Around Le Luberon by bike 2.0

From 18 to 21 May 2024

INTRODUCTION (with most conclusions as well)

1.Mid-May ’24 we decided to cycle the Tour du Luberon again because we liked it so much the first time. (For a trip report on our first experience in 2018, see Around Le Luberon.…).

2. This time we planned the 250 km starting from Lourmarin, and so anti-clockwise to Manosque, Apt, Oppède and back.  So: following the orange arrows (blue goes the other way). Lourmarin as “un des plus beaux villages…” has everything to stay for a night and watch it waking up in the morning… while Cavaillon – the official start of the Tour – has little except for a train station…

3. As for the main conclusion already, again: the Tour du Luberon offers 4 days of great cycling fun in beautiful landscapes stringing lyrical moments together and making you every night doze off blissfully!  (If you enjoyed the Flow Vélo as your first multi-day cycling holiday, then this might be your next cycling trip, but a bit tougher because of the 3400 m elevation…! ) (see also Le Flow Vélo …)

4. A few remarks, though:

  • If Day 2 as we did seems too hard, it can be split up: stop in Saint-Michel-l’Observatoire and the next day go to Apt (remember: we (still) cycle with standard bikes, with a fixed engine! We covered those 95 km with 1250 m of climbing in just 6 hours (in the saddle))
  • The signage has changed and become significantly smaller! (see photo). And not more frequent…! Working with GPX will definitely improve your mood (finding the signs shouldn’t reduce the enjoyment of a route…!).Avoid weekends and holidays! They make low-traffic roads less low-traffic…
  • May and June are ideal: the lavender is not yet in bloom, but the cherries are (almost) ripe

We’re just going to mention what we noticed this time or what has changed. The route has already been sufficiently discussed in version 1.0. Note: the times we indicate are “time in the saddle”

DAY 1: From LOURMARIN to MANOSQUE: 63 km, 3:53h, 1093m ascent, 938m descent. Highest point: 524m

While in Lourmarin, don’t forget to visit the castle and the tomb of Albert Camus (not in the castle…)!

Recommended restaurant in Lourmarin : La Recréation. We stayed in B&B Les Chênelierres, about 2 km from the center (close to the D56, direction Vaugines). 90€ with breakfast.

We start on the D56, steadily uphill and rolling from Vaugines… But in pleasant landscapes!  In Cucuron, make time for a first coffee on Place de l’Étang!

From Saint-Martin-La-Brasque the route becomes more remote and even more enjoyable! You will go through gems like Les Roux, Peypin-d’Aigues,.. a beautiful road on a high-running saddle between Vitrolles and Bastide and a rustic D198 from Beaumont with a resting place at La Blaque Wine Estate. Just before this wine estate, the Vaucluse department clearly shows that they are better off than Les-Alpes-De-Haute-Provence…

The rolling that came before the climb to Pierrevert becomes now sharply uphill, even with hairpin bends to the village after which a last, now – in comparison with the past – follows a rather pleasant and safe descent into Manosque.

This is a fairly cozy, traffic-free Bastide with newly paved streets; and some interesting corners, to be discovered after your laundry and before dinner.

We stayed at Logis de France Le Terreau (90 € with breakfast) on the square of the same name, with enclosed bicycle parking. Good.  Had a nice meal on the terrace of “Le Petit Provencal”.  

 DAY 2: from MANOSQUE to APT: 95km, 6h01, 1247m ascent, 1376m descent. Highest point: 784m (after Vachères)

An awesome day of cycling!! (as mentioned above, this day can be split up with a stop in St Michel).

The route takes you along the canalized Durance (a little to the south the Verdon runs into it..) to Volx where, after the wooden bridge over the Largue (which you will cross again later at the bottom of the valley at Aubenas), a literal highlight of the day takes you to Villeneuve. A lyrical highlight of up to 14km on the phenomenal saddle of the D216 to Forcalquier comes after; don’t forget to look back every now and then and see how the route went that morning (see photo below). On a clear day, towards the North you can also see the snow-capped peaks of the Southern French Alps.

Arrival in Forcalquier at an attractive little square just above the city at the Church St Jean and restaurant L’Aiguo Blanco.  Recommended for ice cream and coffee: Flazzi on the Boulevard Latourette (winner of best glacier in Europe!)

On to a second highlight of the day: Saint-Michel de l’Observatoire with a pleasant finish (but not yet the highest point of the D5).  This village deserves a longer stop because the route continues to climb a bit further to a Col after which a small descent only becomes blissful after a sharp left turn on the tiny D555.

