La Route du Mimosa

Ooooh, the Mimosa…. It’s not only the name of a very delicious cocktail, but also a type of tree that grows mainly in the Provence and the Côte d’Azur. The special thing about this tree is, that in Winter it gives the most beautiful and cheerful yellow flowers that seem to dance in the wind. And that wonderful smell… Ever since I lived in the Provence, I am a fan! In the months January till March you can get the flowers at any local flower shop or at, for instance, the ‘Marché aux Fleurs’ in Aix-en-Provence. Still, the most impressive are the mimosas in their natural surroundings. That is why some marketing geniuses came up with the Route du Mimosa. I will give you some tips to have a fun drive on the Route du Mimosa with kids.

Where does this wonderful route take us?

La Route du Mimosa is a drive of 130km and takes you from Bormes-les-Mimosas to Grasse (or the other way around of course, depending where you come from). The touristic route is situated between the coastal roads and the ‘massifs’, the forests. The plan of the Route du Mimosa gives you the possibility to discover the forests filled with mimosas, to taste and smell products that are made of mimosa and to encounter passionates working with mimosas.

I hear you thinking… how am I going to sell this to my kid? Hmm, I hear you. Honestly, I kept bumping into unwilling family members. Up until this season, in January we finally drove the Route du Mimosa with kids!

Bormes-les-Mimosas

We have already visited Bormes-les-Mimosas, which is the most loveliest little town. It has a medieval village side, as well as a beach side, so after visiting you could dip your toes in the Mediterranean. If you have no plans yet for Sunday February 18 2024, than you can visit Bormes-les-Mimosas during their carnaval festivities. The town will celebrate this with an amazing flower corso, where chariots are turned into the most beautiful objects using mimosas for example. How fun for kids! Tickets for the corso are for sale at the Tourism Office.

Saint-Maxime

This Mediterranean town with its impressive nature, also hosts a corso. Except this is a true ‘Corso du Mimosa’ and it takes place on the Sunday the 4th of February 2024 at 14:30, where on the 4th people are welcome to see the chariots being decorated with mimosas from 10 o’clock. Super kids friendly! Reservations to be made via the website of the Tourism Office.

Mandelieu-La Napoule

Mandelieu-La Napoule is seen as the capital of mimosas, so here you can admire the truly spectacular show of ‘les pompons d’or’. From this village a walk of 6 km is organized by a guide, accessible for beginners, from January 17 till the 6th of March, at 14 o’clock starting for the Tourism Office. And there is more! Like meeting the local producers and creating your own mimosa perfume. More info on the website of the Tourism Office. In this village as well, Mimosa corso’s are organised, on the 17th and 18th of February 2024. Tickets are available via this link. On the road between Mandelieu and Tanneron, we saw a perfect parking uphill, from where you can start a wonderful, easy hike in between the mimosas.

Tanneron

I believe we had the most spectacular drive between Tanneron and Mandelieu, and from Tanneron to Pegomas. The road offers a panoramic view on the mimosas and the coastline. On January 28 2024 the whole town of Tanneron is celebrating the mimosa. The festivities include a morning mess, as well as the the distribution of the mimosa cocktail offered by the townhall. How I love that! There will be a market, traditional provencal dancing as well as a corso. More about this event via this link. On the several Thursdays, the Maison du Lac in Tanneron organizes ‘Happy Jeudi’. Kids and adults can participate in a workshop in honor of the mimosa. Want to know more about making reservations for this workshop (by the way, it’s from 14:30 till 16:00)? Take a look at this page. You could also get culi and book a workshop (1 kid for free per paying adult) and learn to make Mimosa ‘guimauves’ which are French marshmallows on the 8th of March. And to save the best for last… the village also hosts a Mimosa Escape Game. How awesome! This is for the kids from 12 years old and takes place at the 6th of March.

Pegomas

This village comes almost last on the ‘Route du Mimosa’. The cute little town welcomes hikers and here a specialty is developed, the Mimosette. It’s a pastry inspired by the mimosa and only available during the mimosa flowering season at the boulangerie named Le Fournil du Logis on the Avenue de Cannes. Hmmm, a brioche with a mimosa flavored whipped cream in between. Definitely a must-try!

Grasse

Last on the mimosa road, is the famous town named Grasse. Ever since I was a kid, I collected samples and mini bottles of perfume and wanted to know everything about its creation. Grasse is the mecca for the creators of perfume, three leading perfume developers are based in Grasse. We thought about visiting the Musée International de la Parfumerie, but couldn’t make it in the end. But that gave us some more time driving the mimosa route.

Roadtrip with kids

So, as we are situated in Aix-en-Provence, it already took us some time to get to the starting point of the route. In our case, we started in Grasse. We eventually drove a huge part of the Route du Mimosa with kids, but this was too much for them. They were so good, but in the end we sat in the car for too long. I could really advise you to pick an event, as they are quite cheerful for the kids. Or choose a highlight, like Bormes-les-Mimosas or the forest between Tanneron and Mandelieu, and find a nice lunchspot. We drove along l’Esterel, the coastal line between Mandelieu and Sainte-Maxime. Parts where breathtakingly gorgeous, but at some point you have just seen enough. So if you keep the Route du Mimosa a bit light, the kids might want to join you next time ;-).