Hill-Top Villages of the Luberon

Varied terrain of the walks, well chosen village locations, interesting acrhaeology, flora and fauna. Obviously avoid Le Bistro de Coleur. We think we pushed the envelope for "end of season" and would have had more access to museums etc a little earlier.

The walk from Roussillon to Gordes was one of our favourite as Gordes is such a beautiful village and the walk gives you regular views of the village as you go along. It does give you a really hard climb for the last kilometre but it is well worth it. We also really enjoyed the circular walk from Hotel de Poete which went to Saumane le Vaucluse. It was challenging but we were able to have a cup of tea and a wonderful dessert at the cafe in the village, where we were welcomed by a small boy who showed us the way in!

The main holidays are both excellent. The first hotel on the Costa brave walk should be reviewed. Good food, but its a very ordinary property in an odd location. for example the aircond in our room didn't work. Marseille is rea a pretty horrible place and should be deleted from the list.,

The booking process was easy, the holiday documentation was comprehensive and walking instructions/directions very clear and accurate. The walks themselves were all lovely and varied, and also were long enough to feel that we had had a good walk. As for the hotels, all amazing.

Walking between and staying in three very beautiful villages was a joy.

It was lovely to experience Provence at this time of year, when the Spring blossoms, the colours, and fragrances are at their peak. The weather and temperatures were also optimal. The walks were excellent and well within our capabilities (both of us are in our 70s). We chose a 2-3-3 night walk week, since we feel it is important to be able to relax in the middle and not be under a strain of daily packing and moving on.

Travelling in early May we saw a fantastic range of wildlife including birds and butterflies not seen in the UK as well as abundant wildflowers. All the food was good, albeit this part of France is on the expensive side and it is advisable to book in advance. We had a particularly enjoyable meal at the restaurant Omma (formerly David) in Rousillon, fantastic imaginatively prepared food and a table with a view over the ochre cliffs. The Chateau Olive et Raisin was also very good. The hotels were all very welcoming with the private terrace, grounds and spacious public rooms at the Domaine de l'Enclos being especially pleasant. The garden at the Hotel du Poete is also an unusual and lovely place to sit outside for a drink. The walks were varied and we were generally fortunate with the weather (not much rain but not too hot). There are some rough and rocky stretches which were probably at the tougher end of expectations for a grade 2 walk.

We had a fabulous walk through the Luberon. The walks were varied and took in the full variety of terrain and landscapes. The route notes were excellent and we never had any problems navigating. The walks themselves were challenging enough to be enjoyable. You don't need to be uber fit but some preparation is a good idea to be comfortable walking the distances with a light pack over rocky trails with some loose footing. Overall, a great experience that I would strongly recommend to anyone! Personal highlights: Joucas, walking in the rocky forest to the Abbey, stone walls in the olive groves.

Personal highlights included: the ochre cliffs at Roussillon and the market (Thursday), the view of Gordes from the viewpoint, the Caves du Palais Saint Fermin in Gordes and the bories village near Gordes, the park with the ancient trees in Fontaine de Vaucluse accessed through the tunnel by the Petrach museum. We would recommend the following restaurants: L'escalier in Roussillon, Casa Rosario in Gordes and La Vanne Morel in Fontaine de Vaucluse. All served excellent food and had fixed price menus, and 50 cl bottles of local wine. The bakeries in Roussillon and Gordes had a good selection of sandwiches. In Fontaine de Vaucluse the small grocer's shop near the church was able to make up sandwiches (the bakery had closed down), and sandwiches were also available at the Cafe near the Petrach museum on Wednesday when the grocer was closed.

This is a beautiful area and we were absolutely delighted with all the walks, despite the difficulty of walking in the intense September heatwave. We loved the walk from Gordes to Fontaine de Vaucluse with its spectacular gorge, and also the wooded hillsides around Fontaine de Vaucluse. We also liked the very pretty shorter walk to the Abbaye de Senanque. La Falaise de la Madeleine is awesome, and the walk there through vineyards and olive groves makes a wonderful introduction. In Fontaine de Vaucluse where the temperature went even higher we were able to combine a 6km walk which we got from the Office de Tourisme with the Inntravel Option A Via Saumane to make a shorter 9 km walk which still included the abandoned farmhouse in its lovely valley and the amazing views across the plain and Ile de la Sorgue. We had no problems with the very accurate walk instructions and hardly needed to use the GPS. We also thought that Grade 2 was just right, as there are a good few ups and downs each day, and some rough and stoney paths to negotiate. It was not too challenging so we coud really enjoy it, although we had to stop frequently to admire the beautiful views, as well as to cool down! 