This takes you in and through a secluded, wooded valley of which the Largue forms the lowest point. The annoying thing about beautiful valleys is usually that you have to get out of them again!  This happens with a steady climb, which when you have to turn left on the D14 – you see Vachères up on the right, but the sigh of relief you breathe comes too soon because … – continues to climb quite a bit still! This forms a third literal highlight of the day…

Now comes a really enjoyable descent (3rd lyrical highlight of the day!)  to Reillane where you DEFINITELY have to stop at le Cafe du Cours for the couleur locale with fresco on the outer wall of the terrace…

Rolling false flats follow after Reillane with here and there a refurbished “Mas” scattered in the landscape making your mouth water, then past Céreste and – further than you thought – Apt. The latter on a converted railway line…

The wow factor of Apt is small, but the town has some interesting corners.

We stayed at Auberge Espagnole which is actually a B&B (80 € with breakfast on the roof terrace); We had dinner on the outside sitting area of the no-nonsense Le Carnot Set on Place Carnot.

DAY 3: From APT to OPPÈDE : 41km, 2h53, 585m ascent, 699 descents, highest point: 414m

We kept the distance purposely short this day leaving enough time to visit the 4 gems on the northern route of the Luberon: Bonnieux, Lacoste, Ménerbes and Oppède-le-Vieux. When the weather is clear, you can spot the Mont Ventoux today…!

The start of the route from Apt will NOT bring you back to the Voie Verte (bicycle track)  you left the day before (see also picture making it no so clear…)..! You go through the city for a while, follow the river Calavon and then leave the inhabited world sharply up. Bonnieux requires a fairly long and serious climb…!

Once you have reached Bonnieux, luckily you keep rolling more or less at the same height to get to the next 3 villages; Chateau (castle) Lacoste does require an extra steep climb as well as Oppède-le-Vieux. (see description version 1.0)

This last – deserted – village is located in an amazingly beautiful fold in the landscape!  And is traffic-free and almost deserted early in the morning – we think – and magically as well at sunset – we think…! Climb up on foot to Notre-Dame Dalidon to see how the village is embedded in the mountains.

Try to find a place to stay in this village (we couldn’t find one). There is also an acclaimed restaurant: Le Petit Café des Jeanne; but was closed that day…

We stayed in Oppède, a little further down the valley, in Mas Dansavan (135 € with breakfast; good but a bit uncharacteristic and remote…) In the evening, we had a very nice dinner in the fascinating restaurant (with café inside) Bistro Les Poulivets near the market place of Oppède.

DAY 4: From OPPÈDE to LOURMARIN : 53 km, 3h15, 663m up, 564m descent, 274m highest point.

Maubec, Robillon and Taillades bring you pleasantly closer to the western tip of the Luberon; you pass Cavaillon without almost noticing anything of the city and sometimes almost skirting the rocks of the mountain range, cycling through the green entrance of the Parc du Luberon.

Cheval Blanc here is a charming village rather than expensive wine and leads you to the Durance which you follow until just before Mallemort. Here you cross the river and from Mérindol on some work needs to be done!  (Cheval Blanc would also give access to the spectacular Gorges de Régalon but you don’t notice that on the bike; is a hiking area, apparently).

Mérindol and Lauris each offer well-deserved coffee stops because of the ups and downs in between, high above Les Borrys and Puget and along well-tended vineyards with the rugged beauty of the Luberon as a backdrop! Note that you very often follow a “Chemin des Huguenots” which indicates that over the centuries refuge was often sought here against the violence of religious persecutions….

La Table de Margot in Lauris is closed on Tuesdays, so picnic without coffee and a last but nice Chemin de Pierrouret took us back to Lourmarin.

Here are a lot of opportunities to celebrate the end of the Tour: recommended ice creams (with unusual names and therefore flavors) at Glaces Ravi, restaurant La Récreation (been twice  twice very good). Also: good quality/price wines at Louérion (next to Ravi), a cooperative that unites the vineyards of Cucuron, Cadenet, Lauris and Lourmarin.

And so you just finished another wonderful bike ride…!

OTHER THINGS THAT ARE DEFINITELY WORTH DOING IN THE LUBERON, since you’re there anyway now…!

  1. There is a very nice road from Bonnieux to Lourmarin, a road that cuts the Luberon in two, the D943. But… NOT recommended to cycle (way too busy and too narrow)!
  2. The road from Gordes via the Abbey of Notre Dame Sénanque to Venasque : magnificent! (this one can be pleasantly cycled , but NOT on holidays and weekends). Gordes and Venasque : both ** as plus beaux villages de la France ! Always busy, though!
  3. The road from Saint-Saturnin-Lès-Apt (D943) to Monieux: magnificent! Also by bike!
  4. As well as: Les Gorges de La Nesque : beautiful for cycling! But also for hiking: a loop walk (13km) starts in Monieux (cozy!) at le Plan d’eau and through the Gorges, along the Nesque to Chappelle de Saint Hubert and back. Brilliant!
  5. Hiking ON the Dentelles de Montmirail: starting from Gigondas: the 7 km loop hike that climbs the Dentelles is awesome!
  6. Roussilion and Rustrel (Le Colorado…) ; Rustrel, the quieter but less spectacular version…  Nice!

To explore:  le Tour du Verdon, new cycle route of “Le Provence à Vélo”