Luberon in Provence self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
This self-guided walking holiday in the region of the Luberon of Provence, one which personifies much of what we think of as Provence, immerses you in the beautiful landscape of rolling, wooded hills, lavender and sunflower fields, olive groves and charming, hill-top villages of blond stone houses with blue painted shutters and terracotta roofs. On this walking holiday you will witness the kaleidoscope of sights, sounds and fragrances that are all part of the territory. The intricacies of the landscape on foot are revealed to you in the ochre of the Colorado de Rustrel, the irrigated Calavon valley and its orchards, ruined watermills near the Veroncle Gorges, typical villages such as Lourmarin and less well-known ones such as Cucuron, and the peak of the Luberon, Le Mourre Negre, at 1125 metres above sea level. To allow you to experience the different facets of this region, rich in natural and man-made sights, taxis are included on several days to move you from one area to another, so that you can undertake a detailed walk there. Dinner is included for six of the seven nights and there are plenty of places to stop to browse and sightsee on the way. Walks are of a duration of between 5 and 8 hours a day with ascents up to 700 metres, and would be classed as Grade 3, so some hiking experience is advisable.
Highlights
Fontaine de Vaucluse • Abbey of Senanque • Gordes • La Chausee des Geants ochre cliffs • Veroncle Gorges • Colorado de Rustrel • Viens • Cavalon valley • Grand Luberon mountains • Le Mourre Negre • Cucuron village • Bonnieux • Apt Porte de Saigon and Ste Anne’s Cathedral
Walking information
Average between 9-14 miles/15-21 kms per walking day • Average of between 5 and 8 hours’ walking per day • Grade 3 difficulty • Terrain is forests, vineyards, orchards, •Recommended mid-April to end-October but not recommended in July and August because of high risk of fires • Some hiking experience is advisable
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for seven nights.
From about
£1,520 3- and 4-star hotels, or charming guest houses
Holiday Code CWFR02
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Call us on 01392 441266
Luberon in Provence self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
You reach your first overnight stop today with your own travel arrangements. It’s worth arriving as early as you can today so that you have time to explore Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. This small town is well-known for its spring and for the mysterious hole from where the Sorgue River gushes out. Petrarque, poet and humanist (1304-1374), and famous for his sonnets and the cazoniere he dedicated to Laura, lived here for many years. You must visit the Saint Veran Romanesque Church and the remains of the castle of the Cavaillon Bishops, situated above the valley. Take time also to stroll to the Sorgue spring, located at the bottom of a vertical cliff that stretches 230 meters high! This geyser, one of the largest around the world, has a variable rate of flow that can reach more than 100 m3 per second in times of high water! Lodging and breakfast in a 3-star hotel with pool. Allow time to check your kit, pack your rucksack and study your guides and maps. Dinner is not included tonight but there are restaurants in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.
This morning after breakfast you leave Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and walk through the first hills of the Monts du Vaucluse where the landscape alternates between olive trees, vineyards, oak and pine forests. The track ascends up through the Vallon de la Font d’Oule and passes through forests to reach la Basse Pouraque, an isolated farm in the middle of the woods. You continue walking through the forest to reach the Vallon de la Senancole, where the much-photographed Cistercian abbey of Senanque, often pictured among lavender beds, is to be found. Austerity and aestheticism are the main features of this abbey, which has resisted tumultuous times over the years but has preserved most of its original 12th century Romanesque buildings. You then climb through a small valley to arrive at the beautiful and famous hill-top village of Gordes. Dinner, accommodation and breakfast in a 3-star hotel with pool is included here.
