Excellence Luxury Villas · Bouches-du-Rhône
Luxury Villa Rentals in The Bouches-du-Rhône
Stone mas and old bastides among the olive groves of the Alpilles, with Arles, the Camargue and Aix close at hand
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Where the Rhône meets the sea, and Provence keeps its best names
Few corners of France pack in as much as the Bouches-du-Rhône. Within an hour or so of one another lie Arles and its Roman arena, Aix and Cézanne's Montagne Sainte-Victoire, the flamingo lagoons of the Camargue, the white cliffs of the Calanques and Marseille, the oldest city in the country. Running through the middle is the Alpilles, a short limestone ridge of olive groves and vines that has become the most sought-after address in Provence.
Our collection here runs to 110+ villas, and most of them sit in and around the Alpilles: old stone mas among the olives, bastides with plane trees and gravel courtyards, village houses in Saint-Rémy and contemporary villas, many with private pools. A handful lie further afield, towards the Camargue and the countryside north of Aix.
What follows is how the département divides, where we would stay and when to come.
The Bouches-du-Rhône at a glance
- Villas
- 110+ across the Bouches-du-Rhône, with up to 16 bedrooms
- Guide prices
- Typically £3,600 to £8,100 a week, from around £2,700
- Best areas
- Saint-Rémy, Paradou, Eygalières and Fontvieille in the Alpilles; Arles and the Camargue; the Pays d'Aix
- Best time
- May, June and September; July and August for long, hot summer days by the pool
- Getting there
- Marseille Provence airport, around an hour from the Alpilles, or the TGV to Avignon
Browse all 110+ villas in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Villa numbers and guide prices are updated daily from our live collection.
Villa Amygdalus France11 bedrooms
Le Mas Des Alpilles France8 bedrooms
Domaine Des Pins Parasols France11 bedrooms
Le Mas De Mor France8 bedroomsWhere to stay in the Bouches-du-Rhône
The Alpilles around Saint-Rémy, Paradou, Eygalières and Fontvieille for olive groves and village life, Arles and the Camargue for Roman history and open wetland, and the Pays d'Aix around Rognes for easy reach of Aix and Marseille.
Olive groves, white rock and a Wednesday market
The Alpilles are a small, jagged range of limestone hills between Avignon and Arles, protected as a regional natural park and covered in olives, vines and wild thyme. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is the unofficial capital, with its Wednesday morning market, the Roman ruins of Glanum and the former asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, where Van Gogh stayed from May 1889 and painted around 150 canvases in a year.
Paradou, where much of our collection lies, sits just below Les Baux-de-Provence, whose ruined castle crowns a rocky spur and whose old quarry now houses the Carrières des Lumières. Eygalières, on the eastern side of the hills, is quieter still: a hill village of pale stone with a small Romanesque chapel, Saint-Sixte, standing alone among the fields below.
Browse villas in Paradou
Roman stones, a famous windmill and wild horses
Arles is the great city of the west. Its Roman arena is still in use, its Roman and Romanesque monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Van Gogh spent around fifteen months here before moving to Saint-Rémy. Each summer, from early July, the Rencontres d'Arles photography festival fills its chapels and old railway workshops.
Fontvieille, between Arles and the Alpilles, is home to the windmill made famous by Alphonse Daudet's Lettres de mon moulin, with the ruins of the Roman Barbegal mills nearby. South of Arles, the Camargue opens out into the Rhône delta: rice fields, salt marshes, pink flamingos, white horses and the black bulls herded by the gardians, ending at the sea at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Browse villas in Fontvieille
Fountains, a working port and the Calanques
Aix-en-Provence is the elegant one, with its plane-shaded Cours Mirabeau, its fountains, Cézanne's studio and an opera festival each July. Villas around Rognes, in the farmland to the north, put the city within easy reach while keeping the countryside at the door.
Marseille is louder and more fun than its reputation suggests, with the Vieux-Port, the MuCEM and the bouillabaisse that it claims as its own. Beyond it, the Calanques National Park runs along the coast towards Cassis, a series of white limestone inlets best seen by boat or on foot.
Explore Aix-en-Provence
Olive oil, red rice and a long, dry summer
The Vallée des Baux makes some of the best olive oil in France, and Mouriès is at the heart of it, with mills that sell straight to the door. The Alpilles also produce Les Baux-de-Provence wines, many of them organic, while the Camargue gives its rice and a slow-cooked bull stew, gardiane de taureau. Add aïoli, tapenade and Marseille's fish soup and lunch tends to take care of itself.
