Fountain of Vaucluse from Cabrières-d'Avignon

From Cabrières-d'Avignon, this is a nice circle route leading to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse going along the Wall of the Plague (Mur de la Peste) and passing by Fontaine-de-Vaucluse castle.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.31 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 434 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 425 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 321 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 77 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start : Carbrières d'Avignon free car park behind the town hall.

(S/E) From the car park, reach Cours Jean Giono and turn left (West). At the road junction, turn right (North) onto the Grand'Rue and walk up along it towards the top of the village. At the first road junction (fountain), turn left onto Rue du Château and carry on onto Chemin de la Pourtalette. One of the "lavoirs" (old wash house) will be on your left-hand side. Carry on along the castle. At the next road junction, take the calvary left-hand side, towards Mur de la Peste.

Go left on the Chemin de la Muscadelle, which is a dead end. Walk to the end of the paved path and carry on the gravel path. Walk straight up to a wider area with a road junction where you will find a second calvary. Carry straight ahead on the path going downhill.

(1) At the road junction, waymarker "le Mur de la Peste" walk toward La Pouraque / La Peithe Est. Walk along the Mur de la Peste until you reach the waymarker "La Peithe Est" (around 1.1 Km) and walk toward La citerne.

(2) At the signpost "la citerne", walk straight ahead (the waymarker is broken, you need to cross the DFCI by leaving Le Mur de la Peste). Follow the GR®6 - GR®97 in front of you. Walk down to the bottom of the small valley and carry on until you reach Gordes (D100A) tourist road.

At the signpost "Le vallon des Especarons", walk towards Fontaine de Vaucluse. On this part of the route, you can see many cedar trees. Once at the road, waymark "Valette" walk toward Fontaine de Vaucluse / Font de l'Oule. Walk until you reach Fond de l'Oule valley entrance ( the Font de l'Oule signpost and waymarkers are broken) and a second wider area with trailheads.

(3) Take the path on the right. About 400 m further along, at the junction, turn left (a barrier restricts the access road for vehicles). Follow the path to the Château de Pétrarque ruines.

(4) Go around the ruins by the left: you can walk up to the ruin's upper part however, the path is goes along the lower part, on the left side of the wall. Go downhill until you reach the houses and the road.

Here, you can if you wish extend the walk for about 25 min to go up to the "Fontaine du Vaucluse" water source (round trip). If you wish to take this detour, as you reach houses, walk towards the village. Walk past the paddle wheel and across the Sorgue river. Walk upstream to its source. You can take the chance to go through Vallis Clausa gallery where you can meet craftsmen and visit the traditional Vallis Clausa paper mill, which presents the traditional manufacture of rag paper in the 15th century. The way back follows the same route. You cross the Sorgues river again and resume the route.

(5) Otherwise, turn left (South) towards Gordes. Stay along D24 (signpost Galas, towards Les Bastides Ouest).

(6) After the road junction with Gordes touristic road : signpost Les Bastides Ouest, walk toward Lagnes. This path starts behind the building located on the side of the road. Walk along houses and follow the GR® de Pays Tour des Monts de Vaucluse. At the junction, stay on the main path waymarked with waymarkers for cyclists.

(7) At the T-junction, turn left and then left again walk along a paved path for a short distance.

(8) Carry on right (South) following GR® (signposted La Bastide Rouge, towards Lagnes). Go past an old building entirely restored on your left-hand side: la Bastide Rouge. Then carry on the path until you reach the road (D100A).

(9) Turn right along the road and then straight away left following GR® (signpost "Basse Capiane" towards Lagnes). Carry straight on until you reach Lagnes road after 730 m or so.

(10) Walk along it to the left (East) and at the next junction, go toward Cabrières. Be careful when walking along the road for 500 m.

(11) After passing by the beginning of the DFCI (Tête du Chat track), take the path left following the road below for around 850 m.

(12) Take the path on the left and immediately right along the DFCI track of La Pouraque (signpost "Bourbourin" toward Le Mur de la Peste Cabrières).

(1) The Mur de la Peste is now on your left-hand side. Carry on straight ahead and walk back to the start by using the same way to the carpark(S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 164 m - Town Hall car park - Eglise Saint Vincent (Cabrières d'Avignon)
  2. 1 : km 1.27 - alt. 215 m - Plague Wall Trail
  3. 2 : km 2.39 - alt. 311 m - Tanker
  4. 3 : km 4.41 - alt. 117 m - Entrance to the Fontaine de l'Oule valley
  5. 4 : km 5.56 - alt. 148 m - Château de Pétrarque
  6. 5 : km 5.82 - alt. 80 m - Fountain of Vaucluse - Sorgue (rivière)
  7. 6 : km 6.25 - alt. 77 m - Left fork on GR°°®°°de Pays - Fontaine de Vaucluse
  8. 7 : km 7.35 - alt. 194 m - Crossroads, left
  9. 8 : km 7.76 - alt. 207 m - Crossroads, right
  10. 9 : km 8.34 - alt. 180 m - Road, right
  11. 10 : km 9.07 - alt. 155 m - Route de Lagnes
  12. 11 : km 9.57 - alt. 180 m - DFCI departure point: Tête du Chat track
  13. 12 : km 10.42 - alt. 227 m - Fork left then right
  14. S/E : km 12.31 - alt. 164 m - Town Hall car park

Practical information

Start : Carbrières d'Avignon free car park behind the town hall.