Distance: About 16 kms
Time: About 5 hrs
Today you are transferred by taxi to the well-known and fascinating village of Roussillon. Built on a rocky spur, this typical Provencal village is surrounded by ochre quarries and cliffs. Take pleasure in a stroll through the narrow streets that circle around the belfry and the church and discover the beautiful ochre cliffs called La Chaussée des Géants. You then leave the village, crossing through the plains covered with vineyards and fruit trees, with the old village of Joucas, perched high on a hill, looming in the distance. You reach the Les Grailles hamlet at the opening of the wild Veroncle Gorges. From here you can choose to walk up into the Gorges to discover the ruined watermills, some of which have been restored recently, and continue on past Murs and its château, and then across the 300-meter cliffs of Barres before returning to Gordes. Otherwise, you can simply go back to Gordes and wander through the narrow streets of this lovely mediaeval village. You overnight in the same hotel and dinner is not included, although there are plenty of places to eat in Gordes.
Distance: About 23 kms or 16 kms
Time: About 7 hrs or 4 hrs
This morning, you are transferred by taxi to the village of Rustrel. After visiting this charming village, head to the Colorado de Rustrel, large quarries where ochre was once extracted. The working of these quarries and natural erosion have carved numerous peaks, sheer cliffs, narrow corridors, and large pillars of earth, ranging in colour from bright yellow to blood red. This ochre massif is accessible by several well-marked paths. Then continue your trek, passing above the village of Gignac to arrive in Viens. Viens is an old fortified village with beautiful 12th century houses near the Sarrazine Gate and the château. The Romanesque church lies just beyond the village. You then transfer by taxi to Cereste for Dinner, bed and breakfast in a charming guesthouse.
Distance: About 15 kms
Time: About 4 hrs
After breakfast a taxi takes you back to Viens. Today’s walk starts at the St Ferreol chapel, then passing through the Cavalon valley followed by the wild and impressive Oppedette Gorges up to the village of Oppedette, a small, isolated and timeless village. The path runs along the edge of the Vaucluse Plateau and leads you through other isolated villages to the château of Ferrage and the ruins of the Carluc Priory, a former abbey built in the 12th century. You then reach the old town of Cereste, erected on the Via Domitia, a Roman path from Italy to Spain. You return to the same guesthouse for Dinner, bed and breakfast tonight.
Distance: About 23 kms
Time: About 7 hours
Another taxi transfer starts the day from Cerest to Vaugines. Spend a short while discovering the typical village of Vaugines, you climb along the Vallon de Vaumière towards the crests of Le Grand Lubéron where you join a wooded walkway. The incline is long, but not very demanding. You will reach Le Mourre Nègre. At 1125 meters, it is the highest point of the Luberon. Even if you find yourself a little out of breath, you will appreciate your efforts when you gaze upon the astounding view that unfolds before you. From here, it is literally ‘all downhill’, and you will enjoy the easy walk down through the Vallon de La Fayette, past the Tuillière farm and the l’Ermitage chapel, before reaching Cucuron, another typical Provencal village. From here you are transferred by taxi to Lourmarin, a beautiful village, renowned as being one of the most beautiful villages in France and nestling between vineyards, olive groves and almond trees. The village possesses beautifully preserved houses in traditional style, well-shaded public squares and lots of cafes and restaurants. It was home to Albert Camus, who is buried in the Lourmarin cemetery. You stay overnight here on bed and breakfast in a 4-star hotel with pool.
Distance: About 21 kms
Time: About 7 hours with a gain of 780 metres
Transfer by taxi from Lourmarin to Bonnieux this morning. Bonnieux is a small, beautifully terraced village sitting quietly beneath Saint Martin’s Church. From this church spreads a lovely view of the Cavalon Valley and neighbouring villages. Today’s hike takes you through the priory of Saint Symphorien, passing by the church with its bell tower that stands 25 meters into the sky, and past the Buoux Fort, built on a rock spur above the Aigue Brun Valley. You reach the village of Buoux and pass by the small, stone-covered Sainte Marie Chapel in the middle of the town’s cemetery. You follow this trail as it takes you by the Renaissance château of Buoux and through small orchards all the way to Apt, situated in the Cavalon Valley and known for its crystallized fruit and preserves. Your accommodation tonight on bed and breakfast is in a charming guest house, a former monastery dating from the 17th century.
