Classic Provence Short Break
- The highlights of Provence’s Luberon National Park
- Perched villages of Bonnieux, Roussillon and Gordes
- Walk surrounded by the scents of lavender, pine trees and wild herbs
- A relaxed long weekend in the South of France
- Opportunities to sample delicious French food and local wines
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Apt, transfer to RoussillonStart in Roussillon, a lovely little Provencal village. You can explore its shady squares with fascinating architectural details, faded shutters and lazy cats sleeping on window ledges - everything you hope for from a Provençal village. If you have time, you can walk the Ochre trail (entrance payable locally)
The hotel, completely renovated in 2016, offers 18 rooms with an open view of Gordes and the Valley.
Upgrade Option: From your superb appointed room you can enjoy views over the ochres of Roussillon. Both charming and refined they are designed to reflect traditional Provençal tones.
This delightful hotel is located away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre and you can relax in its delightful gardens or by the pool. The rooms reserved for you all have air-conditioning.
Set off from Bonnieux and walk through the heart of the Luberon countryside to Roussillon. Interestingly, as you get closer towards this village you will notice the change in the colour of the earth to ochre and the curiously cut rock-formations that this area is famous for.
Roussillon is a lovely little Provencal village, and you can explore its shady squares with fascinating architectural details, faded shutters and lazy cats sleeping on window ledges - everything you hope for from a Provençal village.
Ascent/Descent: 194m/215m
The hotel, completely renovated in 2016, offers 18 rooms with an open view of Gordes and the Valley.
This delightful hotel is located away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre and you can relax in its delightful gardens or by the pool. The rooms reserved for you all have air-conditioning.
Upgrade Option: From your superb appointed room you can enjoy views over the ochres of Roussillon. Both charming and refined they are designed to reflect traditional Provençal tones.
The beginning of today’s walk takes you along peaceful trails and to the charming, perched village of Joucas. Stroll through the picturesque narrow streets paved with ancient stones and have a restful lunch whilst revelling in the surrounding views.
Continue, eventually connecting with the GR97 which brings you into the outskirts of the village of Gordes, deservedly part of “Les plus beaux villages de France”. It is situated on a promontory and is crowned with a gigantic fortress, around which spreads a warren of crooked lanes with shops and cafés.
Ascent/Descent: 250m/223m
Dating from the early 19th century, this character property with dry-stone walls is a charming, cosy 3-star hotel and complete with a heated pool in summer, a terraced garden and lovely guest rooms.
A boutique style B&B consisting of four houses, in 1.4 hectares of land. Secure access is via a wrought iron gate with videophone. Breakfast is on a south-facing terrace with beautiful views over the Luberon Valley. There is also a relaxation area is in the park, with heated pool, pool house, and sauna.
Today, you have a few options to choose from. You can relax at your hotel and perhaps enjoy a stroll through the stunning village of Gordes or go for a walk to discover the area.
Walk 1 - Gordes loop, 3hrs, 9km, Ascent/Descent: 244m/245m
Walk 2 - Abbaye de Sénanque, 2hrs, 6km, ascent/descent: 234m/234m
Dating from the early 19th century, this character property with dry-stone walls is a charming, cosy 3-star hotel and complete with a heated pool in summer, a terraced garden and lovely guest rooms.
A boutique style B&B consisting of four houses, in 1.4 hectares of land. Secure access is via a wrought iron gate with videophone. Breakfast is on a south-facing terrace with beautiful views over the Luberon Valley. There is also a relaxation area is in the park, with heated pool, pool house, and sauna.
If you have time, Gordes is worth exploring further. From visiting the Village des Bories or walking to the Senanque Abbey, or simply enjoying a coffee and a wander around the tiny streets.
Make your way to Avignon or Marseille Airport for your onward journey.
This trip has a carbon score of 3kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 3kg is equivalent to 10 miles in a medium-size gas car. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information about how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?This highlights tour encompasses the very best of classic walking in Provence and specifically in the Luberon National Park. Stay in hand-picked lodging and walk between the hilltop villages of Bonnieux Roussillion and Gordes. If you plan to spend a few days in Provence make it this “must-do” short break.
Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years
On this tour you will stay in hand-picked charming and characterful hotels, B&B’s and chambres d’hotes. These lodgings are truly special places and one of the highlights of this tour.
