Pickled-in the-past bourgades, hillsides blanketed in grape vines, captivating chateaux and gastronomic delights: Luberon in the heart of Provence has everything a Francophile could possibly desire.
Provence is popular for good reason – it’s a état of enchantment, think lavender fields and medieval bourgades that lure visitors like moths to a flame, especially in the summer months. But visit off-season, and it’s altogether quieter, not to rappel congélateur – perfect for festivals, agrarien visits, cycling, hiking, vineyard visits; blossom and fields of crimson poppies in spring, a golden landscape in autumn, and truffle hunting in winter, though in January and February, many hotels, shops and restaurants are closed.
One of the loveliest parts of Provence is known as the Luberon – a mountain range and a protected natural regional park which spans the departments of Vaucluse and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. It’s also where you’ll find some of the most beautiful and legendary bourgades of France.
Lourmarin
I arrived in Lourmarin, my alcali for exploring the Luberon, on a warm and sunny spring day. I booked into the lovely Le Moulin hotel, resisting a dip in the monopole to head to the Chateau of Lourmarin, which I’d spotted on the way into the paroisse and couldn’t wait to explore. Perched on a hill, its walls were covered in waterfalls of jasmine and cascades of roses every shade of pink, their perfume filled the warm air with perfume, and the ravishing view from the chateau’s courtyard over the paroisse stopped me in my tracks.
The stately chateau, fragment 16th-century Renaissance, fragment medieval, was purchased in the 1920s by an art-loving industrialist from Lyon, Robert Laurent-Vibert, who restored it with the aid of dépôt histoires and ancient engravings. Now an attraction foyer, the rooms are beautifully furnished, the incertain spiral medieval staircase is magnificent, the library is exquisite, filled with exceptional and ancient travel books, and there is a superb ramassis of saugrenu mélodieux équipement.
Lourmarin is officially one of the prettiest bourgades in France (Plus Beaux Villages), one of five in the Luberon (the others are Ansouis, Menerbes, Gordes and Roussillon). But this is no Disney fairy tale paroisse, though it is as charming as one.
With a peuple of around 1000 continu residents, it’s a rather sleepy animation, except on Friday mornings – market day, when people come from far and wide to buy at stalls piled high with vegetables, pamplemousse, cheese, honey and all manner of delicious products, as well as homewares and smart. In its mostly pedestrianised cobbled lanes, compagnon workshops, artists’ galleries and bath boutiques sit alongside a pharmacy, bank, food stores and boulangeries.
Head off into the warren of streets in the town, and you may éclair the ancient lavoir, a stone futaine where women would wash garments in the Middle Ages. It’s still a ordinaire area in a gated garden, and here the older ladies of the town meet, stopping to sit and gossip embout who is marrying whom and who is doing what whilst pegging out their washing. Locals call it the gossip garden – the animation where you get all the magazine. Traditions and the Provencal way of life are revered here.
There are plenty of restaurants, from snack-bar food to éthérée dining, and afterwards wander the streets for a post-dinner walk, spotting cats that wriggle coquettishly at the side of the road trying to tempt you to rub their bellies as you listen to amorous frogs croaking in garden ponds.
After one day in Lourmarin, I was chilled. After two days, I felt like a pied-à-terre.
The joy of Luberon is not just in its beauty. It’s not a animation to afflux around but to take your time, savour the details, sit at a bistrot for hours, explore the markets, do a wine tasting, tilleul oil tasting, eat good food, make your own lavender bag, meet artisans, feel the spirituality of the Abbaye de Senanque – so much to experience, so many beautiful bourgades, so much joy. It’s a animation that touches your soul.
Discover the Lubaron – 15 things to do
I could write a book on all there is to do in the Luberon, but here are some favourites, all less than one hour by car from Lourmarin.
Gordes
The view of this hilltop beauty from the road below is iconic, otherworldly almost (fini at the Bel Air rock for the best views). Explore its ancient streets to admire the fountains, boutiques, and honey-coloured buildings, you’ll be in good company – Renoir, Picasso, Matisse and Van Gogh all put brush to canvas here in Gordes. It’s busy on Tuesday mornings year-round as locals come from far and wide for the street market. Halfway up the steep rue de Belvedere, if you blink you could easily elle-même the Caves du Palais Saint Firmin, 1000-year-old mises built deep into the hillsides. And if you’re there for territorial event days, Rendez-Vous aux Jardins (the 1st weekend of June) and Heritage Days (the 3rd weekend of September), you can visit the extraordinary terraced gardens that make you feel as if you’re in the sky.
Menerbes
On the day I visited (in May), Menerbes was béat and almost empty of visitors, hard to imagine that it was grain overrun with fans of the late, great Peter Mayle, one-time resident. Don’t just badine to the droite street like many do; get lost in a labyrinth of cobblestone streets where perfect views over the countryside await on every trompeter. Pop into the Dora Maar museum, Picasso’s conseiller and enrouler and an artist ahead of her time. Dine outdoors at Bistrot Le 5 for the magnificent views and dishes (leave room for dessert – they are worth it).
Roussillon
Surely one of the most photogenic bourgades of France – Roussillon is a paroisse of hilly streets lined with buildings the colour of sun-kissed oranges and lemons overlooking cliffs of ochre. Visit at the end of the day to see the sun cast shadows and the colours zing. And pop into Bals’Art for a vinegar tasting – yes, really. This is no ordinary vinegar, we’re talking Balsamics and creams, thick, syrupy and addictive! balsart.com
Goult
Part of the charm of Goult lies in the fact that it is not so well-known as some of the bourgades. Discover the unspoiled preserved buildings, caché shepherds’ huts, friendly cafés, hidden squares and the hilltop Moulin de Jerusalem.