Distance: About 22 kms
Time: About 7 hours with a gain of 550 metres
The tour arrangements end after breakfast. We recommend that you allow some time to visit Apt and its small squares with fountains, Sainte Anne’s cathedral, the mediaeval Porte de Saigon and the narrow streets of the old quarter. Own transport onwards.
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for seven nights.
From about
£1,520 3- and 4-star hotels, or charming guest houses
Holiday Code CWFR02
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Our prices include
● Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
● 3 gourmet dinners
● Luggage transfer between hotels
● Taxi transfers as mentioned during the tour
● Set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked and detailed notes describing the trail
● Daily itinerary with information about facilities and places of interest along the trail
● English-speaking emergency assistance 24 hours a day
Call us on 01392 441266
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for seven nights.
From about
£1,520 3- and 4-star hotels, or charming guest houses
Holiday Code CWFR02
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Our prices include
• Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
• 3 gourmet dinners
• Luggage transfer between hotels
• Taxi transfers as mentioned during the tour
• Set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked and detailed notes describing the trail
• Daily itinerary with information about facilities and places of interest along the trail
• English-speaking emergency assistance 24 hours a day
The journey and how you get there
The nearest airport to the start of the tour in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (90 kms and about 1 hr and 10 mins) and the end of the tour in Apt (110 kms and about 1 hr 30 mins) is Marseille, which is served by British Airways flights from London. The nearest station is Avignon TGV station. There is a scheduled bus service from Avignon to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (about 35 kms, or about 45 minutes in a taxi) and from Apt to Avignon (about 60 kms and about 60 minutes in a taxi).
Transport is not included in the holiday price, other than luggage transfer during the tour.
Call us on 01392 441266
Luberon in Provence self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for seven nights.
From about
£1,520 3- and 4-star hotels, or charming guest houses
Holiday Code CWFR02
Additional nights can be added before, after or during the tour.
Our prices include
• Accommodation in a double or twin room on bed and breakfast
• 3 gourmet dinners
• Luggage transfer between hotels
• Taxi transfers as mentioned during the tour
• Set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked and detailed notes describing the trail
• Daily itinerary with information about facilities and places of interest along the trail
• English-speaking emergency assistance 24 hours a day
The journey and how you get there
The nearest airport to the start of the tour in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (90 kms and about 1 hr and 10 mins) and the end of the tour in Apt (110 kms and about 1 hr 30 mins) is Marseille, which is served by British Airways flights from London. The nearest station is Avignon TGV station. There is a scheduled bus service from Avignon to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (about 35 kms, or about 45 minutes in a taxi) and from Apt to Avignon (about 60 kms and about 60 minutes in a taxi).
Transport is not included in the holiday price, other than luggage transfer during the tour.
Call us on 01392 441266
Luberon in Provence self-guided walking holiday with luggage transfer
About Provence
Provence is the ancient province of the Romans and criss-crossed by footsteps since those times and earlier of soldiers, pilgrims, peasants and artists. The Via Domitia was the first Roman road to be built in Gaul and linked Italy with Hispania. Provence proffers a rich tapestry of landscapes, culture and traditions. Its countryside of sunflower fields, lavender beds, olive groves, vineyards and wooded rolling hills, interspersed with mountains and plateaus is hauntingly familiar. Its paths still cross this landscape and are there for the hiker to enjoy along with the colourful markets in the hill-top villages of blond stone, the shady squares with their stone fountains, the hearty local produce with its sun-ripened fruit, oil and wine. As you walk the countryside offers you a feast for your senses from the deep blue skies, the undulating hills to the perfumes of lavender, thyme, rosemary and pine. Walking here offers a mix of terrain, some easy-going, some more rugged. Provence has a good share of the Grandes Randonnées too, with the GR4 featuring about 166 kms in the Vaucluse and Mont Ventoux, the GR6 has 103 kms in the Vaucluse covering Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Gordes, Roussillon, Rustrel and Viens (all featured in our Luberon tour), and the GR9 has 163 kms in the Vaucluse. The GR9 crosses Provence from south to north over a distance of 100 km and traverses from the coast at Saint-Raphael to the north of the Gorges du Verdon.
