L'isle Sur la Sorgue France

Our next trip location brings us back to the Provence Region of France for round two of one of our favorite locations in the country. This trip took place over a long weekend in May of 2022.

We spent three nights in the city of Aix-en-Provence and four days exploring parts of the Riviera and several surrounding towns and cities.

The drive down was long as usual but was made worse when we hit a few major traffic jams along the highway. I wasn't happy about it but I also wasn't at all surprised.

The long weekends in May in France tend to be quite busy with people heading South, and it isn't uncommon for roads to get backed from so many vehicles heading in that direction.

I anticipated that scenario and tried to avoid it by leaving super early in the morning (or maybe super late at night depending on your perspective). It was to no avail in the end though, we hit traffic in the South shortly after the sun rose above the horizon.

Normally the drive would take us around eight hours but we tacked on at least an extra hour and a half due to vehicle congestion and GPS re-routes.

It was frustrating at the time but in the end, it didn't ruin our trip at all.

L'Isle Sur la Sorgue

---

L'Isle sur la Sorgue was our first stop for the day and for the trip in general. It wasn't our main destination but more of an add-on along our route. Its located a little North of Aix-en-Provence and we would have drove right by it anyway.

I tend to throw in stops along any driving trip if there is something worth seeing, and L'Isle sur la Sorgue was worth seeing in my opinion.

All of the photos in this post are from the location by the way.

We got there around noon and explored the town for maybe two hours give or take.

Just enough time to stretch our legs, eat some ice cream, pop into some shops and of course take some photos.

L'Isle sur la Sorgue stands for Island on the Sorgue, which is fitting given that the Sorgue River sort of wraps around the city, essentially making an Island of it.

The old town center was very picturesque with many large canals criss-crossing through its center.

It reminded me a little of the Netherlands at times.

If there were colorful fish swimming in the water then the place would look like it belongs in a fairytale.

I didn't see any though, unfortunately.

I really liked this spot in town where two canals converged into one. A small dam slowed the water a little and allowed it to gather into a man made pond.

Restaurants around the outer edge of the pond looked like they would be a nice calming spot to have lunch or maybe afternoon drinks on the terrace.

Actually, many of the canals were lined with restaurants and cafes with tables set up right near the waters edge.

The small city streams seemed like a prime location for any outdoor terrace.

Who doesn't love eating and drinking next to the water?

Small metal or stone bridges and a very old water wheel really added to the charm of the town as well.

L'Isle sur la Sorgue is internationally known for its many antique shops and dealers. They can be found scattered throughout the old quarter as well as newer portions of the city.

The old quarter was filled with other shops as well, selling clothing and local delicacies,

and pretty much the usual that you would expect from any quaint little French town.

My wife bought a dress there, which was a nice souvenir for her.

I saw this little Cafe between two buildings. It had a terrace right over top a small stream.

I thought that the umbrellas were a nice decorative touch that added a lot of color to the space.

I really like seeing these small canals located between buildings.

We took a stroll through a small park and wandered around a little more and then headed back to our car to continue on to our main destination, Aix-en-Provence.

Overall we really liked the town of L'Isle sur la Sorgue. It's a nice little city in the Provence region and I would recommend it to anyone who likes canals and restaurants on the water and quaint little antique shops.

Well thats it for now. If you are interested in seeing more of my trip to the Provence region of France than stay tuned, theres more to come. Until next time, thanks for stopping by.