The 3 hotels are excellent. Les Sables D'Ocres is such a pretty, peaceful place, and we could not have been given a warmer welcome by the Mas de Romarin where the views of Gordes from the breakfast terrace are breathtaking. The Hotel du Poete provided a very welcome shady and cool retreat frrom the heatwave. Our only problem was eating out on the 5 nights when meals were not provided. Having read the comments from other Inntravellers we felt it essential to book but, despite the fact that we speak good French, we found it very hard to get advance information on prices and menus before making our bookings. In most cases we followed your recommendations or those from other travellers, and had wonderful food but ended up with big bills for just 2 courses. Wine prices were surprisingly high for a wine-growing region. Our favourite restaurants were La Trinquette in Gordes and le Chateaux Olive et Raisin in Fontaine. Beware la Bastide de Pierres in Gordes where the Italian food is cheaper but the wine is a rip-off! Altogether, we loved the whole experience and would thoroughly recommend this holiday. 

We have used Inntravel before for a walking holiday in the Schwarzwald which was excellent ...hence re-booking for this walk in Provence. On the whole the experience was good but the quality of accommodation less good than in Germany and the terrain less beautiful ... We would encourage anyone of ambivalent disposition to go with Inntravel to Germany rather than France.

This was our first holiday with Inntravel. We had an exceptionally enjoyable time! The village locations were splendid and the walking routes between villages (and elsewhere) easily met our expectations. The Luberon is a lovely part of France and having opted to travel there by train instead of flying, it all worked well, being collected at Avignon railway station and then chauffeur driven to our first hotel in Roussillon. We would certainly consider using Innrravel again!

The field of wild poppies were a delight. The paths were very good everywhere in stunning scenery. We did need GPS as 1 or 2 things had changed since the walks were originally described. Be prepared to walk alone without meeting another soul for the majority of the time. The hotels were lovely and the standard of cuisine in the local restaurants was very high.

This was my third walking holiday with Inntravel and again a most enjoyable experience. My dates were 30 April to 6 May. Wall to wall sunshine throughout with slight effects of Mistral down the Rhône valley in the second half. I have lived for some years in very hot countries and wouldn't have wanted to walk later in the year. Le Domaine de L'Enclos was exceptional. I highly recommend Restaurant Le Piquerbaure in Roussillon even though it is the far end of the village! The walks in the valley are lovely. Those along the ridges are very stoney and tough going and I recommend poles. Nevertheless they provide a good sense of achievement when completed.

Having just finished the Secret Provence and Hill-Top Villages of the Luberon holidays, I can say they make a nice pair of complementary experiences.  The Secret Provence walk is in the Drome departement, just north of Provence proper, and has the feel of Provence itself while  making  only a token effort to cater to foreign tourists.  The whole week I was there I encountered only two pairs of non-French visitors, and indeed the trails were almost completely deserted except within a kilometer of the towns.  The Luberon is more geared to catering to both foreign and French visitors, but it certainly lives up to its billing as the valley with the most classic Provence scenery and culture.  There was one point where a tourbus arrived at a lookout just as I did, and after watching the group snap pictures and selfies of the postcard view and roar off ten minutes later, I  headed down into the valley to explore the village on my own, thanking my stars that I had chosen to walk independently. As has been my experience on over half a dozen previous Inntravel walking holidays, the logistics worked impeccably, the notes were very useful and accurate, and I am looking forward to my next trip.  

This was our first holiday abroad since 2020 having had several previous holidays with Inntravel, so expectations were high. Overall this was an enjoyable walking holiday, not too taxing  with varied and decent length walks, but not one of my favourites. The walking was a bit too easy and I would class this as Grade 1 - 2 walking as there was a fair amount of tarmac to walk on, especially on the first two days, which was a bit tedious. The best two days were walking from Gordes to Fontaine de Vaucluse, and the circuit north of Fontaine de Vaucluse via Saumane as these walks were a bit more varied and challenging than the others. We were disappointed not to have the included Michelin starred meal at Hotel Les Sables d'Ocre in Roussillon as promised in the notes. Instead we were sent into the village to one of the local restaurants.

Booking restaurants for dinner is a must, and one tip is to make sure you speak to a person and not an answering machine as these bookings don't seem to count! Our favourite restaurant was the recently opened 'Le Chateau Olive et Raisin' in Fontaine de Vaucluse situated by the river, with beautifully presented delicious food, good service and reasonably priced. La Trinquette in Gordes is also very good with very friendly staff and good service.

