Four day walks in the Vaucluse-Provence, France
Getting there: By high speed train (TGV) we arrived in early afternoon at Avignon. Behind the train station you’ll find a bus to the heart of the Vaucluse. Le parc naturel régional du Luberon
By car, you have the expensive toll roads with filthy rest areas and extremely expensive restaurants. France is becoming unaffordable anyway.
We started in Cereste (2 hrs. bus from TGV-railstation Avignon.). Here you can buy good walking maps. Well marked walk-ways, such as parts of the local GR’s (the Grande Randonnée).
Maps: We used: IGN 3242OT and 3142OT. Scale: 1:25.000. Or: Didier Richard, nrs. 14 and 27, 1 cm. = 500m, Ventoux and Luberon, Sainte-Victoire.
Accommodation: Plenty: hotels, pensions, Gites d’étappe, chambre d’hôtes , Gites ruraux, at the farm, at a castle, whatever you want.
March 2000: an (almost) round walk in a hilly landscape, nice valleys, gorges (canyons) and vineyards.
Height: highest peak on trail: 700m.
Day 1: Cereste - Viens...............................10 km
Day 2: Viens - St.Saturnin d’Apt...............18 km
Day 3: St.Saturnin d’Apt - Gordes............18 km
Day 4: Gordes - Fontaine de Vaucluse....16 km
and from here the bus to Avignon.
On trail: Near Rustrel - Roussillon the Colorado offers an amazing range of colours going from bright yellow to vivid orange; Roussillon and the living van Gogh orchards; the Abbeye de Senanque; Gordes, in full sight, the colourful lavender plantations.
It is almost certain that Rembrandt used ochre of the Roussillon mine/quarry for the color of his paint.
Walled villages or little towns, ruins of castles of the 6th century or before, like St. Saturnin les Apt.
Or, just sit on a terrace at the village pump with a good glass of wine on the table in the shade of planetrees...
If time is not your problem: visit at the last day the old town of Avignon….Palais des Papes, the museums, like le Musée du petit Palais. Or the Festival d'Avignon, in july-august. A popular and contemporary artistic adventure.
Sur le pont d’Avignon…..
Read more about the multi day hiking tour in the Vaucluse, Provence, France
Below a video about the Colorado de Rustrel. Beautifil pictures! To prevent you from going "crazy": stop the audio.
