How to visit Gordes? What are the top things to see in Gordes area? Here is my local guide and itinerary to visit Gordes region!
It is in the Gordes region that I invite you to continue our discovery of Provence and the Luberon mountains this week. After revealing my Guide to Lavender Fields in Provence with Map & Photo Spots, it’s time to discover the pretty villages and hidden gems of the Gordes region. If you too would like to visit Gordes and are wondering what places to visit in Gordes area, here is my practical guide!
On the agenda: a visit to the sublime village of Gordes and its orange-colored neighbor, Roussillon. We’ll also discover the peaceful Sénanque Abbey surrounded by lavender and the charming village of Les Bories. Ready to be amazed? Let’s go though this itinerary to visit Gordes region!
Also read :
A Local’s Guide to Lavender Fields in Provence : Map & Photo SpotsItinerary to Visit Ochres of Provence
The 5 Most Beautiful Villages in Vaucluse
PRACTICAL TIPS TO VISIT GORDES AREA
How to get there?
By train: You really need a car to visit Gordes and the surrounding area and enjoy its beautiful winding roads lined with olive trees. The nearest major SNCF train station to Gordes is Cavaillon (25 minutes away). Avignon TGV (50 minutes away) is the most convenient station for connecting the Gordes region to major French cities. Allow 2 hours 40 minutes from Paris to Avignon, and 1 hour from Lyon. You will then need to hire a car to get around.
Where to stay to visit Gordes?
Here are several suggestions for accommodation in Gordes. You will see that if you want to stay in Gordes, you will need to book very early and be prepared to pay the price… If you want to find cheaper accommodation, don’t hesitate to venture a little further away from the village, as there are charming places to stay everywhere!
MAISON PRIVÉE A GORDES
- Typical house
- With a pool and a view
- From €140
HÔTEL CARCARILLE
- Magnificent & calm setting
- Close to Gordes
- From €180
LES AIRELLES LA BASTIDE GORDES
- The jewel of Gordes
- Rated 9,8 out of 10
- From €700
How much time do you need to visit Gordes region?
What to bring back from Gordes?
VISIT GORDES, ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN FRANCE
The best viewpoint over Gordes
Exploring the Gordes region means first discovering its magnificent village, the focal point of our walk. A village listed among the “most beautiful villages in France,” it has lost none of its charm despite the influx of curious visitors eager to discover this Provençal postcard. The charm of Gordes comes first and foremost from its exceptional location. Perched on a rock, it overlooks the Luberon valley.
And if you’re looking for the most beautiful view of your visit to Gordes, be sure to take the D15 towards Cavaillon. From there, you can see how the village is organized into terraces with magnificent houses surrounded by vegetation. It’s hard to imagine that an underground city once lay hidden beneath all these houses!
But you can still make out the charming winding cobbled streets of Gordes. Artists were quick to discover its charms! Like in Saint Paul de Vence, Marc Chagall, Willy Ronnis and Victor Vasarely were all captivated by this timeless village.
Visit Gordes : the heart of the village
Now let’s take a closer look at these narrow streets! Surprisingly, here we start at the top before gradually descending to explore the rest of the village!
At the top of the village stands the castle. A former fortified castle, the village gradually developed around it over the centuries. At its foot, the pretty Place Genty Pantaly is a place to rest in the shade of the plane trees and quench your thirst at the fountain. This fountain was the only source of water in the town until 1956!
From the castle, let yourself be carried away through the sloping streets that wind their way down to the bottom of the village. The charming Rue des Clastres leads to the church of Gordes and the former Saint Jacques almshouse. This is where pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela used to stay. Right next door is the old Savoy gate, the former entrance to the village.
A little further down, a few cobblestones away, the magnificent stone houses with sky-blue shutters are covered with roses and climbing plants. Don’t hesitate to go all the way down to Rue Fontaine Basse and Rue Pavé d’Amour (you couldn’t make it up!). Here you are at the foot of the wall that once surrounded the village. A wash house is a reminder of centuries gone by. Everything is peaceful and tourists are few and far between.
With its old stones and sun-drenched streets, this village is truly a little gem!
