Provence

We stayed three nights. It's a 17th-century wine estate just outside Lauris, on the southern edge of the Luberon, surrounded by its own vineyards. The main house looks down a long lawn lined with plane trees and cedars to a round stone basin. Dinner is served in the garden or on the big terrace overlooking the grounds, and eating out there at sunset was a highlight of the trip. The food was excellent, and we weren't the only ones who thought so: families from the nearby villages came for dinner too. The pool was a great place for our son to play. Lourmarin is ten minutes away, and Marseille airport is about 45 minutes, which makes it an easy first stop after a flight.

Great for: families, couples, wine lovers. A good first base if you fly into Marseille.

The grandest hotel in the Luberon, on the edge of Gordes itself, with views across the valley and the village streets on your doorstep. It's also the most expensive option here by some distance. We haven't stayed, but if money is no object this is our first choice of hotel in the Luberon.

Great for: couples, families, special occasions. Top of the price range.

A Relais & Châteaux hotel built around an old hamlet on a hilltop, surrounded by its own vineyards (the estate makes a wine called Aureto). It has a cycling center that rents road and electric bikes and runs guided rides. Gordes and Roussillon are a short drive away. It was on our own shortlist for this trip, and we'd recommend it.

Great for: couples, cyclists, wine lovers.

A hotel on the hillside just outside Bonnieux, with views over the valley. It reopened in 2024 after a full renovation by the Beaumier group, which roughly doubled the number of rooms. It was on our own shortlist for this trip, and we'd recommend it.

Great for: couples, families.

A small guesthouse in a walled park with a pool, a couple of minutes on foot from the center of Lourmarin. It's owned by the same group as Le Moulin, with only a handful of rooms and apartments. It was on our own shortlist for this trip, and we'd recommend it.

Great for: couples, small groups who want a quieter base.

We stayed three nights. The hotel takes up most of a tiny hilltop hamlet at the foot of Mont Ventoux, with rooms spread across more than a dozen old stone houses linked by lanes and steps. The pool looks out over the valley below. We had dinner on the restaurant terrace at sunset, which was lovely, and our room faced west over the plain, with a sunset view of its own. Plenty of guests upgrade to a room facing Mont Ventoux. We didn't need one, but if you cycle, this is a major destination: the Ventoux is one of the Tour de France's most famous climbs, the classic route starts in Bédoin just down the road, and the hotel has a bike garage. There are cyclists on every road around here, so take care whether you're riding or driving.

Great for: families, couples, cyclists. If you ride, ask for a room facing Mont Ventoux.

A Relais & Châteaux villa in a garden on the hill just above the old town of Aix. It feels like a country house but you can walk into town for dinner.

Great for: couples who want city and countryside in one.

A 19th-century bastide in its own gardens, about fifteen minutes' walk from the Cours Mirabeau. Cézanne is said to have painted Mont Sainte-Victoire from the grounds.

Great for: couples, families. Walkable to the old town.

An 18th-century château that only became a hotel in 2017, set in a large park with its own vineyard, a spa in the old stables and a Michelin-starred restaurant, La Table de l'Orangerie. Rooms in the château itself have more character; the newer rooms have more space. It was on our own shortlist for this trip, and we'd recommend it.

Great for: couples, families. About twenty minutes by car from Aix.

The restaurant at Le Moulin, the Beaumier hotel in the center of Lourmarin. The dining room is under the stone vaults of an 18th-century olive mill, with the old press still in place, and there's a terrace for warm evenings. The cooking is Provençal and Mediterranean, a lot of it from the grill. We came as a family for dinner and it was excellent.

Good for: families, an easy dinner after an evening in the village.

An artisan ice cream shop on the little square in the middle of Lourmarin, made with fruit and produce from local farms. Flavors include orange blossom, lavender and honey, and Lourmarin strawberry. We had great ice cream here, and the square was busy with local families.

A restaurant in the middle of Roussillon with a short seasonal menu of modern Provençal cooking. We had lunch here and it was fabulous. Get a table inside: in summer the terrace is too hot, and the dining room still has a great view of the ochre cliffs.

Good for: lunch on a Roussillon day. Ask for an indoor table with a view.

The Paris pâtisserie's tea room and shop in the center of Gordes, run with the Airelles hotel just down the street, with a shaded terrace looking over the village. We had breakfast here: great pastries, good coffee and fresh juices.

Good for: breakfast before the village fills up. Open April to October.

A family pâtisserie from Carpentras, open since 1948, with a shop in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue selling pastries, tarts, bread and chocolates. We picked up a picnic lunch here after the market before driving on to Crillon le Brave.

Good for: picking up a picnic for the drive.

A pizzeria in Bédoin making Neapolitan-style pizza, with tables on the sidewalk and inside. We popped into town for lunch and it was great. The chef let our son come into the kitchen to watch his pizza cook in the oven.

Good for: families, an easy lunch near Crillon le Brave.

Market cooking on the square beside Cucuron's old stone basin, with tables under the plane trees. Chef Eric Sapet also runs cooking classes. This is the one we regret missing: we couldn't get a reservation, so book well ahead.

The standout village of our trip. Lourmarin is on the south side of the Luberon mountains, away from the crowds in Gordes and Roussillon, and it was pretty and quiet in a way the busier villages weren't. There's a Renaissance château at the edge of the village, a market on Friday mornings, and a small central square for ice cream (see Glaces RAVí). It's ten minutes from Domaine de Fontenille, and good for an easy evening walk before dinner.

Good for: families, an evening stroll and dinner.

The best known of the Luberon hill villages, with stone houses stacked up a cliff around the château, and the busiest. We went in the morning and had breakfast at Ladurée (see Where to Eat). The Sénanque Abbey and its lavender fields are a short drive north.

Good for: a morning visit, combined with Roussillon in the afternoon.

A river town on the Sorgue, with canals running through the center and old waterwheels still turning. It's known for its antiques shops. Markets are on Thursday and Sunday mornings: Thursday's is smaller and more local, and Sunday's is the big one, when the antiques dealers open up too. We went on a market day and it was beautiful, but parking fills up fast: arrive before 10 if you want a space.

Good for: a market morning on the way between the Luberon and Mont Ventoux. Pick up lunch at La Maison Jouvaud.

The village at the foot of Mont Ventoux where the classic climb starts, a few minutes' drive from Crillon le Brave. We came for lunch at Pizzamilia (see Where to Eat). It's a small, cute town, and after the busy villages of the Luberon it was blissfully quiet.

Good for: lunch, and the start of the Ventoux climb if you ride.

A hill village built in terraces up the slope, with views across the valley. We drove over and spent a while walking the town. At the top, 86 stone steps lead up to the 12th-century old church, whose terrace looks out to Mont Ventoux, Gordes and Roussillon.

Good for: a morning walk. Wear comfortable shoes for the steps.

Place Richelme has a fruit and vegetable market every morning under the plane trees, with cafés around the edge for a coffee once you've done a loop. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays a bigger market fills Place des Prêcheurs, a few minutes' walk away, around the obelisk fountain in front of the Madeleine church. Go early: stalls start packing up around 12:30.

Good for: a morning in Aix, before lunch in the old town.

Roussillon is built on ochre cliffs, and the houses are painted in the same reds and oranges. The Sentier des Ocres is a short walk through the old quarries just below the village, with a 30-minute and a 50-minute loop. There are plenty of steps, so it won't work with a stroller, and the ochre dust stains shoes and clothes. In summer go first thing, before the heat and the crowds.

Good for: families, a half day with lunch at Omma. Small entry fee, closed in January.