When to go to the Luberon?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: April to June and September to October
At a glance
Why go to the Luberon?
Within 60 km, the Luberon concentrates everything people come to Provence for: hilltop villages answering one another from hill to hill, markets where you buy Cavaillon melons and olive oil straight from the producer, roads lined with vines, cherry trees and lavender, and a light that has drawn painters, writers and, since the 1990s, half of Europe on holiday. The ochres of Roussillon and Rustrel add a palette that exists nowhere else in France.
And the massif itself, a regional nature park since 1977, offers ridge paths where you won't meet a soul. It is a destination for couples and friends who love fine addresses and dining outdoors, for families with children old enough to walk through the ochres, and for cyclists, who find here one of the best networks of quiet roads in the country.
You have to accept sharing Gordes with the crowds in August, booking your tables, and driving: the villages are close together but the roads are slow. In exchange, May, June, September and October are so mild that they justify everything.
Map of the Luberon: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Gordes
- Roussillon
- Lourmarin
- Bonnieux
- Ménerbes
- Colorado Provençal in Rustrel
How much does a trip to the Luberon cost?
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €60 to €90 a day with camping or a shared gîte, markets and picnics, free villages and trails, and one paid site a day (ochres, Sénanque). | |
| Comfort | €130 to €200 a day with a boutique hotel, a village restaurant in the evening, e-bike hire, paid sites and tastings. | |
| Premium | €350 and up with a five-star bastide, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a private driver for the village route and a hot-air balloon flight over the Luberon. |
Is the Luberon safe?
The Luberon is a safe destination; the real issues are fire and heat. From June to September, the Vaucluse prefecture publishes a map every evening showing access to the hills for the following day: when the risk is very severe, the Cedar Forest and the massif's trails are closed, and fines are handed out. Hike early in the morning in summer with two litres of water per person, a hat and closed shoes, especially in the ochres, which reflect the heat. The mistral can blow hard in spring, so take care on the ridges and on the roads by bike. Ticks live in the undergrowth: check yourself afterwards. By car, the village roads are narrow and busy with cyclists, so drive smoothly.
What to see and do in the Luberon
- Gordes
- Abbaye de Sénanque
- Roussillon Ochre Trail
- Colorado Provençal in Rustrel
- Bruoux mines
- Lourmarin
- Bonnieux Cedar Forest
- L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Gordes
Tiered on a spur of the Monts de Vaucluse facing the Luberon, Gordes is the region's showcase village, with its honey-coloured stone houses, its 16th-century Renaissance castle towering over the central square and its cobbled lanes zigzagging down towards the valley. The viewpoint on the Cavaillon road gives the panorama everyone knows, at its best late in the day. Around it, the Abbaye de Sénanque, the Village des Bories and the Moulin des Bouillons make up a full day. The Tuesday market and the summer crowds mean coming early.
Roussillon
The village is built on one of the largest ochre deposits in the world, worked from the 18th century until the mid-20th century, and its rendered façades echo the seventeen shades of the local earth, from pale yellow to deep red. The Ochre Trail, just outside the village, crosses the old quarries between cliffs sculpted by erosion and umbrella pines. The ochre ecomuseum, in the former Mathieu factory, shows how the pigment was washed and fired. The village is listed among the most beautiful in France and fills up accordingly.
Lourmarin
On the southern slope of the massif, this lowland village is arranged around a castle whose Renaissance wing, with its double-spiral staircase, was the first in that style in Provence. Albert Camus spent his last years here and is buried here, as is the writer Henri Bosco. Galleries, cafés and shops fill the streets around the fountain, and the Friday morning market spills out as far as the old moat. From Lourmarin, the combe climbing towards Bonnieux is one of the most spectacular roads in the Luberon.
Bonnieux
Bonnieux climbs the northern flank of the Petit Luberon up to its old 12th-century church, surrounded by cedars, from where the view takes in Lacoste, Gordes, Roussillon and Mont Ventoux. Less polished than Gordes, the village has kept its grocery shops, a bakery museum and terraces where you dine facing the valley. Above, the Cedar Forest offers a high-altitude walk, and below, the Pont Julien, a Roman bridge from the 1st century BC, still spans the Calavon on the Via Domitia.
Ménerbes
Stretched along a ship-shaped ridge, Ménerbes was made famous by Peter Mayle and his A Year in Provence, but the village remains quiet, with its 16th- and 17th-century mansions, its citadel and its Place de l'Horloge looking out over the Luberon. Picasso bought a house here for Dora Maar, now an artists' residence. The Maison de la Truffe et du Vin, housed in a mansion, offers tastings and a terrace with a view. Ménerbes and Lacoste, its neighbour crowned by the Marquis de Sade's castle, can be visited in the same half-day.