VISIT GORDES FAMOUS ABBEY: SÉNANQUE
You can’t visit Gordes without discovering the abbey located right next door! Sénanque Abbey is best known for its magical setting in summer, when it is surrounded by lavender fields. But it is also a beautiful religious building, where you can enjoy some peace and quiet (see the “Practical tips” section to avoid the tourists).
The exterior of the abbey is simple Romanesque, enhanced by the setting, which seems to have been created especially for it. The black slate roofs contrast beautifully with the bright blue of the lavender.
Sénanque Abbey was founded in 1148 by Cistercian monks. Along with its Provençal sisters, the abbeys of Silvacane and Thoronet, it bears witness to the importance of this monastic order in the region over the centuries. Even today, a few monks still live in Sénanque. Their days are spent between prayer and work, including beekeeping and working the land.
The tour begins in a magnificent vaulted room, the original dormitory. Next, you discover the abbey church, the cloister, the chapter house with its beautiful arches, and the warming room, the only heated room in the abbey. This is where the monks work.
But the place that fascinated me the most was undoubtedly the cloister. The peaceful little garden is surrounded by four bare galleries that have stood the test of time. Only the decorations on the cloister pillars add to the simplicity of the place. A magical and timeless place!
Practical information – Sénanque Abbey: admission: €8 (free for children under 12) – opening hours vary, so check their website. Note that you can visit the church for free. For the rest of the abbey, a guided tour is compulsory, except from Monday to Saturday between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. (last admission at 11 a.m.).
VISIT GORDES MOST CHARMING SECRET : LES BORIES VILLAGE
Right next to Gordes is the amazing village of Les Bories. These small dry stone huts date back to medieval times. They were once used as shelters and dwellings until the 19th century. At the time, it was an inexpensive construction technique for the poor. All that was needed was stone, which was extracted from the ground by digging.
The village was renovated in the 1970s and opened to the public after several years of work. Videos show the work carried out and the initial state of the village. The result is almost unbelievable! You can stroll through the 30 or so bories: a magnificent discovery that transports you to another era!
The village of bories is made up of several parts with different groups of dwellings. People lived there, but they also kept animals and stored their supplies. For example, you will see a sheepfold, a pigsty, a silkworm farm, and even a wine press! Sometimes you have to use small external staircases to get to the upper floor of some houses. The entrances are also very small, and children (and adults!) will love playing hide and seek here!
The stonework and ingenious techniques used are quite incredible! Aesthetically, the result is astonishing, even if this was far from the minds of those who built it. Stone also had the advantage of keeping the houses warm in winter and cool in summer. You’ll be surprised when you step inside!
Some houses also contain old tools on display, reminding visitors of the daily lives of their former inhabitants.
Practical information– Village des Bories: admission: €8 (free for children under 12) – open from 9 a.m. to sunset.
VISIT GORDES COLORFUL NEIGHBOUR : ROUSSILLON
The Gordes region is also famous for its ochre cliffs, located around the village of Roussillon. It has to be said that its colors are absolutely stunning, especially at sunset when the ochre tones warm up a little more. What a joy to have a sunny village even when the weather is bad!
With its resemblance to Collonges-la-Rouge, the red village of Corrèze, Roussillon stands out among the villages of Provence. But it retains the charm of its neighbors, with its pretty sloping streets, its bell tower, and its gentle way of life.
The pretty streets leading up to the tower are each more charming than the last. The shutters are painted in Provençal-style lime green or sky blue. The beautiful village square was my favorite part of the walk! Just above, you can climb up to the church square, surrounded by pretty little houses covered in vegetation.
At the top of the village, you can admire the view over the entire Gordes region. The surrounding plains are quite magical at sunset… You can also see the ochre cliffs of Roussillon, just nearby. They are bright orange in the evening light and can be visited via the ochre trail of Roussillon (see “Practical tips”).
The only slight downside is that I must admit that I was a little disappointed by the village, as it could be a little better maintained. While sometimes an old-fashioned feel can add charm to a village, I felt that Roussillon could do with some renovation. However, this in no way detracts from the originality and spirit of this unmissable village!
Also read : Itinerary to Visit Ochres of Provence
OTHER IDEAS TO VISIT GORDES REGION
