Walk in Provence Luberon

l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue ~ Gordes ~ St. Saturnin-les-Apt ~ Rustrel ~ Viens ~ Saignon ~ Buoux ~ Bonnieux

2021

Stairway to the fortress of Buoux

Tour du Luberon

Discovering villages amongst the mauve of lavender fields of the Luberon and the different ochres of the earth will leave lasting impressions for your minds eyes.
Starting in l'Isle sur la Sorgue, center of art and antiques you will walk past Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Abbaye de Senanqueand Gordeson your first walking day into the Luberon. Following are walks from one village to another you will see the authentic character of St.Saturnin-les-Apt, Rustrel, and the Colorado Provençal. Saignonand or Buouxand Bonnieuxwill be the last stages in the Luberonmountain.

Self Guided Walking
4 to 10 days, 3 to 9 nights
2 to 8 days walking
Days of 10-15 km or 15-22 km walking

Villages of the Luberon
The Luberon is a unique regional park offering visitors an infinite variety of colourful and fragrant landscapes. Part of Provence and yet separately identifiable due to the rolling hills and beautiful villages perchés, it makes an excellent base for a holiday.
The Luberon is full of romantic villages, dramatic ruins, deep gorges and pretty valleys - you will probably not want to venture beyond its boundaries!

Abbaye of Senanque

The Luberon, a rugged, wooded region stretches for about 65 kilometres between Cavaillon, in the West, and Manosque in the East, at its Western extremity. The Western end is known as the ‘Petit Luberon’ and the Eastern end as the ‘Grand Luberon’. The two sections are divided by the Combe de Lourmarin (the old pathway), which cuts across the mountains between the charming villages of Bonnieux and Lourmarin. It's a beautiful region, rich in colour and contrasts, with vivid sprays of scented lavender, bright green vines, ochre-coloured villages and austere white limestone hills. This is an area that has attracted artists and writers for centuries, with dozens of lovely villages to explore, ancient forts, spectacular abbeys and countless other geographical and historical sites. There are some marvellous walks in the area, following the GR9 from the medieval village of Viens to picturesque Rustrel, or hiking across rocky escarpments down into dramatic gorges, where ochre was once mined. Provence is also known for its food, with garlic, olives and olive oil playing an important role in the preparation of many dishes.

INCLUDED :
5 to 8 nights Half board in **hotels (shower-bath en suite) and chambres d'Hôtes, all dinners except day 1, local specialties, continental breakfast, all local transfers, baggage transports, a folder with maps and written instructions. We assume you are able to read a map 1:25000. We don't encourage using a compass.
Not included:

STARTING DAY:
Any day of the week possible (March 25 - October 30) at the hotel in l'Isle sur la Sorgue.
l'Isle sur la Sorgue is accessible from Avignon by train.
In July and August best is to take a break at 12h00 of 2 - 3 hours for lunch in a restaurant, swimming, resting, seeing a museum etc..

If you start in August or September some trails might be closed for walkers, we'll take this into account and show you the free accesible trails.

If you start mid September you might encounter hunters and should beready to hear shooting and come across men with guns.

ACCESS :
- By train :
Many TGV from Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse directly to Avignon. From the railway station of Avignon Centre by train to Cavaillon and l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (departure every three hours - .

From Marseille: Marseille St.Charles-Vitrolles-Cavaillon-l'le sur Sorgues/F :

- By train back

- By car :
Situation : Paris 742km - Lyon 271km - Marseille 80km - Avignon 56km - Aix en Provence 50km.
Highway from Paris, Lyon, Marseille to Avignon; N100 from Avignon to Apt (56km).

-By airplane:
Aiports : Avignon - Caumont, tel : +33 490 812 039, Marseille - Provence, tel : +33 442 141 414
Marseille - Provence, tel : +33 442 141 414 (From the airport take shuttle bus (3 times, every hour at 0,10, 0,30 and 0,50h) to SNCF railway station of Marseille. Train to Avignon (60 minutes) or to Cavaillon (1h45 minutes) and change on train to l'Isle sur la Sorgue (30 minutes).

