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Classic Provence Short Break

5 Days & 4 Nights 4.6 Read 5 reviews
  • 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
A short break walking tour through the Luberon National Park, in Provence’s finest classic landscapes. Wander through the Luberon National Park, exploring honey-coloured hilltop villages and discovering ancient abbeys and crumbling castles. Boasting over 300 days a year of sunshine, the natural light of Provence has inspired many artists including Cézanne and Van Gogh. It is also certain to inspire you as you enjoy this walk from inn to inn through classic Provence.
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.

Tour Type:

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.

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Ideal if you have an interest in:

Short Break, Accessible by Rail

Accommodations

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. A solo supplement is not available as it is it cost-prohibitive. Therefore, unless you are willing to pay substantially more to do this tour by yourself, it is not available to solo walkers.

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.

Included
  • 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
Excluded
  • 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
Extras
  • Additional nights
  • Taxi transfer from Apt to Avignon or Aix-en-Provence

When To Go

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)

Getting to the Start

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.

Getting from the End

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.

Luggage Transfer

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.

Travel Insurance

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.

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Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Apt, transfer to Roussillon Day 2 Walk from Bonnieux to Roussillon 8 miles / 13 km Day 3 Walk to Gordes via Joucas 7.5 miles / 12 km Day 4 Gordes (optional walks) Day 5 Transfer to L'Isle-sur-Sorgue and onward Travel

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