Discovery tour of Oppède-le-Vieux

Pleasant circular walk where you will discover the magnificent village of Oppède-le-Vieux and its vestiges.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 2.65 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 105 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 103 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 292 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 180 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start : Parking de Sainte-Cécile. (Fee apply)

(S/E) Go behind the "guérite" and take the footpath going uphill towards the village. On the right-hand side you can find some "restanques" (terraces maintained by stoned walls). Take the stairs made of stones to go from one another. You will find signposts describing species of trees and shrubs you can find in the area.

Go up until you reach the old "aire de battage", then turn left towards the orientation table. From here you have a magnificent viewpoint of the valley and the mountains in the distance. Carry on along the path towards the village.

(1) When you reach a paved road, turn right (South-West) and walk downhill towards houses. At the junction, in the center of the old village, walk straight ahead and pass under the porch. Walk along the "calade", an old cobbled street, winding between houses.

(2) At the junction, bear right (South-West) towards the chapel. You will walk along the remains of ancient troglodyte houses. Some vaults are still visible. When you reach the chapel, turn left (South-East) and carry on up hill until you get to the top of the village and the Collegiale Notre-Dame d'Alydon. From the public square, you will have a magnificent view of the Ventoux.

(3) Carry on a little further to the castle ruins, which is being restored and then retrace your steps. On the way back down, take the path straight away on the right going under the "collegiate" and stay on the main path.

(2) Follow the path on the left (already taken on the way up) which leads you to the chapel. When you reach the chapel, this time, turn right on the path which will bring you back to the center of the village (place de la croix). Walk straight ahead along "rue du Portalet" going past the front of the covered market (1732) and as you go downhill admire a SATOR square called "carré magique" (you normally find those squares in Pompeii's ruins), then walk back to go up to the path towards Ste Cécile. Walk back on the path straight ahead where you came from before and go up the alley along houses.

(1) At the top of the alley, stay on your right-hand side and follow the Chemin de Sainte-Cécile going past the left-hand side of the cemetery. Go downhill through the woodland, be careful, the leaves can be slippery when wet, and walk until you reach the road (D178).

Turn left (North) and walk for 50 meters or so along the road. At the junction, take the dirt road on the left (West) and walk along the fields. Keep the main dirt road until you reach Oppède-le-Vieux paved road.

Turn left twice to find stairs and a path that will bring you back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 215 m - Sainte-Cécile car park
  2. 1 : km 0.37 - alt. 246 m - Crossing : A/ right - R/ straight on
  3. 2 : km 0.62 - alt. 255 m - Crossing : A/ right - R/ left
  4. 3 : km 0.86 - alt. 286 m - Collegiate church
  5. S/E : km 2.65 - alt. 215 m - Sainte-Cécile car park

Practical information

Start : Parking de Sainte-Cécile.

Parking : Leave your car on the large obligatory car park located at the bottom of the old village, Parking de Sainte-Cécile. Please note this parking lot is not free of charge, depending on the season.

Terrain : Be careful when descending in the woodland: the leaves hide flat stones and roots which can be slippery when wet.

In the nearby area

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
passion rando
passion rando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Pay car park.
Park on the outskirts of Oppéde village, free parking.
Take the 2nd exit at the roundabout, Chemin de Rigouau, then turn left.
When you reach the main road, turn right for about 50m. At the crossroads, take the dirt road on the left and drive along the fields until you reach a tarmac road. Turn left 2 times to find steps and a path that leads to the St Cécile car park.
A very pretty village.

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Annie VIAL-UZEL
Annie VIAL-UZEL

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A wonderful discovery. Walking through the narrow streets is so exciting that we often got carried away by our intuition and didn't always follow the trail exactly.

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gilou40
gilou40

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

not to be missed if you're visiting the Luberon. this walk will only take you two hours, or a little longer if you want to wander around the village and take some great photos. parish specific to Brittany, this is a beautiful, well-maintained botanical trail.

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Maminouxe
Maminouxe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

We were almost the only ones able to enjoy this little tour.

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Harmony84
Harmony84

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very nice walk - the scenery changes, first with a beautiful harmony between the mineral and the vegetation, especially in this autumn season, then the remains of troglodyte houses, the castle and finally the charming village that transports us back in time in absolute tranquillity.
Thank you

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chrismeumeu
chrismeumeu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

We set off on this walk from Maubec, where we were staying, a village located 3 km from Oppède le Vieux.
This gave us the opportunity to discover a woolly pig farm (of Hungarian origin).
The old village of Oppède is interesting because it is still authentic, not "disfigured" by all the shops that are unfortunately all too common in tourist resorts.
You can see Mont Ventoux in the distance from the village, where there is a very pretty church at the top.
It was a lovely walk, without many people around.

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les sem
les sem ★

Thank you very much for this addition, I'll be adding it to the hike!

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Zabelge
Zabelge

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Additional information: Before starting the ascent to the Chemin de Ste Cécile, turn right from the Place de la Croix into the Rue du Portalet, passing the covered market (1732). On the way down, you can admire a SATOR square known as the magic square (such a square can be found in the ruins of Pompeii), then retrace your steps to go up to the Chemin de Ste Cécile.

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