LA CARTE POSTALE DE FRANCE—Bormes-les-Mimosas

Starting point of the Route du Mimosa, Var

I visited Bormes-les-Mimosas once, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

This medieval village in the hills above the Mediterranean added "les Mimosas" to its name in 1968 for good reason—it's home to more than 90 varieties of the flower. In February, when the mimosas bloom, the entire village turns golden yellow.

But what I really want to do is follow the Route du Mimosa from start to finish. The route stretches 130 kilometers from Bormes-les-Mimosas all the way to Grasse, winding through villages and forests that explode with yellow blooms in February. The mountains near Tanneron hold Europe's largest mimosa forest—entire hillsides covered in those bright, fragrant flowers.

Next year, I'm planning to come back and really explore it. Not just the village this time, but the whole route. Following the mimosas from the coast into the hills, where they turn the landscape into something that belongs on a postcard.

February on the French Riviera, when everything is gold.

Bormes-les-Mimosas: 83230, VarRoute du Mimosa: 130 km from Bormes-les-Mimosas to Grasse