May, June and September are the sweetest months, warm without the July and August heat. Spring can bring the mistral, a cold, clear wind from the north, and the olive harvest comes in late autumn. Our concierge can arrange private chefs, wine tastings, market visits, boat trips in the Calanques and transfers.
Ask our conciergeFeatured villas in the Bouches-du-Rhône
Villa Romarin France5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £15,244 a week
Maison Des Citrons France9 bedrooms · sleeps 18From £14,647 a week
L’Esprit Provencal France4 bedrooms · sleeps 8From £14,161 a week
Maison Des Fees France6 bedrooms · sleeps 12From £13,304 a week
Maison Rose France7 bedrooms · sleeps 14From £13,182 a week
Villa D’Alpille France – Luxury Holiday Rental | 8-Bedroom Villa with Private Pool – Aix-en-Provence8 bedrooms · sleeps 15From £12,692 a week
La Bastide Oliver France10 bedrooms · sleeps 20From £12,668 a week
Mas Du Thym France6 bedrooms · sleeps 12From £11,718 a weekWhy book your Bouches-du-Rhône villa with Excellence Luxury Villas
The right house, not the nearest one
The Bouches-du-Rhône's villas range from mas deep in the olive groves to village houses a stroll from Saint-Rémy's market, and we know which are quiet, which are walkable and which catch the evening light on the Alpilles. With 110+ properties in the Bouches-du-Rhône, we can usually find the house that suits you rather than the one that happens to be free. Search by size, pool, location and price, or tell us what you have in mind and we will put together a shortlist.
Book direct
You book with us directly, with no booking fees. Questions about access, parking, pool heating or how far it really is to the nearest beach go to people who can find out the answer.
A concierge who knows the territory
Private chefs, wine and olive oil tastings, market visits, restaurant reservations in Saint-Rémy and Les Baux, boat trips in the Calanques, Camargue riding and transfers from Marseille or Avignon. Our concierge team arranges all of it, leaving you free to decide which terrace to sit on.
A house for every kind of party
Couples, families with small children, three generations together or a crowd of friends celebrating a birthday: we match the house to the group, down to the number of bathrooms and whether the pool is fenced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to stay in the Bouches-du-Rhône?
Most visitors choose the Alpilles, around Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Paradou, Eygalières and Fontvieille, for the villages, markets and countryside, with Arles and the Camargue a short drive away. The Pays d'Aix, around Rognes, suits those who want Aix and Marseille within easy reach.
When is the best time to visit the Bouches-du-Rhône?
May, June and September offer warm weather, quieter roads and long lunches outdoors. July and August are hot and lively, with the Rencontres d'Arles and the Aix opera festival, and are the months to be beside a pool.
Can I see lavender fields from the Alpilles?
The great lavender fields lie further north and east, on the Valensole plateau and around the Luberon and Sault, and they flower from late June to mid-July. From the Alpilles they make a long but rewarding day out.
Can you arrange a private chef at a villa in the Bouches-du-Rhône?
Yes. Our concierge can arrange a private chef for a single dinner or your whole stay, along with cookery lessons, guided visits, transfers and restaurant reservations.
How much does a luxury villa in the Bouches-du-Rhône cost?
Across our 110+ villas in the Bouches-du-Rhône, weekly rates typically range from £3,600 to £8,100, with the most affordable from around £2,700 a week and the largest estates well above. Prices depend on the size of the property, its location and the season, with July and August the most expensive. These are guide prices based on current listings; each property page shows its own rates for your dates.
How do I get to the Alpilles and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence?
Marseille Provence airport is around an hour by road from the Alpilles and closer to Aix. By train, the TGV runs from Paris to Avignon TGV station in around two hours forty minutes, and Saint-Rémy is roughly half an hour's drive from there. Our concierge can arrange transfers.
Are there villas in the Bouches-du-Rhône for large groups?
Yes. Our Bouches-du-Rhône collection includes properties with up to 16 bedrooms. Tell us the size of your party and the occasion, and we will send a shortlist that suits it.
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Find your villa in the Bouches-du-Rhône
110+ villas, mas and bastides across the Bouches-du-Rhône, booked direct with our concierge on hand