Stroll through Tourrettes sur Loup, a magical medieval village in the south of France that is straight out of a fairy tale.
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Tourrettes sur Loup
Guest Post by Erin Harris
The beautiful town of Tourrettes sur Loup rests on a rocky hilltop 14 kilometers from the sea in the south of France.
My guidebooks barely mentioned it, but a friend said not to miss it, and I am glad I took her advice. While Nice was naturally nice and Avignon was stunning, Tourrettes sur Loup was the haven I had come to the South of France to see: a fortified medieval village free of cars and inhabited mostly by flowers.
From the Place de la Libération, I stepped through the portal and entered a dream.
Violets cover the cobblestones in this vaulted passageway because Tourrettes-sur-Loup is the City of Violets, known for its cultivation of the delicate flower.
The village holds a Fête des Violettes (Violet Festival) every March, and its community of artisans craft pottery, jewelry, textiles, and confections.
True to France and true to the coast, it also has one of the highest populations of cats I have ever seen anywhere.
As you stroll through the narrow lanes you feel like you are walking through a fairy tale.
Snow White, I believe you lived here with seven small fellows before you met your prince?
Indeed, anyone over five feet tall would have to bend in half to step through the enchanting doorways.
Lunchtime was drawing to a close when I arrived, so I took a seat in the last open café as soon as I could convince myself that the village would still exist after I ate.
My salad was just arugula with artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and basil with paper-thin slices of Parmesan and prosciutto (or its French equivalent), and it was the best food of my two-week trip, which was by no means short on magnificent things to eat.
The waitress was kind in spite of being in the midst of a fight with her father the chef, who was also genuinely kind. They were both warm to me, and yet doors were slamming, curses were flying, and it reminded me of how close I was to the fire-tempered Italian side of my own father’s family.
Not to minimize the waitress’s perspective, but I pictured her in the top window of the house across from the café, as if in a fairy tale, of course, because of the atmosphere. The beautiful imprisoned princess, fated to wait tables in her father’s restaurant, dreams of the city and lets down her hair for the king’s son to finally free her from enchantment.
True to form, two cats showed up in search of cheese.
After lunch, I continued my stroll, taking in every flower, every lamppost, every doorway.
And figured that when you’re in the Violet City, you need a violet ice cream cone.
Where the ramparts overlook the hills, the wind sounded exactly like it does in a Spaghetti Western.
At the end of my journey, I thought I wouldn’t mind stepping up these crumbling stairs to go home for a hundred years’ rest.
Because even the sewers are beautiful in their own way.
But I was staying in nearby Vence, another stunning old town filled with winding cobblestone lanes, so I was in my element there too.
Next time I’ll stay in Tourrettes sur Loup.
And I’m not sure I’ll want to leave.
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We enjoy dialogue with our readers, especially when they share off-the-beaten-path destinations and useful travel tips. Have you ever visited any villages in the south of France? If so, we would love to hear about your experience. We invite you to leave your comments and questions below, and we always respond!
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Fête des Violettes (Violet Festival)
Hi there, I am from Central Florida too. Not born and raised, but I live in Orlando. I have never heard of Tourrettes sur Loup before now. The place looks like something from a fairy tale. One thing I love about these old towns is how the doors are always tiny and never symmetrical 🙂 Nikki
Hi Nikki, thanks for reading! Yes those magical doorways were like made for elves. If highly recommend TSL when you’re in France! ✨😊
I think I may have been there or another village quite like it while I was living in Pertuis in Provence a number of years ago. It’s such a great part of the world to be in and the food is wonderful as well. I used to get around on the local buses and trains. A great time in my life.
Pertuis looks gorgeous too! Provence is such a magnificent region. I’m glad you lived there, travelled there, and loved it. Here’s to more great times 🙂
Tourrettes Sur Loup really does look like a fairy-tale land. I love the architecture and how cozy and inviting the building and home look. Cobblestones are also high on my list of aesthetics! Going to have to put this on my list of places to visit!
