Provence hiking and walking trips

1 1/2hour walk, distance: 6.5 km – Easy. 170 meter altitude change. Leave from the parking lot at the château de Saumane. Dales with orchards, oak trees, troglodyte dwellings and the château of the Marquis de Sade. Short walk around Saumane-de-Vaucluse. The picturesque village of Saumane (in Latin, the name means peak, or female donkey) is a hilltop village built on a rock, with winding cobblestone streets and beautiful stone homes, overlooking the Sorgues area.

Time: 3 1/4 hours - Distance: 11km - Altitude change: 660 m - Marked: yellow - white/red – yellow - Starts from: "Maison forestière des Cèdres" – In the hamlet "Les Clops". In Provencal, badareù means "beautiful lookout point". Mont Ventoux is the outpost of the Alps, far from the plains near the Mediterranean. As Jean-Henri Fabre wrote: "Toss onto the white of the limestone rock the black spots of the forests and you will have a clear idea of the overall picture of the mountain". Jean Henri Fabre

1 1/2 hour hike– Distance: 3km – Easy - Altitude change: 100m – Marked: yellow + explanatory signs - Leave/park: parking area at the Cedar Forest. Excellent family walk, perfect for discovering the Petit Luberon, the original cedar forest. Cool and shady in the summer, this path is idea for discovering the work done by the foresters, for picnicking, and for walking amidst majestic Atlas cedars, with stunning views over the Luberon, Mont Ventoux and in the distance, the étang de Berre and the foothills of Marseille.

Lasts 2 1/2 hours – Distance 7km – Easy – Less than 100 m altitude change – Marked: blue PR + signposts with yellow signs - Leave-park: Place la Mairie square in Cabrières d’Aigues. The Etang de Bonde is a great summer spot for water fun - it is the objective of this walk which starts in the village of Cabrières d’Aigues.

3-hour hike over 8 km distance. Easy. No altitude change. Signposts are marked with a white grapeleaf on a red background. Start from Place Pousterle in Vacqueyras. Walk designed by the winemakers in the Vacqueyras appellation. This Vacqueyras vineyard walk is a true invitation to discover outstanding landscapes and natural riches. Fifteen sign posts explain the landscapes (signs are in English and French). Signs are beautifully illustrated and discuss themes of climate, soils, grape varieties, winemaking expertise and work, and the preparation of the famous Vacqueyras wines.

Takes 3h - Easy - 160 m altitude change. Marked in Green. Park and leave from the parking lot on the road north of Carobm at the intersection with the road to Paty lake. This circuit retraces farming life int he 19th century on the Paty hill.

Lasts 3 hours - Distance: 8 km – easy and level - marked: yellow/red, white/red (GR91) and yellow (Conseil général) - leave-Park: Parking in Le Beaucet. From Carpentras, take the direction of St-Didier continue on D39 road. Park at the bottom of the village, on the square "Maquis Jean Robert". This itinerary provides gorgeous views over the Monts de Vaucluse to the Dentelles de Montmirail, and takes in the Comtadin plain and Mont Ventoux.

Takes 1 1/2 hours - Distance: 2.5 km Easy - Under 50 meters altitude change - - Marked blue then red on wood signs – Leave-park: parking lot at Mille Couleurs - D22. In the heart of the Provençal Colorado, this short walk takes you into the centre fo the old ochre quarries, and walks along traces of the mining activity, by the eroded earth pillars, red sands, the Sahara trail, and the Gourgues stream and box canyon.