A Local’s Itinerary to Visit Ochres of Provence

VISIT OCHRES OF PROVENCE ITINERARY #1: COLORADO PROVENCAL IN RUSTREL

First step of this itinerary to visit Ochres of Provence, the Colorado Provençal! I had been dreaming of discovering the ochres of Rustrel for a long time!

Often confused with the Roussillon ochre trail, the Colorado Provençal in Rustrel is more diverse and impressive than its neighbor. And even though both are magical, you’ll see that the ochres of Rustrel are a real gem! For me, this is the place you absolutely must see if you only have a limited amount of time to discover the ochres of Provence.

The Colorado Provençal in Rustrel is actually a gigantic ochre deposit and the site of former quarries, where nature has reclaimed its rights. It is nestled in the middle of a forest populated by maritime pines, which makes the setting truly magical. Only a few discreet remains remind us of the industrial activity that took place here in the 19th and 20th centuries, when no fewer than six generations of ochre miners and iron miners worked here.

The ochre cliffs of Rustrel are among the most beautiful things I have seen in France! The shades of color are striking: deep red, bright white, vibrant orange, sunny yellow… The Provençal Colorado is truly a magical place, which glows in the evening light. If you have the opportunity, go there two or three hours before sunset, when the whole site is ablaze. The light that evening literally fascinated me because it felt like being in another world, or at least on the other side of the world!

The Rustrel ochre walk takes two hours and takes you through three successive sites: the “Sahara,” the Cheminées de Fée (Fairy Chimneys) and finally the Désert Blanc (White Desert). If you have a little less time, it is also possible to see only the Sahara with a 45-minute walk. But that’s a bit of a shame, because the three places are very different and equally magical!

As you walk along, you’ll venture through cirques, steep cliffs, and bright orange sand dunes. The colors are diverse, as are the landscapes, and the vegetation contrasts beautifully with these bright pigments.

A little further along the trail, you will arrive at the “Cheminées de Fée” (Fairy Chimneys). This is one of the most stunning features of the Rustrel ochres! You will be treated to a panoramic view of the valley, with these amazing rock formations at your feet, reminiscent of the famous fairy chimneys of Cappadocia in Turkey.

There is a bench where you can sit and contemplate the view. With the fairy chimneys in the foreground and the Luberon mountains in the background, it is the perfect spot.

The last stop on the Rustrel ochre circuit takes you to the top of the “Désert blanc” (white desert), a large, steep cirque covered in white. In the center stands a strange peak, and the valley glows at sunset when the light gently settles on its cliffs. This is the least colorful part of the trail, yet one of the most beautiful!

Practical information – Rustrel ochres (Provençal Colorado): free entry but paid parking: €8 per car, opening hours available here

VISIT OCHRES OF PROVENCE ITINERARY #2: THE BRUOUX MINES

Second step of this itinerary to visit Ochres of Provence, the Mines de Bruoux! Located in the commune of Gargas, I also really enjoyed the Mines de Bruoux! The tour is led by a passionate and fascinating guide. These former ochre quarries closed in 1968 and were then used as mushroom farms. They are now open to the public.

During the tour, you will walk through 650 meters of galleries, some of which are fifteen meters high! But it is more than 40 kilometers of galleries that were dug by the miners!

From the outside, you will first see a gigantic, perfectly vertical wall of ochre, overlooked by pine trees that have ventured to the edge of the precipice. At their feet, several tall, narrow entrances mark the beginning of the many interior galleries.

Let’s venture inside the galleries! The temperature is constant (10°C), but it quickly becomes dark. The tour takes us through several galleries, which are immense when you think about the work that went into digging them. The shades of ochre vary greatly because the concentration of ochre is not the same everywhere. The miners therefore looked for the most concentrated areas, digging in all directions.

The guide then explains the history of the place, as well as the miners’ working techniques and many amusing anecdotes about their daily lives.

In some places, for example, you will see small niches carved into the rock. It is difficult to guess that they were used to “spy” on the neighbors. This is because two rival companies used to operate the quarries, and the miners could tell how far their neighbors had progressed by tapping the rock to assess the thickness of the layer and thus the position of their competitors!

Throughout the tour, we can imagine how hard the work must have been, the hours spent underground, and the infernal noise of the pickaxes…

But I haven’t yet told you why ochre was extracted in Provence! Ochre is, of course, used for pigments (paints, decoration) but also for rubber and as a coloring agent in food. Ochre was used, for example, in rubber pacifiers and to color Strasbourg sausages.

VISIT OCHRES OF PROVENCE ITINERARY #3: ROUSSILLON, THE OCHRE VILLAGE

Third step of this itinerary to visit Ochres of Provence, Roussillon is one of the most beautiful villages in Vaucluse, and I’m not the only one who likes it, as the village came third in this year’s “France’s favorite village” competition broadcast on France 2. It is also listed as one of the “most beautiful villages in France.”

Like all Provençal villages, Roussillon is full of charm with its sloping streets and bell tower at the top. However, it stands out because it is not the old stones that make it beautiful, but the ochre colors of its facades! The houses are resplendent, forming a veritable palette of colors that blaze at sunset!

Now I invite you to stroll through its pretty, sunny streets that climb up to the church at the top of the village. The orange of the facades blends perfectly with their lime green or lavender blue shutters: it looks like a magnificent painter’s palette!

My favorite place in Roussillon? The beautiful village square was my favorite part of the walk!

And at the top of the village, you can admire the view of the surrounding plains, which is magical at sunset… You can also see the cliffs of the Roussillon ochre trail, located right next door.

I chose to explore the Provençal Colorado in Rustrel rather than the Roussillon ochre trail because the walk was longer and more varied. The Roussillon ochre trail is much busier and less impressive than the Provençal Colorado in Rustrel. But as mentioned above, doing both is also a good option. So this can be another step of your itinerary to visit Ochres of Provence!

Practical information – Roussillon Ochre Trail: admission €3.50 (free for children under 10). Open from mid-February to the end of December. Opening hours vary depending on the season and can be checked in advance here.

There is so much to do in the region if you come to visit Ochres of Provence! Here are a few of my favorite places.

– Gordes (15 minutes from Roussillon): this beautiful village is a victim of its own success (especially in summer), but it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the Ochre Country. Perched on a hilltop crowned by its castle, Gordes has a timeless charm with its old white stone houses, sloping streets, and Mediterranean vegetation. The view of the entire region is breathtaking! To discover the area, check out my article “Visit Gordes : A Local’s Itinerary in Gordes Beautiful Region”

– The Claparèdes plateau (15 minutes from the mines): this magnificent plateau is completely colored purple in July! It is one of the prettiest places of my Guide to Lavender Fields in Provence! The fields are also dotted with bories, some of which are almost in ruins: a real Provençal postcard.

– Lourmarin (25 minutes from the mines): this pretty village, listed as one of the “most beautiful villages in Provence,” has a very special, chic and slightly bohemian atmosphere. Lively and bustling, Lourmarin is full of cafés, craft shops and boutiques nestled in the village’s pretty vaulted cellars. Read my article on The 5 Most Beautiful Villages in Vaucluse  to discover Lourmarin.

– Silvacane Abbey (35 minutes from the mines): this is one of the three sisters of Provence, along with Sénanque Abbey and Thoronet Abbey. Founded in the 12th century by the Cistercians, it is a marvel of Romanesque architecture in Provence.

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