Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque
Cistercian abbey in the lavender
A 12th-century abbey still lived in by monks; come early in the flowering season and keep to the paths.
GordesLate June–JulyWorking monastery
Gordes & the Luberon, France
Ideal: 3–4 daysBest: May–Jul, SepPrice: Expensive
In 60 seconds
Gordes & the Luberon in 60 seconds
The Luberon is Provence's village country. Gordes is stacked on its rock above the valley; below it, the Cistercian monks of Sénanque still live behind rows of lavender that flower from late June into July. Roussillon is built on ochre and walks you through its red and orange quarries, and the market towns — Apt on Saturdays, Lourmarin on Fridays — are the week's best mornings. Stay in one village, drive to the rest early, and leave the afternoons for long lunches.
VillagesPhotography
Best for
- Nature
- Food
- Architecture
Known for
- Sénanque Abbey in lavender
- Roussillon's ochre trail
- Provençal markets
Skip if
You won't drive. The villages are spread over hills with little public transport, and the famous ones are crowded in July.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Gordes & the Luberon fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Gordes
Village stacked on its rock
Best seen from the road below at first light, then walked before the coaches arrive.
GordesMorningView
Roussillon & the ochre trail
InexpensiveRed and orange ochre quarries
A village painted in its own earth, and a short trail through the quarries it came from. Wear shoes you don't mind staining.
RoussillonColourShort walk
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Colorado Provençal
Ochre canyons near Rustrel
Bigger and wilder than Roussillon: marked trails through ochre cliffs and fairy chimneys.
RustrelHalf dayHiking
Village des Bories
InexpensiveDry-stone huts outside Gordes
A hamlet of domed dry-stone huts, a reminder of how the land here was farmed long before it was photographed.
GordesQuietRural history
Lourmarin
Southern Luberon village with a Renaissance château
A softer, flatter village on the south side, with café terraces and the grave of Albert Camus.
LourmarinCafésFriday market
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Gordes
Very expensiveThe famous one
Beautiful and expensive; worth it for the evenings, when the village empties.
PriceyViews
Bonnieux
ExpensiveHill village between north and south
Central for both sides of the Luberon, with fewer crowds than Gordes.
CentralQuieter
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Avignon TGV station is about 45 minutes by car from Gordes. A car is the realistic way round the villages.
- Lavender
- It usually flowers from late June to late July and is cut soon after. Sénanque is a working monastery: visit quietly.
- Markets
- Apt on Saturday morning, Lourmarin on Friday, Gordes on Tuesday — arrive early for parking.
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1148
Cistercian monks found the abbey of Sénanque in the valley below Gordes.
- 1940s–1970s
Artists including Marc Chagall and Victor Vasarely settle in Gordes and help revive a half-empty village.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Avignon
Palace of the Popes
The papal city on the Rhône, and the nearest TGV station.
About 45 minutes by carCityUNESCO
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Antiques town on the river
Canals and water wheels, and a Sunday antiques market that fills the town.
About 20 minutes by carAntiquesSunday market