: Gordes

Gordes is one of the most famous perched villages in Provence, in the Vaucluse department at the edge of the Luberon massif. Built in a cascade of stone houses on a hillside, it offers commanding views over the Coulon valley. The village is a dense maze of narrow streets and vaulted passages. The nearby Abbaye de Sénanque with its lavender fields is one of the most photographed sites in France.

There is no railway station. The nearest stations are Avignon TGV (40 km) and Cavaillon (20 km). By car, the D15 and D100 from Cavaillon and Avignon. The nearest airport is Avignon-Provence.

The village is entirely pedestrian. Parking is at the base, and the steep lanes must be walked. The Luberon valley requires a car.

The village itself: the Renaissance Château de Gordes (contemporary art museum), the Église Saint-Firmin, the panoramic belvedere. The Abbaye de Sénanque (12th-century Cistercian abbey with lavender fields). The Village des Bories (dry-stone huts).

Photograph the lavender at Sénanque. Browse the art galleries. The Tuesday market. Hiking in the Luberon. Visit Roussillon, Ménerbes, and Bonnieux.

Excellent restaurants with panoramic terraces. Luberon cuisine: lamb, goat cheeses, tapenade, ratatouille.

Luberon AOC wines. Pastis. Café terraces on the main square.

Several hotels including the famous Airelles Gordes. Chambres d'hôtes in restored stone farmhouses. Gîtes in the Luberon valley.

Lavender products from Sénanque. Luberon wines. Provencal fabrics. Honey, olive oil, and tapenade.

Roussillon (ochre cliffs). Abbaye de Sénanque. Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Ménerbes, Bonnieux. Avignon.