Cozy is definitely the word! Glad this is going on your list—you will love it. 🙂
I haven’t heard of it before, but it looks like amazing town to visit, relax and stay with locals. I generally love the south of France. There are many beautiful places there. When we were in Nice, a friend of mine recommended to visit Eze village which was incredible nice. sometimes we should follow our friends’ recommendations 🙂
Eze looks magnificent! I really wanted to visit other towns like it that are closer to Nice, but I didn’t have enough time. Eze is definitely on my list for my next trip–thank you for the recommendation!
This seriously looks like I just opened a fairy tale book. Your photos pull me into a magical setting. I love how you showcased a violet ice cream cone in the middle of all the magic. What a fun tour.
Thanks, Sara! It was incredible how much the ice cream cone TASTED like sweet violets. I didn’t know quite what to expect, but loved it.
I’m crazy about all the fabulous towns around the South of France, but I’ve never even heard of Tourrette Sur Loup – I’d love to visit. A town of violets! How do you get there from Nice?
Hi Carol, there are no buses that go to Tourrettes Sur Loup, so I rented a car in Nice. It’s about a 40-minute gorgeous drive through the hills.
Whhhhhaaaa?! This totally DOES look like a fairytale! (My favorite part is the cats searching for cheese — hehe!) What’s so interesting to me about this is that tourists often focus on just Paris, or maybe one or two other towns in France, but miss these STUNNING other towns. I must get to this one soon! Dreamy.
Hi Lillie, I’m with you. I love Paris, but there are a million more wonderful places to visit in France. And the cats in this town! I didn’t want to pack the post with excessive pics, but I met 3 other cats, and saw at least a dozen more.
I loved this post- definitely something that would be a once in a lifetime opportunity- from the culture to the architecture. I would like to add this to an upcoming trip!
Thank you! Definitely put it on your list–you will love it! 🙂
France really has a lot of places to visit and this is another great example of a beautiful small town. I’ve actually been quite close to it but never visited. This gives more reasons to go back!
Yes! There are so many magnificent places to see. Don’t miss TSL on your next trip!
How pretty! We are currently on our last day in France and I’m so sad we didn’t see this post earlier. Luckily we were able to explore Seillans, which was totally empty and medieval and populated entirely by cats, which was delightful. Next time we come back I know where we’re going!
Seillans looks GLORIOUS! I just looked it up, and the pictures remind me of Loarre, a quiet and stunning castle village in Spain. There is nothing like a sleeping village of stone, flowers, and cats. Hope you had a fantastic time in France!
This is the France I love. Gorgeous, quaint villages with flower bedecked boxes hanging from tiny windows. It reminds me so much of Alsace where I lived for a while. If you liked it here, I would also recommend a place called Gordes which is near Avignon. I haven’t been for 25 years but remember it vividly as it is medieval and perched on a clifftop.
Thank you, Anne, I’ll put Gordes on my list! I meant to get there when I was in Avignon, but enjoyed Avignon so much that I took only two day trips during my time there. I’ve also always wanted to go to Alsace–what a beautiful region that must be! I’ll head over to your blog and look for stories about it. 🙂
It’s so charming! I’m in love with that architecture. One of those places you’d totally miss if you didn’t know someone!
I’m in love with it too! I’m so glad my friend recommended it. She has a friend who LIVES there (lucky friend). Our schedules didn’t line up on this trip, but I hope they will next time. I agree–it’s all about word of mouth!
Wow! Tourrettes Sur Loup is a lovely place, they have a unique and cute way of designing their own house. I like the black cat, crazy but I want that in my home.
Thanks, Miranda!
Thank you, Ms. Harris–a transportation, truly. Your piece brought the indelible atmosphere of Provence strongly to mind–the sense of enchantment in the midst of the meddlesome quick. I thought of a Dylan lyric from a song called “Up to Me.” “It frightens me, the awful truth, of how sweet life can be.”
Formidable!
Hi Terry, Thank you so much! I’m glad this brings your own trips to Provence to mind. I’ll look up that Dylan song–that line certainly embodies exactly what this village inspires. I also think of the Aerosmith album Permanent Vacation!! 🙂
What an amazing adventure! That sounds like a fabulous little village to visit. It will surely go on our “must visit” list! Thanks for the gorgeous tour!
Thanks, Becki! It’s a truly magical place. You will love it!