A looping route between Venasque and Le Beaucet

Discover two magnificent villages, Venasque, listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France, and Le Beaucet, a hilltop village and former fortress, nestling in the shelter of its ruined castle.

Details

186628
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.94 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 351 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 348 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 308 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 177 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the car park, head down towards the village, passing the hotel-restaurant "Les Remparts". Take the Rue Haute, which joins the Grand Rue, which you then walk down to the church. Opposite the church, turn right, then left as far as the cross. Take the footpath that goes off to the right just in front of the cross, then turn left a few metres further on. At a crossroads, you come out onto the D247. Follow it to the left as far as the Chapelle Saint-Siffrein (bishop of Carpentras who died in Venasque in 570).

(1) Just after the chapel, turn right down the path following a fence on the right. Go past the pumping station, cross the small stream and after a bend to the left, at a fork in the road, turn right onto the narrow path leading uphill (on the left is a private property). Leave a path on the right and fork left, skirting the cliff on your right. The path continues to climb until it reaches a crossroads.

(2) Turn left and continue up the balcony path (with fine views over Venasque) to the next junction, "Lou Clapas de Jouvenal". Leave the path on your left and the two leaving on your right and continue in the same direction without worrying about which paths might go right or left. Further on the path descends. At the two pylons, take the path on the right, cross the road at Jouvenas and continue straight ahead along the path towards Le Barri. At the T-junction, take the dirt track on the left, arriving shortly after on the D247.

(3) Continue straight ahead on Chemin Saint-Étienne. Let two paths go off to the left, then the path twists and turns downhill (remains of paved slanting streets) to lead to a concrete path that you walk down to the road. Turn left onto the D247. Cross the bridge and continue along the road as far as the war memorial. Turn left and walk along the cemetery to reach the foot of the fortified village of Le Beaucet.

(4) Visit the village - Go around the village to the right on the road, then turn left up the stairs into the village. Pass in front of the fountain and enter the village via Rue Coste Chaude. Pass the town hall and the inn, then turn right up Rue Montée du Four Banal. Go around the church and down Rue Montée des Cendres. Turn left into Rue du Moulin à Huile, then right into Rue Coste Froide, which leads back down to the Barri.

(4) Turn right onto the road (Chemin de l'Ermitage), walk past the Statue of Saint-Gens (on your left) and continue for around 500m to the Dégoutaïre junction. Turn left and shortly after take the first small path on the right. At the fork in the road, turn left and follow the old paved slanting street up to La Pelada. Cross the D247 and continue straight ahead along the Chemin de la Gonette as far as Capelane.

(5) Continue straight ahead, then take the path that cuts across the bend. Once back on the minor road, continue in the same direction. After the bend to the left, take the first path to the right, then right again and then left again until you reach the small road, which you take to the left for a few metres (Jouvenal). Cross the road and take the path along a fence. When you reach the rocks, go down the rocky corridor with steps cut into the rock to reach the D247.

(6) Go down the D247 to the left for a few metres and, after the road barrier, turn right onto the small path that leads down through the trees to the Chemin du Bas Quinsan, which you will cross. Climb the path almost opposite. Leave a track on the left and continue uphill until you come to a small road which you follow in the same direction until you come to a T-junction.

(7) Turn left. Don't worry about the roads to your left or right. At the fork in the road, keep to the right to reach the Tours car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 293 m - Les Tours car park. Passage close to the - Nesque (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 1.21 - alt. 198 m - Cross the D 247
  3. 2 : km 1.87 - alt. 236 m - The Bridges
  4. 3 : km 3.81 - alt. 295 m - Cross the D 247
  5. 4 : km 4.69 - alt. 245 m - Le Barri
  6. 5 : km 6.55 - alt. 305 m - Capelane
  7. 6 : km 7.46 - alt. 247 m - Go down the D 247
  8. 7 : km 8.45 - alt. 302 m - Espuys
  9. S/E : km 8.93 - alt. 293 m - Les Tours car park

Notes

Car park at the top of the village, near the towers.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 129 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
laurence30
laurence30

Hello, the review you left was not posted on the correct hike, but the one you did made me want to do it soon. Kind regards
Laurence

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patcool
patcool

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with beautiful panoramic views.
We started with a visit to the village of Crestet, which is very nice.
The paths are varied, although often stony, but that's normal in our beautiful region.
We had lunch at Pas du Loup, with a splendid view.
And reaching the summit of the Crête de St Amand was a treat for the eyes, but you have to earn it 😀.
The return via the DFCI is less interesting, but there are some beautiful views through the trees.
On the other hand, on the way back, after point 3 towards 15, the descent is long and tiring.
Next time, we'll return via the same route we took on the way there, starting at point 3...
A beautiful hike, we recommend it.

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papou26200
papou26200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with varied landscapes between two pretty villages. A visit to the Château du Beaucet is a must, and congratulations to the volunteers who are restoring the paved slanting streets. The descent to the climbing wall requires good footwear but is easy to do.
Thank you for the hike.

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ALGALARE
ALGALARE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very well-informed parish specific to Brittany hike.

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grahawi
grahawi ★

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed this walk: thank you to the author.
The Parking des Tours car park is currently in a blue zone (two-hour parking limit), but there are other car parks nearby.
There is a slight possibility of making a mistake at the Clapas de Jouvenal crossroads. You have to leave the path and a trail on the left, and you may not notice one of the two paths that branch off to the right. So there are five possibilities in total, and you have to take the one in the middle.

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promaim
promaim

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with no major difficulties

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barbbu
barbbu

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

We were unlucky! We couldn't get to the car park at the start because there was a cherry festival going on! A free bus took us there. So avoid the 1st weekend in June...

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Beadulub
Beadulub

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy loop, with reliable, easy-to-follow directions. Beautiful views over Venasque. The route varies between shady and sunny sections. We had a picnic at the finish in Le Beaucet on the stone platform with a view of the village and the castle. On the way back, the passage between two large rocks leading to the Venasque climbing wall is unusual.
Worth doing again.

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A picturesque walk to discover 2 beautiful villages and a surprising parade.
For those with a keen eye, there are a number of bee orchids in the lawn just before crossing the Chemin de Jouvenal.

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M.maurice
M.maurice

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely walk with lovely views, not too difficult except from Jouvenal to point 6 where the descent is rather acrobatic. This section can be avoided by taking the track to the right at Jouvenal and then the road to point 6. Venasque and Le Beaucet are well worth the trip.

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pierre fontaine
pierre fontaine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

very nice varied walk with some very beautiful views

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Jeneric
Jeneric

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk with views of the villages.
Little difficulty on the route.
The description is consistent with the walk.
Quite a short walk but of some interest.

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Leman François
Leman François

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At point 1 the cairn has disappeared and the entrance to the coomb is obscured by undergrowth. There is no signpost. After a few metres in the undergrowth, the combe opens up and this safe route through the rock carved by water over the centuries is brilliant.
After point 2, follow the VN24 signs so as not to miss junction 4. Great view of the entire Falaise de la Madeleine.
Take care when exiting at junction 5, as you have to walk along a fence that runs around the houses, and do not continue into the combe.

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Patrick nicole
Patrick nicole

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

No particular difficulties on this route apart from a short section that is a little steeper after Le Beaucet.
An undulating walk with beautiful views of the beautiful villages of Venasque and Le Beaucet.

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Dom Thierry F
Dom Thierry F

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A great discovery, even though we knew the region very well. Some fairly physical sections. Duration 2h20 for 3h30 indicated!

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