Just minutes from Gordes lie two villages that most travellers drive straight through, their eyes already fixed on the Luberon's famous sights. It is a mistake we love to put right. Joucas and Murs have neither the tour coaches nor the packed terraces of their neighbours, but they offer something rarer: calm, light, and that feeling of having finally stepped into the Luberon the locals know. From Le Clos de Manon, a ten-minute walk from Gordes, these are the escapes we save for guests in search of quiet.
One of them, Joucas, clings to a spur between Gordes and Roussillon, all flower-lined stairways and discreet sculptures. The other, Murs, hides higher up, at five hundred metres above sea level, in the heart of the forests of the Monts de Vaucluse, where the air stays cool while the plain swelters. Here is how we suggest discovering these two secret villages, and why, season after season, they have become the favourites of our most loyal guests.
Off the beaten track around Gordes
Gordes is magnificent, and no one would argue otherwise. But in July and August, the perched village lives to the rhythm of the tourist flow: car parks full by mid-morning, crowded lanes, tables fought over. That is precisely where Joucas and Murs come into their own. A few turns of the wheel away, you slip into another tempo, that of a more intimate Luberon, where you can still hear the cicadas sing without the hum of the crowds.
These two villages make an ideal pairing for a half-day escape. Joucas is about ten minutes from Gordes, along the D2 and then the D102 towards Roussillon. Murs takes a quarter of an hour more, via the D15 that climbs gently through the forest. You can visit them separately, or string them together in the same loop, with lunch in Joucas and a shaded walk around Murs.
To place these villages within the wider region, we always point our travellers to our guide to the most beautiful perched villages of the Luberon (2026), which maps both the must-sees and the quieter gems. Joucas and Murs feature there as two perfect alternatives for anyone who wants to escape the crowds without straying far from Gordes.
Joucas, the village of flower-lined stairways
Joucas is a village you have to earn, but it rewards you quickly. Once the car is parked at the entrance and forgotten, you set off through a maze of stone calades and flower-lined stairways that rise gently towards the summit. As you climb, the golden-stone walls are draped in wisteria, climbing roses and pots overflowing with geraniums. It is one of the most beautifully kept villages in the area, tended with visible pride by its some three hundred and fifty residents.
First recorded in 1071 under the name Jocadae, Joucas once belonged to the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, who established a commandery here at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. That hospitaller history can still be sensed in the plainness of the stone and the defensive layout of the old village. Right at the top, near the former castle and the orientation table, the panorama opens wide onto:
- the ochre cliffs of Roussillon, whose red faces blaze at sunset;
- the Calavon plain, a patchwork of vines, orchards and lavender fields;
- the Mont Ventoux to the north, and the silhouette of Gordes clinging to its hill.
What makes Joucas so endearing is the complete absence of staging. You come across cats asleep on doorsteps, half-open blue shutters, winding paths that seem to lead nowhere and suddenly open onto a viewpoint. It is exactly the kind of village that, together with Murs, makes a wonderful complement to a visit to Roussillon and its ochre trails, just a few minutes away.
Contemporary art and fine dining in Joucas
Joucas holds a surprise few visitors expect: contemporary art here strikes up a dialogue with the ancient stone. Around the bends of the lanes, sculptures in bronze, steel or stone are tucked into corners, placed there as if by chance. This open-air art trail, born of the galleries and studios in the village, turns a simple stroll into a visual treasure hunt. You look up, you round a corner, and a work appears, framed by the golden walls.
The village is also known for its fine dining, far beyond what its modest size would suggest. Joucas is home to highly regarded gourmet restaurants, some of them with awards to their name, as well as village bistros where you can lunch on honest, sun-filled Provençal cooking. It is one of the reasons our travellers come back: you come for the calm, you stay for the plate.
Here, as a guide, is what you can expect from a gourmet stop in Joucas depending on the moment and the mood:
| Type of venue | Atmosphere | Indicative budget (lunch) |
|---|---|---|
| Village bistro | Simple terrace, dish of the day | €20 – 30 / person |
| Refined Provençal table | Elegant setting, regional produce | €40 – 65 / person |
| Gourmet restaurant | Signature cuisine, tasting menu | €90 – 160 / person |
We recommend booking ahead, especially from April to September and at weekends, as the best tables in the village fill up fast. For a memorable lunch in peace, far from the crush of Gordes, Joucas is a secret we are happy to share with our guests.
Murs, in the heart of the forests of the Monts de Vaucluse
The scene changes completely with Murs. You leave the bright light of the perched villages to slip into the forest. Set at around five hundred metres above sea level, in the heart of the Monts de Vaucluse, Murs is a woodland village, wrapped in holm oaks, pines and box trees. The air here is noticeably cooler than on the plain, which makes it a precious refuge during the great heat of summer.
The village gathers around its 15th- and 16th-century castle, plain and imposing, and its Romanesque church. Here there are no souvenir shops or rows of terraces: Murs lives at its own pace, that of a Provençal mid-mountain village where lavender is still grown and the forest dominates the landscape. The shaded square, the village café, the fountain: everything invites you to slow down.
