Tour of the hilltop villages of the Luberon

Park in the car park at Place du Foulage, Route de Croagne, in the village of Les Lombards, in the commune of Gargas.

(S/E) From the Place du Foulage, head north along the Route de Croagne, then turn left towards Roussiloon (Chemin des Roulés). Continue south along the Chemin des Lombards, cross the Route de Carpentras (D4) with care, and carry on along the Chemin du Pradas, straight ahead.

(1) Turn left onto the Route d’Apt (D104), then immediately right onto the Route Panoramique, towards Tartuguière. At the large junction, carry straight on along the Route de Tarachole until you reach the fourth road on the left.

(2) Turn left onto the Chemin de Sainte-Marthe. At the Stop sign, cross the D900 with care and take the Chemin de Roquefure, which curves to the right towards Roquefure, and continue until you reach the junction with the Voie Verte.

(3) Turn right, heading west, onto the Voie Verte until you reach the junction at Pont Julien.

(4) Turn left, cross the Calavon via the Roman bridge, then rejoin the Voie Verte on the right after the bridge. Follow this path, which runs alongside the D108 before veering away from it and leading to the hamlet of Gare de Bonnieux.

(5) Cross the departmental road and enter the hamlet via the Chemin de Coucourdon, opposite. At Bonnieux station, rejoin the Voie Verte on the right after the car park, heading west. This route crosses the Calavon on a metal bridge and continues towards Lumières station. Turn right at the Domaine de la Beaumette to continue along the Voie Verte. At the Véloroute des Beaumettes car park, carry on to the right (D29, Route de Ménerbes), then take the first left onto Chemin du Coulon and head for the junction with the tunnel.

(6) Ignore the tunnel and take the Voie Verte on the right, which runs alongside a road on your right-hand side. Continue straight on to Coustelet. Ride through the village on the cycle path, pass Maubec station, cross the Route de Cavaillon, then rejoin the cycle path until you reach the junction with the Chemin du Four à Chaux.

(7) Leave the Voie Verte, first turn left then right, and take the Chemin Reynard. Continue straight on, cross the bridge over the Coulon, then the one over the Calavon, and carry on along the Chemin de Fourvière to enter Robion. Cross the Route des Alpes, and take the Allée des Marronniers opposite, which runs alongside the cemetery and leads to a junction at its corner.

(8) Take the first left onto Chemin de la Glissette, then carry on straight ahead along Chemin de Maubec, followed by Chemin du Peirou. From there, follow the Véloroute du Lubéron (blue signs). At the roundabout, take the first right onto Chemin du Carraire, then turn left onto Rue des Pompes, then right onto Rue de l’Église, and you’ll arrive at Saint-Maurice Church.

(9) After the church, take a sharp right, then immediately left onto the unpaved Chemin d’Oppède-le-Vieux. At the junction, carry on straight ahead, heading east, along Chemin de la Blaque. At the hamlet of Souleyan, turn right (Route d’Oppède-le-Vieux), then follow the road in the no-entry direction (except for bicycles), and reach the village square of Oppède-le-Vieux.

(10) Cycle through the village and continue along the road leading downhill (Route des Petitons Minguets). On the descent, turn right onto Chemin de Malpertuis at the blue sign for the Véloroute towards Apt. At the junction, carry on straight ahead along Chemin de Fondos until you reach the Vieux Lavoir, by the side of the road, just after the entrance to No. 775.

(11) After the washhouse on the left – which is also a picnic area – head to the next junction. Ignore the dead-end on the right and continue to the left. At the Stop sign, follow the D188 to the right towards Ménerbes, go round a hairpin bend, leave the Route de Gergouven on your right, and continue towards Ménerbes. At the Stop sign, turn right towards the village (Route des Écoles), then left towards Ménerbes-Centre, and head for Place Albert Roure.

(12) Cross the square, then take Rue de la Fontaine, which leads downhill to the right, then follow the D103 to the crossroads at the bottom of the hill. Turn right onto the D3, towards Bonnieux. Follow this road, without leaving it, to the village of Bonnieux. Enter the village via Avenue Clovis Hughes and, at the hairpin bend to the right, turn left onto Rue Victor Hugo. Follow this road to the roundabout near the Église Neuve de Bonnieux.

(13) Turn right onto the D3 towards Apt, then turn left shortly afterwards onto the D149 towards Roussillon and Le Pont Julien, and continue straight on until you reach the Pont Julien roundabout. Then take the second exit opposite, towards the Roman Bridge you passed on the way there.

(4) After the Roman Bridge, turn right and head downhill to pass under the D108 and join the Voie Verte at the start of the route. Follow the Voie Verte until you reach the junction with the Chemin de Roquefure.

(3) Take this track to the left until you reach the Stop sign. Cross the D900 and continue along the Chemin de Sainte-Marthe.

(2) At the junction, turn right onto the Route Panoramique. Carry on until you reach a crossroad, then first turn left then right, and follow the Chemin du Pradas. At the junction with the Route de Carpentras (D4), continue straight ahead onto the Chemin des Lombards. Follow the track to the village of Les Lombards, then turn right onto the Route de Croagne to return to the Place du Foulage (S/E).