We added on a two night break in Marseille and can recommend the Colorbus hop-on-hop-off city tour which leaves from the Vieux Port and is a good way to see more of the city. Lots of restaurants to choose from and we liked L'Horloge just off the Vieux Port for atmosphere, friendly service and reasonably priced great food. The roast octopus was fantastic!

Your walk of the Luberon villages was wonderful. We particularly liked the multiple nights in different villages which gave us the flexibility to vary the walks and sightsee as we chose. Make time to wander the villages!

We thoroughly enjoyed our first walking holiday with Inntravel. The villages we visited were delightful and the walks and terrain varied and interesting. We are already thinking where we might go next. 

This was an excellent week.  My wife and I travelled by Eurostar from London and then French Rail to Avignon -  to be recommended.  Then a very quick transfer to Roussillon in time for dinner.  Hotel Sable d'Ocre is a little tired but we enjoyed the restaurants in the village -  esp Restuarant David.  Great walk from Bonnieux back to Roussillon on day 2.   Gordes is ridiculously spectacular and beautiful and a lovely walk from Roussillon.  The walk to teh final destination, Fontaine de Vaucluse, was a highlight.  Hotel du Poete was our favourite of the week  -  a quite magical location on the river (it is a converted mill).   Great scenery, excellent walking and endless sunshine (we went from 8th -  15th September).  Oh, and a gastronomic delight.....Whats not to like?

It was wonderful to finally go on holiday at the end of May.  We combined Secret Provence and then Hill Top Villages of the Luberon which are both lovely areas to walk.  We had five days of the Mistral which gave us clear blue skies and wonderful views of the distant hills but it was very gusty at times, the wind did keep the temperature down.  It was hotter in the Luberon (and with more tourists) and ended in Fontaine de Vaucluse where the rapid source of the river Sorgue gives a wonderful cooling factor.  The hotels and welcome we had were all lovely, transfers worked well, walking notes good.  I am not good with 'edges' but I had no problem with any of the walks - I have good hiking boots and a walking stick. Note that many places were still gearing up for summer so book in advance for meals out in popular places.   

This was our fifth holiday with Inntravel and our favourite so far. The first half of the holiday we were walking through vineyards and fields of poppies and lavender and the second half was more woodland. The accommodation was a very high standard and all the hotels had pools and lovely gardens/terraces to sit in - lovely places to relax after the ŵalking. The villages we stayed in were beautiful with good places to eat and drink. Our favourite restaurant was probably David in Roussilon but it was also the most expensive. It had great views (ask for a table outside) and excellent food. Other restaurants we enjoyed were Grappe du Raison in Roussillon and the Outsider and l'Artegal in Gordes.

One of our best Inntravel holidays (out of 10).  Everything, walks, accommodation and weather were perfect.

We enjoyed your Paths to Rocamadour walk so much that we booked Hilltop Villages of the Luberon. Inntravel organized a wonderful walk to 3 beautiful hilltop villages. The poppies were in full bloom and not many tourists in mid May. The hotels were very accommodating in helping us with  restaurant reservations ahead of our arrival. Provence is still a magical place.

They don't call this the Hill-top Villages of the Luberon for nothing!  There are some very rocky descents and ascents but the villages are idyllic and well worth the effort to get there.  The walking trails are well marked and nicely varied from day-to-day. Our timing was good, going in mid-May, and landing in Roussillon on a weekday was good planning.

This walking trip was more challenging than another trip I've taken with Inntravel.

A friend who has done many trips with Inntravel suggested I go in May rather than June and I'm glad I did because it was quite warm in mid May. The accommodations were great and all the trip preparations provided to us were terrific.

The walks were well chosen in this beautiful part of Provence.  We particularly enjoyed the Day 3 walk from Roussillon to Gordes for its beautiful and varied scenery and terrain.  The Option A circular walk via Saumane de Vaucluse from Fontaine de Vaucluse was also particularly memorable, though with a long and challenging ascent at the start ... worth it though!  

All the hotels were comfortable and well chosen with swimming pools.  In terms of the food, our breakfasts at the Hotel du Poete were fantastic.  Fair to say though that the included meals at Roussillon and Fontaine de Vaucluse were rather underwhelming and we have given Inn Travel more detailed feedback about these.

Overall, this was an excellent walking holiday in a beautiful part of France.  We saw so many wild flowers in early May including a number of orchids and the Provence countryside was stunning.