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Travel guide
The Luberon
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, and September to October
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Welcome
The Luberon, in a few days
The Luberon is a long ridge between Cavaillon and Manosque, but above all the line of hilltop villages that face it from the hills opposite: Gordes in pale stone, Roussillon in red and orange on its ochre cliffs, then Bonnieux, Ménerbes and Lacoste.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Gordes free · about 1 h 30The Luberon's most photographed village, tiered up a spur to its Renaissance castle; climb the cobbled lanes, then walk down to the terraced gardens.
- Afternoon · Sénanque Abbey · about 1 hA Cistercian abbey founded in 1148 in a narrow valley below Gordes, still home to monks; see the cloister and bare Romanesque church.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Le Clos du Buis€150 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Roussillon Ochre Trail · about 1 hTwo marked loops of 30 and 50 minutes through old ochre quarries, among cliffs and spires in every shade from yellow to deep red.
- Afternoon · Bruoux ochre mines · about 1 hAt Gargas, a guided walk through part of 40 km of hand-dug ochre galleries, entered through 15-metre portals cut into the cliff.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Mas des Grès€170 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Colorado Provençal, Rustrel · 2 to 3 hOchre quarries near Apt, worked until 1992, now a canyon of coloured sands, earth pillars and red cliffs crossed by marked trails.
- Afternoon · Lourmarin free · about 1 h 30A village on the plain south of the Luberon, around a castle with Provence's first Renaissance wing; Albert Camus is buried in its cemetery.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Le Mas de Guilles€180 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Bonnieux cedar forest free · about 1 hAtlas cedars planted in 1861 on the Petit Luberon ridge, with a flat 2 km botanical trail and clifftop paths looking over the Durance valley.
- Afternoon · L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue free · about 2 hA town laced with arms of the clear, cold Sorgue and mossy water wheels; its Sunday market joins one of France's largest antiques fairs.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Carcarille€160 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €120 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/luberon
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.