When our guests push open the gate of Le Clos de Manon, the first question is almost always the same: "where do we start?" And that's perfectly natural. From Gordes, you're sitting right at the centre of one of the most beautiful playgrounds in Provence, and the options are endless. This page is our thread to follow. Here we've gathered, from the shortest to the most expansive, every route we recommend to our guests, with a link to each detailed guide. Read it as a living contents page, then dive into the itinerary that suits your stay.
Gordes, the ideal base camp
Before we talk routes, let's talk starting point. If we always make the case for Gordes as a base camp, it isn't out of host's pride: it's pure geography. The village sits perched at the heart of the Luberon Regional Nature Park, equidistant from the major sites of the Vaucluse, and well placed for escapes towards the Alpilles, Mont Ventoux or even the Verdon. From Le Clos de Manon, the historic centre of Gordes is a ten-minute walk away, and most of the great Provençal highlights lie within an hour's drive.
In practice, this changes everything about the way you visit. Rather than packing and unpacking from hotel to hotel, our guests range out: they set off in the morning, explore a village or a valley, and come home in the evening for a swim in the heated pool. It's the comfort of a single base that makes Provence restful rather than exhausting. Here's how to make the most of it, day after day.
How long does it take to discover the Luberon?
It all depends on your pace and your mood. We've built three itineraries "by length", which nest together like Russian dolls: the short one fits inside the long one, and each keeps time to do nothing at all, because the Luberon is best savoured slowly.
One day: the essentials around Gordes
Arriving late, leaving early, or simply want a first day to settle in without a car? Our guide to discovering Gordes and its surroundings in a single day distils the must-sees: the Château de Gordes (12th century), the cobbled lanes tumbling down towards the ramparts, the Village des Bories about 3 km away and the Notre-Dame de Sénanque Abbey, tucked 4 km into its lavender valley. It's a route on foot and a few minutes by car, perfect for taking the pulse of the village before widening the circle.
Two days: a full weekend
For a short but rich stay, our 2-day weekend in the Luberon adds the neighbouring hilltop villages: Roussillon and its ochre cliffs, Ménerbes and Lacoste on their ridge, Bonnieux and its terraces. Two days is the right format to taste the contrast between the golden stone of the villages and the glowing red of the ochres, without ever rushing.
One week: the grand tour
If you're lucky enough to stay seven nights, this is our favourite format. The programme for a week in the Luberon alternates villages, markets, swimming and grand day trips. It's also the length that lets you venture as far as the Verdon or the Camargue without feeling like you've spent your holiday behind the wheel. For a first stay, in fact, we almost always recommend five to seven nights: that's the time it takes to truly range across the region, and to allow yourself at least one full day of pool and pure idleness.
Between these formats, many of our guests choose the middle ground. For them, we've laid out a tried-and-tested three-day stay that balances hilltop villages, ochres and Provençal markets — an excellent entry point if you're unsure how long to book.
Itineraries by theme
Beyond length, some routes deserve a day of their own because they follow a single thread. These are our favourite "routes", the ones you sketch out on a map the evening you arrive, glass of Côtes-du-Rhône in hand.
The ochre route
East of Gordes lies one of the largest ochre deposits in the world, and the sight is striking. Our itinerary dedicated to the ochre route between Roussillon, Rustrel and Gargas links the Ochre Trail of Roussillon (20 minutes away), the "Provençal Colorado" of Rustrel with its fairy chimneys, and the former quarries of Gargas. Bring shoes you don't mind dusting in red: it gets everywhere, and all the better for it.
The wine route
The Luberon and the Ventoux form two fine appellations, and the estates welcome visitors gladly. We've mapped out the Luberon and Ventoux wine route with the cellars worth the detour, from Château La Coste — at once an estate and a contemporary art walk — to the family houses of Ménerbes and Lourmarin. A day to take at a leisurely pace, with a designated driver — the tastings are generous.
Grand day trips
Some destinations are well worth the hour's drive. For lovers of dizzying landscapes, our guide to the Verdon Gorges as a day trip from Gordes covers the Route des Crêtes, the viewpoints and the turquoise swimming at Lake Sainte-Croix. It's a long day, but the largest canyon in Europe is worth every minute.
On the cultural side, it's impossible not to venture as far as the city of the Popes: our programme for Avignon in a day from Gordes leads to the Palais des Papes, the Pont Saint-Bénezet and the lanes within the city walls, about 45 minutes from the villa. An urban, heritage-rich interlude that contrasts beautifully with the calm of the villages.
Our method for shaping your stay
Here's how we help our guests assemble their own programme from these building blocks:
- One strong activity per day, no more. A hilltop village in the morning, a terrace at lunch, and the afternoon by the pool. The Luberon is to be savoured, not consumed.
- Build around the markets. The Gordes market is held on Tuesday morning, Place du Château; the one in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, famous for its antiques dealers, on Sunday. They set the tempo of the week.
- Save the grand day trips for clear days. The Verdon and Avignon involve plenty of driving; keep them for days of settled, sunny weather.
- Respect the lavender season. The fields of Sénanque and the Valensole plateau are in bloom from mid-June to mid-July, depending on the year. Outside that window the landscape is still beautiful, but the rows have been cut.
Ranging out from Le Clos de Manon
All these itineraries have one thing in common: they begin and end with us. Choosing Le Clos de Manon as your base camp means giving yourself the luxury of unpacking just once, coming home each evening to the heated pool and the pergola, and setting off the next day in a new direction without reorganising a thing. A ten-minute walk from Gordes and an hour from the finest sites in Provence, the villa turns a simple list of visits into a genuine way of life. Browse the guides above, sketch out your route, and leave us the rest: the light of the Luberon will do most of the work.