Murs occupies a remarkable position, on the edge between the Luberon and the Sault plateau, on the road that leads towards the great lavender fields. It is also an excellent base for venturing into the northern reaches of the park, through landscapes we describe in our feature on Sénanque Abbey and its lavender fields, around twenty minutes away along the ridge roads.
The Plague Wall and local history
Murs preserves the trace of a little-known and striking historical episode: the Plague Wall. In 1720, when the great plague of Marseille threatened the whole Comtat Venaissin, the papal authorities had a long dry-stone wall built in an attempt to set up a sanitary cordon and halt the contagion. This wall ran for kilometres across the Monts de Vaucluse, guarded day and night by soldiers posted in sentry boxes.
Today, remnants of this Plague Wall survive in the scrubland around Murs and can be discovered along waymarked trails. Walking beside these centuries-old stones, beneath the oaks, picturing the sentinels of 1720, lends a particular depth to the outing. It is a quiet heritage, little promoted, that lovers of history and nature appreciate all the more.
The area is an integral part of the Regional Nature Park, listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Global Geopark. To prepare a walk or to understand the ecological richness of the place, we are glad to point our travellers to the official website of the Luberon Regional Nature Park, which lists trails, visitor centres and seasonal advice. The curious will also find a full history on the page devoted to Joucas, rich in chronological landmarks.
Hiking and cool air in summer
If Joucas lends itself to strolling, Murs is a true base camp for hiking. The forests of the Monts de Vaucluse offer a network of shaded trails that make all the difference in summer, when the Luberon heat easily climbs above 32 °C on the plain. Under the cover of the oaks, you walk in the cool, listening to the birds and the rustle of the wind in the leaves.
Among the routes we recommend to our guests setting off from Murs or its surroundings:
- the Plague Wall trail, historic and shaded, a loop of 2 to 3 hours;
- the forest paths towards the Véroncle gorges, between Murs and Gordes, dotted with old mills;
- the plateau tracks leading towards the lavender fields, glorious when in bloom from late June to mid-July.
For these walks, always bring plenty of water, a hat, sturdy shoes and set off early. Lovers of the great outdoors will find more route ideas in our selection of hikes in the Luberon, which details the levels, durations and finest viewpoints in the region.
Here is a guide to average temperatures to help you choose the right time of day and year around Murs:
| Period | Average temperature (plain) | Hiking advice |
|---|---|---|
| April – May | 16 – 22 °C | Ideal all day long |
| June | 22 – 28 °C | Morning or late in the day |
| July – August | 28 – 34 °C | Set off before 9 a.m., forest essential |
| September – October | 18 – 26 °C | Excellent, golden light |
Why these villages win over the regulars
Season after season, we have noticed that our most loyal travellers, the ones who return to Le Clos de Manon year after year, end up preferring Joucas and Murs to the busiest sights. The reason is simple: these villages offer the essence of Provence without its touristy flip side. Here you find silence, the authenticity of village squares, the pleasure of meeting more locals than visitors.
Joucas charms with its quiet refinement, its flower-lined stairways and its restaurants. Murs moves you with its forest coolness, its singular history and its generous nature. Together, they make up a truer Luberon, where you take your time. That is exactly the experience we set out to offer: a peaceful anchor point from which to fan out towards places the guidebooks too often sum up in a single line.
Many of our guests tell us that a morning in Joucas, followed by a quiet lunch and a shaded walk over towards Murs, remains one of the strongest memories of their stay, well ahead of the famous sights. That is the extra soul these secret villages know how to offer.
Combining with Gordes, Sénanque and Roussillon
One of the great strengths of Joucas and Murs is their central position. From Le Clos de Manon, you can build superb day loops by pairing them with the must-sees nearby, never spending more than twenty minutes on the road. Here is a summary of distances from Gordes to help you plan your outings:
| Destination | Distance from Gordes | Driving time |
|---|---|---|
| Joucas | 7 km | ≈ 10 min |
| Murs | 9 km | ≈ 15 min |
| Roussillon | 10 km | ≈ 15 min |
| Sénanque Abbey | 4 km | ≈ 8 min |
Our favourite itinerary: start early on the flower-lined stairways of Joucas, lunch on the spot, then branch off towards Roussillon for the ochres in early afternoon, before finishing with the cool of Murs and a short walk in the forest. Another, more contemplative option is to pair Sénanque in the morning for the lavender, then Murs and its Plague Wall in the afternoon. Whatever the combination, these villages fit together naturally.
Making Joucas and Murs an escape from Le Clos de Manon
This is everything we love to offer our guests: a central, quiet starting point, a ten-minute walk from Gordes, from which you can reach these two secret villages, like the great sights of the Luberon, in just a few minutes. In the morning, you set off in the cool; in the evening, you come back to the private heated pool and the song of the cicadas in the garden, with the memory of a day far from the crowds.
To explore this mosaic of perched villages and forests to the full, we recommend a stay of five to seven nights, time enough to alternate discoveries with restful days. If the longing for a hidden Luberon takes hold of you, you can check our availability at Le Clos de Manon right now and plan your Provençal getaway with complete peace of mind.