Day 1:l'Isle sur la Sorgue
The trip begins in l'Isle sur la Sorgue, and you can arrive at any time. Your room should be available by midday, or in the early afternoon. Depending on your time of arrival you may choose to walk to the town known for its art and antique shops.

1h30 effective walking, 1 km from the hotel.
Night in hotel** in l'Isle sur la Sorgue. Evening meal (not included) in restaurant in town or at the hotel-restaurant.

Day 2:l'Isle sur la Sorgue to Joucas
After breakfast you get a transfer to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the famous and impressive resurgence of an underground river.

Long walk: Transfer to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. 20 km via Senanque and Gordes, 8h00 effective walking past Abbaye de Senanque and Gordes to your hotel in Joucas at 5km from Gordes.

Short walk: 15 km. Transfer to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Walk via Gordes and Joucas.
Night in hotel ** in Joucas. Evening meal at the hotel restaurant.

Day 3: Joucas to Villars

Past the ochres of Roussillon, l'un des stnd beaux villages de France you walk the GR-6 to the slopes of the Monts de Vaucluses with panoramic views on the Petit and grand Luberon.

Long walk: 18 km, 7h00 effective walking past the last effective ochre mines of Gargas.
Short walk: 14 km. Start with an Extra transfer to Roussillon. (supplement € 10 p.party.)
Night in hotel ** in Villars. Evening meal at the hotel restaurant.

Next stages.

Villars to Apt.
Via Colorado Provençal.
Past discovery paths around The Colorado Provençal you walk on the GR-9 and the GR-6 and some PR-walks to Saignon. Saignon is a peaceful little village that you can easily explore on foot. Opposite the town hall there is a pretty 12th century Roman church and while walking through the narrow streets you will see ancient fountains, picturesque shady squares and beautiful old houses with intricate doorways. It is worth climbing up to the ‘Rock of Saignon’ where you can enjoy a marvellous panoramic view of the plains and the Luberon range. If the weather is fine, you can see Mont Ventoux, the Lure Mountains, the Alps of Haute Provence and even the heights of Avignon! Thanks to its rock, Saignon played a key defensive role for the town of Apt, attacked through the centuries by numerous invasions... although not yet by tourists!

Short walk : 12 km, 6 hours effective walking. -140m altitude, +250m.
Long walk : 15 km, 6 hours effective walking. -140m altitude, +250m.
Night in hotel in Apt*** with a pool. Evening meal at the hotel restaurant.

Apt to Buoux.
The walk today goes up to Rocsaline and to the ClapariIles. Into a dry gully and up to Sivergues where you'll have a panoramic view to the South Alps.
The limestone cliffs around Buoux are equally interesting; they were once a retreat for hermits, in the 15th century, and now they offer an exciting challenge for rock-climbers. You continue, towards Bonnieux, and doubtless you will spot its church tower long before the rest of the village comes into view. Built on a plateau above the valley, it is one of the finest villages in the area. Some of its houses date back to the 16th century and, if you climb the 86 stone steps to the old church, you’ll enjoy an outstanding view of the mountains of the Vaucluse, with Mont Ventoux towering in the distance. While here, don’t miss the Boulangerie Museum that houses an interesting display on bakery and bread production. The cliffs for alpine climbing are impressing. You then continue to your ‘auberge’ just outside Buoux, your base for the next one or two nights.

Night in hotel at Buoux. Evening meal in restaurant
Long walk: 17 km 5h30 effective walking , +450m altitude, -625m.
Short walk: 8 or 11 km 2h30 effective walking , +252m altitude, -415m.

Buoux to Cucuron.
13 or 17 km over the Grand Luberon.

Cucuron to Buoux.
17 km over the Grand Luberon.

