely a must while in Isle Sur La Sorgue!

Le Jardin du Quai –

Plan to make reservations and eat here the day of the antique market. You’ll find it hidden in the back of one of the antique stores, with tables dotting all along the water. It’s the perfect place to stop for lunch after you’ve worked up a bit of an appetite wandering all the antique stores. There is one fixed menu for the day and it’s full of seasonal, fresh Provencal dishes that are sure to please you. Think market vegetables, fish, and fruit tarts. Have a glass of rose with lunch and plan to linger here for awhile. This is what life in Provence is all about. The long, leisurely lunches where you enjoy the fresh ingredients that have been sourced from just a few miles away with a glass of rose. Feeling the sun warm your skin. People watching all the shoppers in the market. Long conversations with your travel partner. Life in Provence is all about the simple pleasures of life. Make sure you take the time to enjoy them, instead of rushing to finish what’s next on your travel itinerary.

Where to stay in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Provence

When deciding where to stay in Provence it is important to choose the perfect town but also the perfect accommodation. In Isle Sur La Sorgue, as with most towns in Provence, you have the option of a hotel, a room in a local’s home, or renting an apartment. We chose to rent an apartment for our trip so that we could pretend we lived in Provence and really immerse ourselves in the experience. We loved waking up each morning and walking to get a fresh baguette and cheese. We picked up groceries from the market and made ourselves fancy breakfasts and lunches on days we were planning to stay around Isle Sur La Sorgue instead of exploring. We even spent a day just catching up on work, but because it was in our Provence apartment, it felt special and not like work. These were some of our absolute favorite Provence memories.

Search Isle Sur La Sorgue Accommodations Here

If you choose to rent an apartment when deciding where to stay in Provence, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Most likely there will be someone at the apartment who will give you the keys and introduce you to your home for the week. Here are some questions to ask them:
  • Their favorite places to eat in the area {you’ll get an insiders scoop}
  • Who to contact in case of emergency
  • How to work any electronics in the apartment
  • Where the nearest hospital and police station is
  • Where to park {if you have a car}
  • The hours they are available for you to contact them
  • If there are extra linens
  • Anything to be aware of in terms of the neighborhood, the building, or the neighbors
  • Public transportation {if needed}
  • If there are any events during your stay that you’ll need to be aware of
• For most apartment rentals, you will need to stock the apartment with most essentials. They may give you a few things to get you started like a couple rolls of toilet paper or leftover olive oil and spices from the previous renter, but you will most likely need to restock for it to last the duration of your stay. We recommend making a trip to the local grocery store right after checking in so that you can get it out of the way and have everything you need for a pleasurable experience. We find checking out grocery stores when we travel to be a lot of fun, so we didn’t really consider this to be a chore.
  • Essentials to buy or bring for your Provence apartment rental:
    • Toilet paper
    • Paper towels and/or kitchen towels
    • Trash bags
    • Cleaning supplies such as dish soap and laundry detergent
    • Olive oil/butter and spices {if you are planning on cooking}
    • Flowers. Okay, maybe this isn’t an essential but I felt so French and so fancy buying a small bouquet of flowers to keep on our dining room table
    • Anything to make it feel like home. I regretted not thinking about it in advance and bringing things like candles to make it feel more homey and make our stay a little more special
• Sourcing food essentials was one of our favorite activities when staying in Provence {if you can’t tell by now, we really love to eat!} While there are so many different places to purchase food, here are the best places to source each type of food you may want to buy for your apartment. You’ll notice each type of food has it’s own special place to purchase it from. So much of the Provencal experience is spending time picking out your perfect ingredients and that’s why eating is such a pleasure here:
  • Produce {vegetables and fruit} and cured meats: the weekly markets. We think an amazing way to plan your Provence itinerary is to visit each town on their major market day, but this can take a lot of planning and doesn’t always allow for a very flexible schedule. In Isle Sur La Sorgue the major market day is on Sunday with a small market on Thursday
  • Baked goods and breads: from a local bakery
  • Cheese: from a cheese shop or one of the weekly markets
  • Meat: a butcher
  • Wine, jams, and everything else: the local supermarket

We’d love to know where you to decide to stay in Provence. Do you think Isle Sur La Sorgue is a great home base a trip to Provence?

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