Colorado Provençal in Rustrel
East of Apt, former ochre quarries worked until 1992 have left some thirty hectares of canyons and fairy chimneys where the sand shifts from white to red within a few metres. The waymarked trails start from a single car park and cross the Sahara, the chimneys and the Cirque de Barriès, with views over the whole site from the edge of the plateau. The site is private, with paid parking, and requires booking in the morning from May to August. Less famous than Roussillon, it is larger and wilder, and superb in the low morning light.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Four days let you see Gordes, Sénanque, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Ménerbes and Lourmarin without rushing. A week adds the Colorado Provençal, the Bruoux mines, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, hikes in the massif and days with no plan, which is the real way to experience the Luberon.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Luberon guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of Provence
weekend
Saturday morning at the Apt market, then on to Roussillon for the Ochre Trail and lunch on the square, the afternoon in Gordes with the Village des Bories and Sénanque, and sunset from the Gordes viewpoint. Sunday morning at the L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue antiques market, the spring of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse at midday, then Ménerbes and Bonnieux late in the day before heading home.
4-5 days
day 1 Gordes, Sénanque and the Village des Bories; day 2 Roussillon, the ochre ecomuseum and the Bruoux mines; day 3 the Colorado Provençal early in the morning, the market or old town of Apt, then Saignon and Bonnieux; day 4 Ménerbes, Lacoste, Oppède-le-Vieux and the Cedar Forest; day 5 Lourmarin, Cucuron and Ansouis on the southern slope, with an AOC Luberon wine cellar on the way.
one week
the five days above, then a day in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, and a final day cycling the Calavon cycle route between Apt and Robion, or a hike from Auribeau to the Mourre Nègre, the highest point of the massif at 1,125 m.
Getting there and getting around
The TGV reaches Avignon in 2h40 from Paris; hire a car at the TGV station, Gordes is 45 minutes away and Lourmarin 1h. Aix-en-Provence TGV is the alternative for the southern slope.
Once there, a car remains necessary: Zou buses link Apt, Cavaillon and a few villages, but not the natural sites. Cycling is excellent on the Calavon cycle route, a converted railway line between Apt and Robion, and on the waymarked Luberon by bike loops; e-bikes can be hired in Apt, Bonnieux and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for around €40 a day.
Watch out for narrow ridge roads and scarce parking spaces in the hilltop villages in summer.
Where to stay in the Luberon?
Budget: the campsites of Apt, Bonnieux and Roussillon take tents and mobile homes (pitch €25 to €40, mobile home €70 to €120 in season), and simple hotels in Apt or Cavaillon charge around €70 to €100 for a double. Weekly gîtes, rented outside July and August, are often the best deal for a family.
Comfort: boutique hotels in the villages of Bonnieux, Roussillon, Lourmarin or Joucas, with pools and views over the massif, cost between €130 and €220 a night. B&Bs in the farmhouses around Ménerbes, Goult and Saignon offer the same with a breakfast of local produce and often dinner too.
Splurge: a bastide among the vines or olive trees on the heights of Gordes, Joucas or Gargas, with a spa, a Michelin-starred restaurant and sunset over the Luberon, between €350 and €800 a night. The Luberon is one of the best-supplied destinations in France for hotels of this calibre.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in the Luberon?
The Luberon is eaten at the market: Apt on Saturday, Lourmarin on Friday, Gordes on Tuesday, Bonnieux on Friday, Coustellet on Sunday. There you will find Cavaillon melons in June and July, Apt cherries in May and June, Apt candied fruit all year round, AOP Provence olive oil, goat's cheeses from nearby Banon and black truffles in Ménerbes in winter.
The AOC Luberon produces approachable rosés and reds, to be tasted in the cellars of Bonnieux, Lourmarin and Cucuron (tastings are often free). In restaurants, allow €20 to €30 for a village bistro set menu, €45 to €70 for a chef's table, and €150 and up for the Michelin-starred restaurants of Gordes or Bonnieux.
A picnic at a table in the Cedar Forest remains the most memorable lunch.
Entry requirements
Schengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about the Luberon
When is the best time to visit the Luberon?
May, June, September and October: mild temperatures, quiet villages, bustling markets and superb light. For lavender, aim for late June and the first half of July, before the harvest. July and August are very busy and hot; winter is quiet, with some village businesses closed.
How many days should you spend in the Luberon?
Four days for the hilltop villages, the ochres and Sénanque. A week to add the Colorado Provençal, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a hike or two and lazy days by the pool or at the market.
When can you see the lavender in the Luberon?
From mid-June to mid-July, peaking in early July. The best-known fields are those of the Abbaye de Sénanque and the Plateau des Claparèdes, between Bonnieux and Saignon. The harvest starts from mid-July, and there is often nothing left after the 20th.
Can you visit the Luberon without a car?
With difficulty. Regional buses link Avignon, Cavaillon, Apt and a few villages, but not the natural sites or the hilltop villages at practical times. The car-free option is cycling, preferably by e-bike, from Apt or L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, on the Calavon cycle route and the waymarked loops.
What daily budget should you plan for the Luberon?
Allow €60 to €90 per person camping and eating from markets, and €130 to €200 with a boutique hotel, restaurants and activities. Site entry fees range from €3.50 for the Roussillon ochres to €10 for the Bruoux mines, and most villages are free, apart from parking.
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