The Combrès valley

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Starting from the medieval village of Oppède-le-Vieux, this circuit allows you to discover the wild Combrès valley and magnificent views of the surrounding plain.

Details

n°27820
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 698 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 700 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 723 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 182 m
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Photos

Le Carré SATOR
Small lane Oppède le Vieux
The valley
arrival at Oppède le vieux

Description of the walk

Parking at the entrance to the village of Oppède le Vieux (3 euros in May 2014).

(S/E) From the car park, head towards the village via the path marked "vieux village" (old village).

(1) Once on the square, go down to the right onto the Route d'Oppède le Vieux. About 20 metres further down, a path branches off to the left (Chemin du Tombereau). It is marked in red and white (GR®) and descends along a paved slanting street.
After passing a house, leave the path that branches off to the right and follow the signs to the left.

(2) 150 metres after the path forks to the left, at the Combrès sign, leave theGR®97on your right and continue straight ahead towards La Jassine.
The signposts are yellow. Climb back up towards the bottom of the Combrès valley along a shady path between the cliffs. The trail disappears between rocks and lush vegetation.
Shortly before a large cave, climb up some scree and then a ledge (this can be dangerous if the rocks are wet).
After a few steep sections, the trail winds through the vegetation on the summit plateau and joins the ridge road.

(3) At the La Jassine sign, turn left onto the paved road towards Oppède le Vieux and Le Pradon. Continue along the ridge road, pass the Le Pradon sign and continue straight ahead on the paved road towards the Forêt des Cèdres and Les Hautes Plaines.

(4) When you reach the Hautes Plaines sign, leave the road and take the path on the left towards Poudarigue and Ménerbes. Follow this path, which passes above the Sautadou du Bausset cirque, which is not very visible at first but is well marked by yellow signs and numerous cairns. A vast panorama opens up before you.
Continue downhill, which becomes a little steeper, until you reach the Poudarigue sign.

(5) Turn left towards Vieil Oppède on the yellow trail. The return to Oppède-le-Vieux is through the woods via a series of small ascents and descents, arriving at the foot of the village.

(6) Leave theGR®97, which climbs back up to the left towards the ridges. Turn right and find the steps that climb up to the left into the village. After crossing Oppède le Vieux, head to the village square.

(1) Turn right onto Rue de Sainte-Cécile to return to the car park via the same route you took on the way there (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 220 m - Paid parking at the entrance to the village.
  2. 1 : km 0.44 - alt. 239 m - Village square
  3. 2 : km 1.08 - alt. 188 m - Combres crossroads
  4. 3 : km 4.08 - alt. 693 m - La Jassine crossroads
  5. 4 : km 6.17 - alt. 714 m - Les Hautes Plaines crossroads
  6. 5 : km 8.54 - alt. 311 m - La Poudarigue crossroads
  7. 6 : km 12.23 - alt. 225 m - Arrival at the foot of the village.
  8. S/E : km 12.88 - alt. 220 m - Paid parking at the entrance to the village.

Notes

Parking is paid and mandatory at the entrance to the village, with traffic restricted to residents only.
Water point at the start in the car park.

Worth a visit

Oppède Le Vieux is a magnificent little village built on top of a rocky spur, covered in beautiful vegetation and set against a wild backdrop of forests, valleys and rocks.
In this old village steeped in history, discover the beautiful 12th-century collegiate church at the top of the hill, which offers a 360° panoramic view, the ruins of a medieval castle and the remains of old shops and boutiques.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

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

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 61 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 21079129

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

.

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BernardPCT
BernardPCT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Splendidly varied and spectacular

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Marco13
Marco13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

With some friends, we recently did a loop through the beautiful wild and wooded valley of Combres, but we chose to do a much shorter loop than the one described here (7.5 km instead of 12.9 km) because it was hot and the 3-4-5-6 loop is quite monotonous and less interesting.
We did the following (very nice) loop:
- Point 2: free car park, right at the start of the Combres valley; this avoids the paid car park at Oppède-le-Vieux;
- point 3 when you reach the summit trail;
- just a short stretch of this summit trail to the junction with the GR and Bastidon du Pradon, then points 6 and 1, taking the direct descent via the GR to Oppède-le-Vieux (easy, well-marked and very pretty trail);
- return (very easy) to the cars at point 2.
This is a very nice route, with a total elevation gain of 550 m!

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DROP34
DROP34

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very nice walk with a beautiful panorama, in the undergrowth or out in the open. It's a shame that we're walking on a dirt road between 3 and 4. I really liked the description between 5 and 6, with a few climbs and descents, which you can really feel at the end of the route.
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GILLES CHABRIERE
GILLES CHABRIERE
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very fine hike, but only for experienced hikers, as it is quite physical and there are some vertiginous sections at the end. Be careful not to do this walk after heavy rain as the end of the valley is a real stream with lots of water.

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andomir
andomir

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The first part of the hike (points 1 to 3) is very interesting and sporty, with some great views.
The rest is more monotonous.....
Very pretty village to visit on the way back

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NOUVENE
NOUVENE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Done in April, we didn't come across anyone, except on the route des Crêtes, which is used by mountain bikers and a few walkers. The first part of the route (the Combrès valley) is quite strenuous... a climb through flowering coronas and lush vegetation. A short, slightly vertiginous section leads out of the gorge. This hike offers superb views of the Luberon, the Monts de Vaucluse and the Ventoux.

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pasnat
pasnat

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, the compulsory car park in the old village is equipped with a parking meter that charges by the duration of the parking period.
The rate is 1 euro / hour + 1 euro. So, for this walk, you'll need to count on 7 euros and speed up.
Other nearby walks, just as beautiful, depart from the villages of Maubec and Robion, and require no payment to park.

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goelandsud
goelandsud

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent ride, as is often the case in the Lubéron. Magnificent scenery all along the way and to finish the visit to Oppède le Vieux is not to be missed with a stop on a terrace (well...) to taste a local beer
Thank you.

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Fluryjc
Fluryjc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice 6-hour circuit. 3° at the start!
We followed the GPS track. At the bottom of the Combe, we missed the left turn despite a cairn and a yellow marker!
But at the foot of the cliff, we quickly realised our mistake!
On the climb, you need to have strong legs to get over the big rocks!
Be sure to follow the direction of the route.
This route also exists under the name "oppede-le-vieux-le-petit-luberon".

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mlf7912
mlf7912

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike! especially as it's not very popular. well worth the effort!

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lauzerte1851
lauzerte1851

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb coomb, magnificent scenery, easy route. I recommend this hike.

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Titico13
Titico13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

This is a difficult hike for 3 reasons:
1- its duration (around 6 hours, the first 2 hours of which are uphill)
2- the scree slopes on the way up and especially on the way down, which can lead to sprains or falls. High-top shoes are highly recommended.
3- On the ascent, a passage on a balcony above the void can be an obstacle for vertigo sufferers. A little higher up, you have to negotiate a rock about 1.20 m high. This poses no problem for those with some climbing experience, but it can pose problems for beginners.
Finally, I knew the loop when I came down the GR shortly after arriving on the ridge. The route described here is longer, but I don't think this is of much interest. Firstly, the section on the ridge is on a tarmac road with little visibility of the landscape in the distance and secondly, the return from point 5 to point 6 is in undergrowth with no visibility.
What remains is the spectacular ascent and the descent with its superb views of Ménerbes and Mont Ventoux (just like the descent via the GR).

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katia.madier
katia.madier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

a very sporty hike...superb scenery...just a few sections would benefit from a clearer marking...village oppede le vieux very pretty to visit

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Unzent
Unzent

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb walk

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