Alternate Accommodation
We will always try to book the accommodation listed. However, if any of the hotels listed are unavailable, alternative accommodation of the same or better standard than those described will be provided.
Single Rooms & Solo Walkers
If you require single rooms we will be happy to book these for you, although there is a single room supplement payable. This trip is available to solo walkers but a supplement is payable to cover the extra costs that are not shared.
Meals
A continental or buffet breakfast is included each morning. Lunch is not included. On most days you will be walking through small villages with cafes, restaurants and a shop or two, so you will be able to buy lunch en route. However on some of the walking days it will be essential to take a packed lunch as there are no cafes or restaurants en route. Dinner is not included, but you will be able to try some excellent local cuisine in nearby local restaurants or you can dine at your accommodation if they have a restaurant.
- 4 Nights in hand-picked hotels, B&B’s and chambres d’hotes
- 4 Breakfasts
- Luggage transfers
- Transfer from Apt to Bonnieux
- Transfer from Gordes to L'Isle sur Sorgue
- Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
- All your trip documents provided digitally through your online Macs “My Account”
- 24/7 telephone support from our UK office
- Travel insurance (required)
- Travel to Apt
- Travel from l'Isle-sur-Sorgue
- Lunches & Dinners
- Drinks and snacks
- Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
- Personal equipment
- Additional nights
- Taxi transfer from Apt to Avignon or Aix-en-Provence
This trip is available to start on any day of the week from the beginning of April to the end of October. The best time of year to walk in the Provence and the Luberon is the Spring and Autumn/Fall. In the spring the wild flowers will be blooming and in the Autumn/Fall it is quieter with lovely autumnal colours, whilst still being warm and sunny in the day time. Provence boasts over 300 days of sunshine per year.
The summer months of July and August are very hot. We do not advise choosing this holiday during this time unless you are accustomed to intense heat. It must be noted that if you choose to walk in July and August there may be fire restrictions set in place by local authorities, in which case you will need to find an alternate walk or not walk at all that day.
Also please note that lavender is usually in bloom from mid-June to August.
Local Markets
Apt—Saturday
Bonnieux—Friday
Lacoste—Tuesday
Goult—Thursday
Roussillon—Thursday
Isle sur Sorgue - Thursday and Sunday
These local markets are usually open in the mornings and finish around lunchtime (12-1pm)
There are a number of different options available in order to get to Apt. If you want to fly, the closest airport is Marseille-Provence Airport. From the airport, you can take a bus/train to Apt, via either Cavaillon or Aix-en-Provence. The journey takes anywhere between 2 and 3 hours, depending on your route. For more information on local bus/train timetables, please visit Lignes Express Régionale or SNCF.
Alternately you can arrive by train into Avignon. It is possible to take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Gare du Nord - Paris, then take the TVG train to Avignon (approx. 7hrs), or fly into any of the Paris Airports and take a train south to Avignon from here (a journey of just over 3 hours). From the Avignon TGV Station, you can take a bus (takes approx. 1H15) directly to Apt. Again you can check out times and schedules on the Lignes Express Régionale website.
Macs Adventure can also arrange private transfers to and from Apt to local airports/train stations. Please contact your Destination & Adventure Specialist for details.
From L’Isle Sur la Sorgue you can take a train to Avignon TGV Station (every hour and a 33-minute ride) and from here take a train to Paris (approx. 3.5hrs), and fly out of any of the Paris Airports. You can also take a local bus to Avignon. There are a few bus companies that operate this service, such as Lignes Express Régional. For more information on trains, you can visit the SNCF website.
There are buses from L'Isle Sur La Sorgue to Marseille airport; information and tinetables can be found here https://zou.maregionsud.fr/
Macs Adventure can also arrange private transfers to and from Apt and L’Isle Sur la Sorgue to local airports/train stations. Please contact your Destination & Adventure Specialist for details.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as the region is extremely popular especially during the summer months. It is always better to book as far in advance as possible, however, we will always try our best to accommodate your plans.
This itinerary is graded easy to moderate, however the terrain can be tricky at times with rocks underfoot, so you will need to be sure-footed.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.
Your detailed information pack will be sent to you after you book. This has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes and a day pack.
You can use public transport or local taxis to continue to your next overnight stop.
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