Église Saint-Étienne (Vitrolles-en-Luberon) walks

A four-day circular route that takes you up to the highest point of the Grand Luberon massif and along its ridges, offering superb panoramic views. You pass through numerous villages and hamlets, each boasting a rich heritage. Halfway through, you can add a loop to extend this route to five stages.

The third stage is the shortest of this route. After a very pleasant walk along a track at the foot of wooded hills, we take a narrow path that allows us to cross from the southern to the northern side of the massif. We then climb up to the pretty village of Montjustin, before descending via a ridge offering superb views.

A hike with two circular loops, combining pleasant forest trails with a stroll through the narrow streets of La Bastide-des-Jourdans to discover its rich heritage: ancient gate, fountain column, church, old castle, tower,...

This second stage is both long and superb! First, you climb the highest point of the Luberon, the Mourre Nègre, alternating between steep paths and gently sloping tracks. Then, you follow the ridges from west to east, always on open terrain with sweeping panoramic views. The (long) descent to Vitrolles is shaded.

This fourth stage begins with a route halfway up the wooded slope of the Vallat de Pissaire before entering the Ravin du Gancet and then crossing the Aiguebelle valley to reach the hilltop village of Montjustin. The route follows the ridge of the hill separating this valley from that of the Encrême and descends to reach Céreste, situated at their confluence. It crosses the remarkable Pont de la Baou before revealing, nestled in the woods, the medieval Priory of Carluc. It climbs the side of the valley and swings over to that of the Grand Vallat, then ascends its sunny slope towards Sainte-Croix-à-Lauze, from where it reaches the top of the Cavalon valley before descending it to reach the village of Oppedette.

This third stage takes you through the forests on the southern slopes of the Grand Lubéron. From Cucuron, the route climbs gently northwards across fields, then rises steeply up the wooded flank of the Montagne du Grand Lubéron and, following various valleys, reaches the bare ridge at the small pass of Basse Cabrière, east of the Mourre Nègre, the highest point of the massif. It winds along the ridge and, at its end, drops down the northern slope, then, skirting Mont La Grand Colle, returns south via the Vallat de la Combe d’Apt, before reaching Vitrolles-en-Lubéron.

Largely wooded, the Luberon attracts tourists with its ochre quarries, steep-sided gorges, monuments and hilltop villages with paved slanting streets that evoke the Provence of Daudet, Giono and Pagnol. The first three stages take place in the Luberon Regional Nature Park through the woods on the southern slope of the massif, visiting the medieval village of Oppède-le-Vieux and those of Mérindol, Cucuron and Vitrolles-en-Luberon. The fourth stage crosses over to the northern slope, passing through Céreste, Pont de Baou, the Priory of Carluc and Oppedette. The fifth stage explores the Gorges d’Oppedette, the medieval market town of Viens, and the ochre quarries of Rustrel and Villars. The sixth route crosses Gargas then Roussillon to explore its ochre quarries before setting off to discover the Gorges de la Véroncle. The final route heads to the beautiful village of Gordes, the Abbaye de Sénanque, Saumane-de-Vaucluse and the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.