Buoux to Ménerbes.
The walk from Buoux allows you to discover the many layers of history in this region, with impressive views of the Aigue Brun Valley. The limestone cliffs around Buoux are equally interesting; they were once a retreat for hermits, in the 15th century, and now they offer an exciting challenge for rock-climbers. You continue, towards Bonnieux, and doubtless you will spot its church tower long before the rest of the village comes into view. Built on a plateau above the valley, it is one of the finest villages in the area. Some of its houses date back to the 16th century and, if you climb the 86 stone steps to the old church, you’ll enjoy an outstanding view of the mountains of the Vaucluse, with Mont Ventoux towering in the distance. While here, don’t miss the Boulangerie Museum that houses an interesting display on bakery and bread production.

Night in **/*** chambre d'Hôtes in Menerbes close to Lacoste.
Long walk: 17 km, 6h00 effective walking , +305m altitude, -305m.
Short walk: 12 km, 4h00 effective walking , +245m altitude, -245m.

Villars to Rustrel.
Villars - Aiguier Neuf - Cabane du Garde - Aiguier d'Auribeau - Lagarde d'Apt - Rustrel
Past discovery paths around St. Saturnin and the Massif de la Bruyère you walk on the GR-9 and the GR-6 to Rustrel, a small village built against the slopes of the Monts de Vaucluse.

Long walk: 21 km 8 hours effective walking.
Short walk: 10 km by the GR 6.
Night in hotel** in Rustrel. Evening meal at the hotel restaurant.

Rustrel to Apt.
Past the Colorado Provençal and discovery paths around Saignon you walk to Saignon. Saignon is a peaceful little village that you can easily explore on foot. Opposite the town hall there is a pretty 12th century Roman church and while walking through the narrow streets you will see ancient fountains, picturesque shady squares and beautiful old houses with intricate doorways. It is worth climbing up to the ‘Rock of Saignon’ where you can enjoy a marvellous panoramic view of the plains and the Luberon range. If the weather is fine, you can see Mont Ventoux, the Lure Mountains, the Alps of Haute Provence and even the heights of Avignon! Thanks to its rock, Saignon played a key defensive role for the town of Apt, attacked through the centuries by numerous invasions... although not yet by tourists!

We recommend the brasserie-restaurant Le Bartavelle in Apt (near the Hôtel de Ville) for diner.

Long walk: 15 km, 5 or 6 hours effective walking. -150m altitude, +250m.
Short walk: 12 km, 4 or 5 hours effective walking. -150m altitude, +250m.
Night in guesthouse in Apt **/*** with a pool. Evening meal in restaurant.

Viens to Rustrel (Extra night in Rustrel); transfer to Viens to begin with.
Surrounded by magnificent countryside, and perched on a rocky outcrop, Viens is an ancient village with a charming medieval atmosphere. It boasts a Renaissance Château, restored in the 14th century, where you can enjoy a panoramic view from the Montee de la Pousterle to the Lure gorges. Continuing along the GR97, in the direction of Rustrel, you have the opportunity to hike along the famous ‘ochre route’. The mining of ochre began more than a century ago, and Rustrel soon become an important production centre. Today, after a long decline, the exploitation is almost at an end, although the ‘Colorado Provençal’, as it is known, has received a second lease of life, attracting numerous visitors each year. Your route takes you past an incredible succession of rusty-coloured rocks, golden cliffs and red earthen chimneys that rise majestically out of the vegetation. Rustrel itself is dominated by a beautiful 17th century Château, and during the summer months visitors can relax in the municipal outdoor swimming pool. The village is also known for its ‘Côtes du Ventoux’ wines.
According to hotel availability your night stop will be either at Rustrel or Apt (with an additional transfer at the end of the day from Rustrel to Apt) This will be determined at the time of reservation.

Night in local hotel. Evening meal in restaurant
Long walk: 5h30 effective walking , +235m altitude, -455m, 16km.

Ménerbes - Roussillon 18 km

Last day: Leaving the Luberon
Your walk ends after breakfast and you can get a transfer (not included) back to your car if you left it in l'Isle sur la Sorgue or to Cavaillon (railway station for a train at 11h44 to Avignon (12h19).