The reason these legendary villages were built on the hilltop around their castle is closely related to periods of war and instability : perched on the heights the villagers could see the enemy approaching and defend itself, whereas in times of peace the villagers settled down in the fertile plains. So the history of the Luberon villages is a succession of perched defensive villages…
The result today is breathtaking viewpoints !
Scattered here and there in this vast area of oak, pine, maple and cedar trees, the villages are only a short drive away from each other.
Each village has its own atmosphere, heritage and viewpoint.

Let’s have a look at just 4 of them
Gordes, Roussillon and Ménerbes are classified among the most beautiful villages of France. Bonnieux is not, but  it has no reason to envy their beauty, like many of its other neighbouring villages.

Gordes (in the photo) is a majestic village, a proud representative of the provençal hilltop village.
A beautiful winding road takes you to the top, where you will have a wonderful view onto the whole Calavon valley : olive trees and cypruses which stretch out to the foot of the Monts de Vaucluse and the Luberon mountains. An amazing sight to see !
The village was built exclusively with dry stones around its Renaissance castle. Like many artists we love its arched passages, its maze of cobbled stone streets (called ‘calades’), its fountains and numerous remains spread around the village.

Roussillon, the village of ochres, is in the heart of Europe’s largest ochre deposit ! We are charmed at every visit by the ochre cliffs, by the short trail which leads to the cliffs and by this picturesque village where every house is painted in a different shade of ochre. A superb palet of colours, with 50 shades of red...

Ménerbes stretches out on a rocky promontory : it’s a fortified town with a citadel as a figurehead. With its numerous art, craft and decoration shops on the pleasant walk up to the old castle from where opens up a magnificent panorama onto the surrounding plain. Wonderful !

The beauty of the view onto the Luberon from Bonnieux is bound to enchant you : the view covers the plain and its lavendar fields, the villages of Gordes and Roussillon opposite and the Mont Ventoux as a backdrop. Magical !
Dominated by its tall church, this pretty village overlooks the valley of Lourmarin and its beautiful landscapes, the only road which crosses through the Luberon range north to south.

Bonnieux also has a huge cedar forest with many paths and tracks, at the top of the Petit Luberon, at an altitude of 700m. It boasts a Natura 2000 classification.


The icing on the cake for us is that when it’s really hot we love strolling in the shade of the old streets of each of these villages. We’re sure you’ll love that too !