The stone village of Gordes stacked on its hillside with green trees below and a wide valley under a blue sky

Heritage · Gordes and Roussillon, Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Luberon hill villages (Gordes and Roussillon)

Two of Provence's best-known perched villages: stone-built Gordes on its rock and Roussillon among red and yellow ochre cliffs

Explore on the map Plan a France trip

Ambient sound · similar settingGrey cicada singing in a southern countryside ash tree

Photo: Simon Spring (@springsimon) / Unsplash

Discover Luberon hill villages (Gordes and Roussillon)

Gordes sits on a limestone outcrop on the edge of the Monts de Vaucluse, about 38 kilometres east of Avignon. Its houses of dry stone climb in terraces to the castle at the top, and from the road below the whole village appears to hang over the valley. Narrow cobbled lanes, vaulted passages and small squares lead between galleries, shops and restaurants.

Roussillon, a short drive to the east, is built on large ochre deposits. The clay here ranges from yellow to deep red, and the village's houses are rendered in the same shades. Just below the village, the Sentier des Ocres leads through a former quarry of eroded cliffs and needles, coloured orange and red against green pines.

Don’t miss

01The view of Gordes piled up on its rock from the road below the village
02Walking the Sentier des Ocres through red and orange cliffs at Roussillon
03The Renaissance castle and cobbled lanes of Gordes
04The colourful square and ochre-rendered houses of Roussillon
05The Village des Bories, a group of dry-stone huts near Gordes

History & culture

The story of Luberon hill villages (Gordes and Roussillon)

A castle was built at Gordes in 1031, strengthened in 1123 and partly rebuilt in Renaissance style in 1525. During the Second World War the village was an active centre of resistance, and on 22 August 1944 German forces destroyed more than twenty houses in reprisal. After the war, artists including Marc Chagall and Victor Vasarely were drawn to the restored village.

Roussillon's ochre was mined on a large scale from the end of the eighteenth century until around 1930, supplying pigments to the textile industry and employing thousands of people. Modern methods and competition led to closures, and from the 1980s tourism replaced ochre as the main source of income; mining is now prohibited to protect the sites. The Irish writer Samuel Beckett hid in Roussillon from 1942 to 1945 and wrote his novel Watt there.

Local life & traditions

Both villages are small communities that live largely from tourism, alongside farming of olives, vines and fruit in the valley. Gordes has around 1,600 inhabitants, and its economy rests on tourism, olive oil and vineyards. In Roussillon, artists' studios and galleries make use of the ochre colours, and cafés on the square are busy from spring to autumn.

Things to do

Experience it like a local

Most visitors combine the two villages in a day, wandering the lanes of Gordes in the morning and walking the ochre trail at Roussillon later on. The trail has two circuits of about 30 and 50 minutes, and the former Mathieu ochre factory nearby explains how the pigment was extracted and processed. Sénanque Abbey, the Village des Bories and the markets of other Luberon villages are close by, and cyclists use the network of quiet roads across the valley.

When to go

Spring and early autumn bring comfortable walking weather and fewer crowds. In July the nearby lavender is in flower, but the villages and car parks are very busy. The ochre trail stays open most of the year with shorter hours in winter and may close in bad weather.

Plan your visit

Verified information

Sentier des Ocres hours (2026): Varies by month: July–August 9:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30); 1–15 November 10:00–17:00; 16 November 2026–4 January 2027 11:00–16:00. Subject to weather. Source: provence-alpes-cotedazur.com ↗
Sentier des Ocres route: Two circuits of about 30 and 50 minutes, with 350 steps; not recommended for people with reduced mobility or pushchairs. Dogs on a lead are allowed. Pay on site; no booking. Source: provence-alpes-cotedazur.com ↗
Location and parking: South of Roussillon village on the D105, with several paid car parks. Source: provence-alpes-cotedazur.com ↗

Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.

Travel tips

Wear old shoes on the ochre trail: the fine red dust stains fabric and soles.
Arrive early in summer, as parking in both villages fills by late morning.
Photograph Gordes from the viewpoint on the road below the village in the late afternoon light.
Combine the villages with Sénanque Abbey, especially in the lavender season.
Bring water and a hat; the trail and lanes are exposed to the sun.

General guidance from our specialists, not official information.

Around Luberon hill villages (Gordes and Roussillon): food, markets & places to stay

Sénanque Abbey and its lavender lie in a valley just north of Gordes, and the Village des Bories is close by. Other Luberon villages such as Ménerbes, Bonnieux and Lourmarin are within half an hour, and the town of Apt is the main market centre. Avignon is about 38 kilometres to the west of Gordes.