I think it's worth it, but I suspect that it will take more than 1.5 hours. Besides, there are things to see along the way, such as Moustiers Sainte-Marie.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/sets/72157624404539441/show/with/7743682252/

WAY more than 1.5 hours. Check the distance and time on the viamichelin.com web site and note that the site consistently underestimates the time required. Going around the canyon is a slow and winding, and it can be a bit dangerous if the weather turns bad.

It's not a difficult drive but it is a tiring and long drive. I took most of the day (with a few stops) to drive from Grasse to Apt via the Route Napoleon and Gorge du Verdon. I loved the drive but I agree that it's much more than 1.5 hours longer.

I stayed in Mustiers St Marie, If you love pottery,
this is the place to say plus some wonderful restaurants.
The drive through the canyon is lovely but don't remember if it took longer than 1.5 hours. We didn't encounter much traffic.Lourmarin is one of my places in the Luberon.
Check out my favorite shop there,COTE BASTIDE,

I may not have been clear enough. The extra hour and a half is on top of the time it would have taken if I took the usual route through aix. So, instead of taking 2 hrs and 15 minutes, Google maps says it would take 3 hrs and 45 mins to get from Lourmarin to Cannes by way of the gorges du verdon. Does that sound about right

4 hours and 15 min. according to www.viamichelin.com I think that this is optimistic.

At LEAST half a day. It's gorgeous, but you should probably plan to spend a night there, NOT just do it as a drive-by. It's long and tiring, but yes, gorgeous.

I've said this dozens & dozens of times on Fodors. If you have visited the Grand Canyon in the US, the Gorges du Verdun will be a BIG disappointment, IMO. We have visited several gorges in France that I thought were more interesting & scenic than the Verdun gorge.

Stu Dudley

The drive from the Gorges du Verdun to Cannes can take you via Aups/Villecroze (Tourtour is worth seeing and has some great restaurants), Lorgues (another lovely town) and towards La Garde Freinet (past Taradeau) and then along to coast to Cannes. But it is a very long drive. Otherwise to cut it short, take A8 Autoroute La Provençale at Les Arcs towards Cannes.

Thanks for the feedback. Stu, are any of the more interesting/scenic gorges any closer to the route from Luberon to Cannes? Maybe we can go a different route that's not too out of the way. It would just be neat to see some of the Alps on our drive versus visiting more towns. We will be doing a lot of that on other days. Merci!

The "better" canyons are the Gorges du Tarn, Ardeche, and the group of gorges about 1 hr straight north from Nice. All are out of the way. The Maures mountains are scenic from the A8 as you pass the St Tropez exit. Otherwise, the "interesting" stuff is just more vineyards & cute villages like you've seen in the Luberon. If you have my 27 page Provence/Cote d'Azur itinerary, follow the route through Tourtour/Cotignac from St Paul de Vence to the Luberon (in reverse, of course), but again - mostly vistas, vineyards, & villages.

Stu Dudley

Thanks from me too Stu. I'll be in that area next April and have been thinking about our plans. I've been to the Gorges du Verdon and thought they were beautiful (and I've been to the Grand Canyon), was thinking about driving through again, but now I can consider the others.

Meredith - have you selected a place to stay in Cassis? We haven't found anything that suits us yet (considering budget, views, etc.) I want a view, my mom has a lower budget. What are you thinking about if you have gotten that far.

We have. We are staying at l'avila cassis. A sort of bed&breakfast/boutique hotel. It's 200 euros a night, but the views looks spectacular. The reviews on tripadvisor were also very good.

Thanks meredith - I'll check it out.

I've been to the Grand Canyon and loved the drive from Cannes to the Luberon via the Gorges du Verdun (went the opposite way). It is not only the gorge, but Moustier St Marie, Castellane and other interesting, out of the way places that you go through. I bought some pottery in Moustier that I will forever treasure and will never forget the hike to the church on top of the peak in Castellane.

I think the Gorges du Tarne are absolutely spectacular, but I wouldn't give short shrift to the Gorges du Verdon, particularly if you're in the region and have only one opportunity to see such a sight. I've been to the Grand Canyon as well, and yes, it's awesome, but you can't drive around it and have a croissant or a local blue cheese.

Hmmmm. Sadly, I think we will have to skip the Gorges du Verdon. I don't like rushing things so we will take the A8 instead and spend some time in Aix. We might do some hiking out of Cannes or Nice while we are on the coast. Nothing too extensive - maybe a 3 hour hike. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I really appreciate all the feedback

>>Moustier St Marie, Castellane and other interesting, out of the way places that you go through<<

Yep - if you add in other stops like these, plus Riez (preferably on market day - Sat), lavender in the Valensole plane, Manosque, Forcalquier, roches des Mees - it would be a fabulous, but very long day.

Remember - shops shut down in Aix for lunch - plus they are closed on Sunday, & Monday morning.

Stu Dudley

Thank you. We will be traveling on a Monday. Probably in the morning of course. Am I correct to assume that the shops won't be open until about 3pm in Aix on a Monday in June? Is it worth the stop still?

>>Am I correct to assume that the shops won't be open until about 3pm in Aix on a Monday in June?<<

Yep

>>Is it worth the stop still?<<

I would go somewhere else. Perhaps St Paul de Vence - but that's another small/cute village like you've already visited in Provence - although St Paul would probably be in most people's "top 5%".

Aix is my wife's favorite shopping city in France.

This is from my 27 page Provence/Cote d'Azur itinerery:

While in Aix in mid June ’10, I did a “survey” of about 30 shops that had opening & closing days & times posted on their storefronts. Of these 30 shops, 5 were open all day Monday (including a Gap and Monoprix – chain-type stores), 10 were closed all day Monday, and 15 were open Monday afternoon only. Only 1 shop was open on Sunday. Shops in very “touristy” towns like St Paul, St Tropez, and Gordes are always open.

Stu Dudley