Things to do in Provence & Luberon
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Provence & Luberon
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Sweet spot: warm, villages lively, lavender coming or just gone.
Lavender season late June to mid July; peak prices and crowds.
Hot and crowded with French holidaymakers; villages at their priciest.
Harvest and truffles, quieter; many country hotels close from November.
Very quiet; many restaurants and hotels shut. Avignon works year-round.
What's on
- Festival d'Avignon July
The great theatre festival; the city triples in price, book months ahead.
- Fête de la Lavande, Sault mid-August
Lavender harvest festival on the high plateau.
- Chorégies d'Orange summer
Opera in the Roman theatre of Orange.
Best things to do in Provence & Luberon
Gordes
The Luberon's famous silhouette; walk it before the coaches arrive.
Sénanque Abbey
Monks, a 12th-century abbey, and lavender rows in season.
Sentier des Ocres
Walk through worked ochre cliffs in red and gold.
Lourmarin
The lived-in valley village; also the Luberon's best base.
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Antiques capital of the south; Sunday is market day.
Glanum
Roman arch and mausoleum standing in a field; wonderfully quiet.
Les Baux-de-Provence
Ruined citadel with huge views; the quarry light show below.
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
A great spring bursting from a cliff; the riverside walk is the visit.
Where to stay in Provence & Luberon
Lourmarin
the best all-round base
Lived-in valley village with good restaurants, central to both sides of the Luberon.
Gordes and Goult
the classic hilltop setting
Postcard views and the most polished hotels; base between the two for the valley position.
Bonnieux and Ménerbes
quiet luxury
Perched villages with big views and great country hotels just outside.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
the Alpilles side
Markets and plane trees, with Les Baux and Glanum on the doorstep.
Avignon
no car
Direct TGV from Paris and the palace; the only base that works car-free.
Think twice about
- Aix-en-Provence as a Luberon base
A fine city, but east of the valley: every Luberon day becomes an hour each way. Visit Aix, do not base there.
- A remote mas with no restaurant nearby
The countryside dream needs a dinner plan. Check the nearest open restaurant before booking.
- A room facing the main road
The D900 carries real traffic in season. Ask for the garden side in Gordes or Lourmarin.
Best restaurants in Provence & Luberon
Auberge la Fenière
Reine Sammut's starred table; the valley's special dinner.
L'Oustau de Baumanière
The region's three-star in a farmhouse below the citadel.
La Table de Pablo
Great value since 2009; serious cooking, village prices.
Le Carillon
Acclaimed village restaurant; the Goult dinner.
Bacheto
Seasonal Provençal cooking in the old oil mill.
La Trinquette
The Gordes village restaurant the guides name.
Auberge de Lagnes
Friendly, cosy, inexpensive village cooking.
Restaurant César
The Bonnieux hillside staple; solid Provençal cooking.
Outdoor things to do in Provence & Luberon
Luberon cycling
Quiet roads between the ochre villages; e-bikes flatten the climbs.
Valensole Plateau
Lavender fields to the horizon in late June and July.
Pont du Gard
The Roman aqueduct from below; kayak under the arches.
Dentelles de Montmirail
Jagged ridges above Gigondas; walk mornings, taste at lunch.
Gorges du Verdon
Europe's great canyon; a full day, never a half-day.
Best hotels in Provence & Luberon
Le Moulin
Restored oil mill in the village; the luxe Lourmarin stay.
Le Galinier
Countryside guesthouse outside the village; quiet luxury.
Auberge de La Fenière
Boutique hotel with the Sammut restaurant two miles out.
Airelles Gordes, La Bastide
In-village palace hotel; the grand Gordes stay.
Les Bories
Spa hotel in dry-stone buildings below the village.
Le Jas de Gordes
Countryside calm a short drive from the village.
Capelongue
Design hotel above Bonnieux with a gastronomic restaurant.
La Bastide de Marie
Ménerbes countryside luxury among the vines.
Is Provence & Luberon expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €200 a person |
| Splurge | €450 a person |
| No limits | €900 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Sénanque Abbey: a few days ahead
- Pont du Gard: a few days ahead
- Le Moulin: weeks ahead
- Le Galinier: weeks ahead
- Auberge de La Fenière: weeks ahead
- Airelles Gordes, La Bastide: weeks ahead
- Les Bories: weeks ahead
- Capelongue: weeks ahead
- Auberge la Fenière and L'Oustau de Baumanière: weeks ahead, months in lavender season.
- Village hotels in June and July sell out months ahead.
- Sénanque tours and Pont du Gard kayaks: reserve in season.
Is Provence & Luberon safe?
- Car break-ins at trailheads and viewpoints; never leave bags visible. Pickpockets in Avignon crowds. Emergency: 15 medical, 17 police, 112 European.
Provence & Luberon travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Lavender products everywhere; buy the oil at real distilleries in Sault or Valensole.
- Hilltop restaurants with the view and the photo menu; eat one street back.
- Planning around lavender fields in August: most are harvested by early August.
Getting around Provence & Luberon: public transport and more
- A car is essential everywhere except Avignon; book automatics early.
- Use the signed lots below the hilltop villages; do not drive up into Gordes in August.
- Markets are morning events: go before 10am.
- Allow double the map time between villages; the roads are slow.
Who Provence & Luberon suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Provence & Luberon your trip
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