Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BUS
Voyages Raoux (
Click here
)
buses serve Avignon (€2, one hour) and L'Îsle-sur-la-
Sorgue (€1, 20 minutes)
CAR
The narrow road to Gordes (14km, 20 minutes) from Fontaine-de-Vaucluse makes a
scenic, less-travelled alternative to reach the Luberon. Parking in town costs €3.50.
Pays de Venasque
The seldom-visited, beautiful 'Venasque Country' is perfect for a road trip, a rolling land-
scape of oak woodlands, dotted with hilltop villages atop rocky promontories, and hun-
dreds of
bories
(domed stone huts from the Bronze Age). The region is famous for its
early summer ruby-red cherries.
The
Forêt de Venasque
, criss-crossed by walking trails (including long-distance
GR91), lies east of Venasque. Cross the Col de Murs (627m) mountain pass to pretty little
Murs
, and see remains of
Le Mur de la Peste
(Plague Wall), built in 1720 in a vain at-
tempt to stop the plague from entering papal territory. You could also walk into the Luber-
on from here, calling at Gordes and Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque (
Click here
)
. The
map
Balades en forêts du Ventoux de Venasque et St-Lambert
(€8) outlines several
family-friendly walks.
VENASQUE
POP 1001 / ELEV 320M
Tiny Venasque teeters on a rocky spur, its twisting streets and ancient buildings weathered
by howling winds. So picturesque are the village and its views that everyone is forever
reaching for their cameras. Sights include an ancient
baptistry
( 04 90 66 62 01; place
de l'Église; adult/under 12yr €3/free; 9.15am-noon & 1-6.30am, 9.15am-5pm winter)
,
built in the 6th century on the site of a Roman temple, and a compact
Romanesque
church
(Église Notre-Dame; 9.15am-5pm)
containing the pride of the village, an un-
usual late-Gothic Crucifixion painting (1498).
Sleeping & Eating
Les Oliviers €
( 04 90 66 03 71, cell 06 18 11 32 00;
www.lesoliviersvenasque.com
; Grand Rue; incl
breakfast s €58-68, d €68-78)
The three rooms in this pretty stone village house are sunny
B&B