Parking : Park in the free parking lot behind the town hall.

Terrain : ⚠️ Warning : choose the most practicable way to go down.

In the nearby area

Before the descent to Château de Pétrarque ruins, you can take a path on the right which will allow you to access a viewpoint on the cliffs and the Sorgue hight part. A second viewpoint is on the right as you reach the ruins. Please note these viewpoints are not secured.

(5) Fontaine-de-Vaucluse village is on the right-hand side after the descent from the castle. You can visit it or go up the Sorgue river its water source (be careful, this will considerably lengthen the route offered here).

La Bastide Rouge is an old post office.

(11) As you reach DFCI (noted "piste de la Tête du Chat"), it is possible to take a left to follow the GR® which goes up to the Tête du Soldat. This path via the Tête du Soldat will bring you back to the route at the waypoint (12).

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
geneviève crokaert
geneviève crokaert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

There are several points of interest on this hike: the Plague Wall, Petrarch's Castle, and the source of the Sorgue River.
Unfortunately, the last 150 metres to see the resurgence are closed due to rock falls.
Enjoy a pleasant picnic on the low walls along the Sorgue.

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Chaden
Chaden

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful hike with varied scenery and a fine finish overlooking Fontaines de Vaucluse and the Sorgues.
Please note: access to the chasm is closed due to the risk of falling rocks.
Thanks to the author for this hike!

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gigirelax
gigirelax
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : May 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant walk, done in spring on a Saturday, an explosion of colours and scents. Few hikers on this trail, some of which is shared with mountain bikers. The first part of the route is a beautiful historical trail with the plague wall (I started from the Bourbourin car park). The slope is a little steep after the lunch break at the Fontaine de Vaucluse, but the route is well worth the effort...

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Fayolle Chantal
Fayolle Chantal

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

On the way back to point 10, instead of following the road, you can take a small path on the right. Alternatively, between numbers 11 and 12, there is a path that cuts across the last bend. This gets us off the road. Personally, I think the departure point at the Bourbourin car park is more suitable, as it avoids the stony descent towards the village of Cabrières.

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Alain Revello
Alain Revello

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant walk with a very satisfying variety of landscapes. History with the key to the Plague Wall and the Château des Evêques, and a very pleasant finish in Fontaine. After a picnic in Fontaine, the climb to Lagnes is a little steep but not too difficult.
It was a real pleasure, and I'd like to thank the signposters for their excellent directions.

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Delphinium
Delphinium ★

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Richard1329
Richard1329

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very nice, varied walk, with no major difficulties. We enjoyed the diversity of the paths, the scenery and the many relics along the way.

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Jacques1950
Jacques1950

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful route with a wide variety of landscapes and historic sites.
At point 12: take the footpath on the left, continuing as far as the DFCI Piste de la Pouraque, go straight on for about a hundred metres to reach the "Boubourin" marker, turn left towards Cabriéres, mur de la peste.

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Gilles Vernier
Gilles Vernier
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A lovely walk with some fine views.
I lengthened it at point 5 to go to the spring and, between 10 and 11, with a diversion via Lagnes...

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jprichaud
jprichaud
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : May 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very good walk on the outward journey to Fontaine de Vaucluse: discovery of the Mur de la Peste, then into a valley, and arriving at the heights of Fontaine, the return journey is less well described, lacking landmarks: an alternation of paths and roadside crossings. On the way back, we passed a few drystone shelters. The GPX guided us well

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syadda
syadda

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Overall, a nice circuit, except towards the end where we skirt a busy road ...

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Olivier GUELAUD
Olivier GUELAUD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

We set off from Les Imberts (Gordes) on a mistral-force day for a beautiful hike. A wide variety of paths, lovely viewpoints, the mure de la peste (plague wall) of interest....And then on to Fontaine Du Vaucluse for a very pleasant lunch and a trip to the chasm (where the Sorgue rises), which is well worth the (small) diversions.

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dougere
dougere

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

We did a shorter version of this route.
Arriving at the hollow of the "Esperacons valley" between 2 and 3 we left the GR to climb the left-hand signposted path.
From the "Esperacons" crossroads straight on to the "le soldat" crossroads, turn left to take the GR back to point 12.
7.3 km in 2h50
Magnificent walk. The plague wall is very interesting. Viewpoint with panoramic views. Very pleasant forest.

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mbaiwir
mbaiwir

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Nice varied walk. Thanks for sharing!

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tlgodillot
tlgodillot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Nice, varied walk with no major difficulties

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