In July and August, the slopes of northern Provence are dashed with patches of purple. Narrow roads wind through the Luberon Valley to the Sault Plateau, with opportunities to pull over and gaze over fragrant vistas of what’s known locally as “blue gold.” Many of these lavender fields have small on-site distilleries and shops. The Lavender Museum in Coustellet offers a fascinating dive into the history of lavender cultivation in France.

Lavender fields don’t get much more picturesque than this one, which surrounds a Cistercian stone abbey dating to 1148. The resident monks tend to the orderly rows of blooms and extract the lavender essential oil for use in soaps and candles, sold alongside lavender-flower honey and fresh produce in the small shop. Tours of the abbey’s interior can be arranged by appointment.

Situated just outside of Lourmarin, one of the Luberon’s most charming villages, the Ferme de Gerbaud offers 90-minute guided tours through its aromatic plots of rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, marjoram, savory, and lavandin, the variety of lavender that grows at lower altitudes. The farm’s shop is the perfect place to stock up on the region’s famous Herbs de Provence, and on certain summer evenings one can book a special fresh farm-fare dinner to be enjoyed al fresco.

The tiny town of Grasse boasts no less than four museums catering to fragrance aficionados: Villa Musée Fragonard, founded in 1926 and named for Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard; Parfumerie Molinard, dating to 1849; and Galimard, established in 1747 by a Louis XV court perfumer. For the biggest bang, visit the International Perfume Museum, which traces humanity’s passion for perfume back to antiquity, showcasing 4,000 flacons and a travel case cherished by Marie Antionette.

It’s easy to forget how rosy roses can be, until confronted with acres of blooming rosa centifolia. Nicknamed “Rose de Mai,” the blossoms are harvested daily during May and early June at first light, when their lyrical, luscious aroma is at its peak. At Le Domaine de Manon, 4th-generation grower Carole Biancalana cultivates roses—plus jasmine and tuberose, which flourish from August to October—exclusively for Dior, and leads low-key guided tours through the fields during the harvest season.

At the turn of the 20th century, heiress and art collector Béatrice Ephrussi, née de Rothschild, built an Italian Renaissance-inspired pink palace on a rocky promontory in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with views over the Mediterranean. The estate boasts nine themed gardens, including a French jardin that juts out over the sea in the shape of a ship’s deck. At the tip of the property, 100 varieties of roses bloom on a graceful slope over the harbor—all shades of pink, the Baroness’s favorite color.

Menton is a quiet village of tile-roofed buildings and steeply pitched lanes, nestled just inside the Italian border. Thanks to a balmy microclimate, it is a gardener’s paradise that has been drawing moneyed plant-lovers since the mid-1800s. Visit the Maria Serena Villa Garden, once the summer home of Paris Opera architect Charles Garnier, for its four acres of cascading gardens overlooking the sea.

Created from 1924 to 1939 by landscape architect Major Lawrence Johnson, Serre de la Madone was conceived as an “earthly paradise,” and it is—consisting of a series of garden rooms, each with its own character and beauty. Wander through the verdant green maze of placid pools and classical statuary, winding stone steps, pergolas and patios—all once populated by Johnson’s menagerie of exotic birds—and catch swoon-inducing whiffs of myrtle, wisteria, lilies, broom, honeysuckle, and rose.