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Hill Towns of the

Includes  Why Go? Gordes & Around. . . . 231 Named after the mountain range running east–west between Roussillon ...... 235 and , the Luberon is a Provençal patch- St-Saturnin-lès-Apt work of hilltop villages, vineyards, ancient abbeys and kilo- & Around...... 236 metre after kilometre of fragrant lavender fields. It’s a rural, Apt ...... 237 traditional region that still makes time for the good things in & Around. . . 239 life – particularly fine food and even finer wine. Nearly every village hosts its own weekly market, packed with stalls sell- ...... 240 ing local specialities, especially olive oil, honey and lavender. Ménerbes...... 242 Covering some 600 sq km, the Luberon massif itself is Oppède-le-Vieux. . . . 243 divided into three areas: the craggy Petit Luberon in the ...... 243 west, the higher Grand Luberon mountains and the smaller & hills of the Luberon Oriental in the east. They’re all worth ...... 244 exploring, but whatever you do, don’t rush – part of the fun ...... 244 of exploring here is getting lost on the back lanes, stopping for lunch at a quiet village cafe, and taking as much time as you possibly can to soak up the scenery. Best Places to Eat ¨¨Le Sanglier Paresseux (p240) Driving Distances (km) ¨¨La Closerie (p244) Bonnieux 10 ¨¨La Table de Pablo (p237) Cavaillon 35 25 ¨¨Auberge La Fenière (p243) Gordes 21 19 17 ¨¨Le Mas Tourteron (p234) Lacoste 15 5 21 23 Best Places Roussillon 13 10 28 914 to Stay ¨¨Maison Valvert (p241) ¨¨La Bastide du Bois Bréant (p242) Ap t Bonnieux Cavaillo n Gordes Lacost e ¨¨La Bouquière (p241) ¨¨Le Couvent (p238) ¨¨Les Balcons de Luberon (p234) 231 Hill Towns of the Luberon VGettinGaorucldeusgs & eA AroMroounduntundains

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( . org/-Fiche-VVV- . . Having a car makes travel much easier, 900 bisects the valley from east to west (primitive dry-limestone (primitive dwellings), af3v . luberon-biking . Getting Around Getting 8 he D Make reservations possi ahead as far as Make 9am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Sat) Bike hire and Several companies offer e-bikes, which incor For longer trips, Vélo à Luberon Le T he Luberon, an hour from Avignon, is just 60km BICYCLE Rents electric bikes €22, per week €120) D your door throughout the Luberon area, and also runs guided bike tours CyclesLuberon rue Oscar Roulet, ) is a 236km itinerary that takes in pretty much the whole Luberon Tourist offices stock detailed route leaflets and can provide info on rental, luggage transport, on so and accommodation St-Rémy-de-Provence 04 32 62 08 39; www location-velo-provence h porate an electric motor. They’re not scooters – you still have to pedal – but the motor helps on ascents the Luberon Biking Luberon (www lon and Villars, Calavon and du the Véloroute 8 T in length as bus services are limited, but parking in some small villages can be a nightmare in summer purpose-built bike path that follows the route of a disused railway line for 28km between in the west (near Coustellet), via Apt, to La Paraire in the west (near St-Martin- Castillon) . Plans are underway to extend the trail all the way from Cavaillon to the foothills of the Alps, but it’ll be a while before it’s completed ble for lunch and dinner, lest you go hungry. hungry. go lest you and dinner, ble for lunch high season. in table fills Every quintessential sights – sights quintessential of Provence’s Some beehive-shapedvillages, pretty impossibly bories and a stunning Cistercian fields lavender abbey – lie just a few kilometres apart on the rugged northern side of the Luberon. VAUCLUSE MOUNTAINS VAUCLUSE www Sun-e-Bike general cycling supplies and services in Apt 90 76 48 05; www Général-Leclerc; per half-day/day from €12/16; from half-day/day per Général-Leclerc; Don’t be put off by the hills– the Luberon is a fantastic destination for cyclists Secondary roads are slow and winding; watch gullies roadside for out routes criss-cross the countryside, including Les Ocres à Vélo, a 51km route that takes in the ochre villages of Apt, Gargas, , Roussil