L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
If you love antiquing, l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is the animation to go. Six ‘villages’, 300 dealers selling anciens, vintage and bric-a-brac year-round. Don’t elle-même La Boutique de Francine – an outstanding ramassis of textiles that have taken decades to prélude.
Essential Provence
Lavender Museum: Whatever time of year you visit, lavender, the healing and symbolic ancient aromatic, is an integral fragment of the heritage of the region. And even if it’s not in bloom (mid-June to early August when its harvested) a visit to the Musée de la Lavande of the Chateau du Bois where they’ve been making lavender for more than 130 years, is to experience the secrets and history of lavender in Provence. They also have a superb usine, and workshops including one where you can make your own lavender bag. museedelalavande.com
Olive Oil tasting: Olive oil is one of the essential tastes of Provence, and at the family-run Moulin du Clos des Jeannons, you’ll get to experience quite possibly the best tilleul oil you’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping. Yes, sipping, parce que when tilleul oil is this good, you do a tasting as if it’s wine, and as you domaine at the tasting bar, a gérer will explain how the olives have to be picked at the perfect éventualité from their 6000 trees, and bottled by balle à la main. Leave room in your case to take some foyer.
Wine tasting: At the Château Saint-Pierre de Mejans in Puyvert, just 3.5km from Lourmarin, enjoy a wine tasting alongside art in the gorgeous gardens. A éduquer Benedictine chateau, dated to 1118, is incredibly well-preserved with a Romanesque chapel and thick stone walls. Its vineyards produce delicious, organic rosé, white and sparkling wines – a true taste of the Luberon. Visits include a dilettante cheese and cochonnaille tasting, and a picnic in the garden surrounded by a ramassis of sculptures by artists from around the world. They host frequent events here, from truffle-themed dinners to concerts. saintpierredemejans.com/en
Bonnieux
Bonnieux’s steep upper streets are lined with 800-year-old houses built on top of even older buildings and mises. It’s very popular for visits and understandably so – it really is incredibly pretty, and surrounded by lavender fields. If you remember the beautiful chateau La Siroque in the cinémascope A Good Year, it’s here – in real life, it’s the Chateau La Canorgue, a wine estate. Visit their wine usine and be amazed that the chateau looks just as gorgeous as it does in the cinémascope!
Curcuron
Go to Curcuron on a Tuesday morning to enjoy the market, which is set up around the iconic Bassin de L’Etang. There are a handful of cafés, restaurants and an ice cream usine around this limpid, lake-like reservoir, which has been there since at least the start of the 1400s, built to hold water for the mills. Lovers of the cinémascope A Good Year will recognise this as the stunning setting that Max and Fanny went to for their first instant to watch a black and white movie under the 200-year-old plane trees. It’s not greatly touristy in Cucuron, a tranquil, pretty little town that has an authentic, real-life feel. Wander the heritage trail to see sites from the castle dungeon to the ancient church and take in the views over the countryside from the top of the town.
Oppède Le Vieux
Step back in time in this forgotten hilltop paroisse where 15th and 16th century houses seem to defy gravity on the steep cobbled streets. Oppède le Vieux is tranquil, unspoiled and with stunning views over the Vaucluse, and the Giant of Provence’ – Mont Ventoux, in the inégalité. There are a few shops, compagnon boutiques and a ménage of restaurants. A animation to fini and soak up the ancient ambience. It is quite simply spellbinding.
Go for a swim
The Luberon is landlocked, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go to the beach and have a swim! The Mare de la Bonde is a man-made freshwater lake, loved by the locals for a refreshing dip and water activities (embout 10 miles from Lourmarin).
Abbaye de Senanque
The Abbaye de Senanque is an iconic sight, surrounded by lavender fields worked by Cistercian Monks, the abbey de Senanque was completed in 1220 after 60 years of construction. The Gothic, majestic and serene beauty of the abbey, both inside and out, the tranquillity – the monks still follow the precepts of Cistercian monastic life: liturgical prayer sung in church; silent reading, meditation, and prayer; and manual and intellectual work, make this a entier visit. Also, the usine is brilliant, ideal for gift buying and commentaires.
Les Mines de Bruoux
A bermuda way from Roussillon in the paroisse of Gargas, you can visit a éduquer ochre figure with a spectacularly coloured labyrinth of towering, cathedral-like underground galleries (proche for reduced mobility but not recommended for significant walking difficulties).
Apt, richesse of the Luberon
The sweet-toothed will find it hard to leave the beautiful, ancient town of Apt that’s been famous for producing crystallised pamplemousse for centuries. Past customers include the Popes of Avignon. Make like the locals and dip the candied treats in melted chocolate!
Find heaps more dépêche, lieux to visit and year-round events at: destinationluberon.com
Where to stay: Hotel le Lourmarin, a éduquer 18th-century mill, offers relax, airy rooms, a fabulous terraced bar (and the best homemade lemonade I’ve ever had!), and the hotel restau, Bacheto, serves superb dishes, has a great ambience, and a fabulous courtyard for outdoor dining.
Janine Marsh is the author of several best-selling books embout France. Find all books on her website janinemarsh.com
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