Diane54

Need help in deciding which towns to visit and which to avoid for my husband, a photographer, and myself -- I am disabled. I can walk but many stairs, steep hills and long walking distances are difficult. I can walk half a km (1/3 of a mile) if it's level ground, then rest and carry on.

We are staying 6 nights in a B&B recommended by Stu Dudley near Saint Saturnin the 1st week of July (lavender season).

Which towns/places are a must for a photographer? I don't have to go everywhere my husband does so no limitations for him.

I've read that Loumarin is flat but is difficult to find parking -- So I'd have to walk long distances to get the center of town? Go early? If so, how early to avoid crowds? It's difficult for me to walk in crowds as I am thrown off balance easily.

Here's a list of the towns that look interesting. Any other suggestions? I need to prioritize and eliminate. Please add your comments for a photographer and a disabled person.

I have not included Fountaine de Vacluse or Rousillon in the list as we saw these on a short day excursion 5 years ago.

Sault
Aurel
Banon
Simiane la Rotonde
Joucas
Gordes
L'Isle sur la Sorge
Saigon
Goult
Lacoste
Bonnieux
Loumarin
Cucuron
Ansouis

Thanks for your help!
Diane

Diane54

OOPS! I meant Saignon in Provence, not Saigon in Asia!

greg

Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque near Gordes has the Lavender field you often see in tourism promotion pictures. Perhaps too much.

Lacoste is pretty, but it is all vertical. Bonnieux is less so, but still it is a hill town. Gordes is pretty at sunrise if you position yourself on the road on the hill across from the little valley on the west side of Gordes.

Christina

I haven't been to most of those. Bonnieux isn't flat and the parking is down the side of a hill, as I recall, so a bit of a hike away. Isle sur la Sorgue is flat. As for parking, maybe not too bad if you don't go during any market time.

Goult isn't too bad right in the main square but there didn't seem to be much there. A couple restaurants around a main square. Because there isn't really much there, I don't think parking should be a problem (meaning it's not a tourist magnet). I can't really recall where I parked when I was there, but I'm sure not a long walk away or I wouldn't have gone there. There may be more to the village that I didn't see, it is not totally flat but not like Gordes.

Forget Gordes, not only is it literally a perched village, you are not allowed to drive into it so you have to park down a ways from the town and walk up.

Good luck. I can think of some other flat places but I don't know that I'd say that they are must-see spots for photographers (like Apt).

DebitNM

We go to the market in Loumarin every Friday that we are in The Luberon. Parking isn't that bad, but we do go in off season. There are 2 good sized lots and the walking isn't bad. Go early and you should find place to park.

I am guessing you are staying at Mas Perreal - ask Kevin, he'll be able to help you sort it out; a really nice guy and Lizabeth is lovely too.

isabel

I agree about Bonnieux having to hike from the parking and some things were up a hill, but I think most of it was sort of flat and not too big. Perhaps your husband could drop you off in the center (there was a cafe on a fairly main street - while we were at it a huge bus drove by, so I know cars can) and you could wait for him there while he parked.

I also agree about Goult - both the parking near the center and the fact that it was nice but not all that photogenic.

I think I remember Roussilon being pretty flat and there was a great lavender field just as you approached the parking area just before the entrance to the town.

Gordes had a couple of parking lots that were just above the town itself, again, I could think your husband could drop you off and then go park. And the 'best' lavender field is at the abbey near Gordes. You have to drive there, large parking lot, great photo op.

Here's my photos of Provence - http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p233500526

hetismij2

Do you have a disabled parking permit you can take with you?
Most European countries will honour foreign permits displayed in a vehicle.

FuryFluffy

>> Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque near Gordes has the Lavender field you often see in tourism promotion pictures.

FYI, the lavender field in front of the abbaye has just been replanted and won't give flowers soon (lavender has to be replanted from time to time). So the scene there is not what it's used to be.

Diane54

Wow! Thanks for your suggestions. So sad about the lavender in front of the Abbey near Gordes this year. It was one of the photos we wanted to get.

5alive

Just got a book at the library that has stunning photos of the area. You might want to pick up a copy--Provence and the Cote D'Azur by Janelle McCullough. The back section gives details on where many of the photos were taken.

Judy

Perhaps your husband can drop you off and then go find parking and meet you.

jamikins

We went to photograph the lavender in 2015.

Our pics are here and labelled with the location so you can get an idea:

https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Diane54

Based on all your comments we've made the decision to bite the bullet and buy the foldable TravelScoot to take on the plane to France. I realized I was going to miss too much of the area because of walking difficulties.

Still won't be able to do a steep vertical town like LaCoste, but I could do towns like Bonnieux if, as suggested, my husband drops me off with the scooter at the main square.

Thanks to 5alive for the book recommendation. 1 copy at my local bookstore!

Christina

hmmm. well, you'll find out, I suggest a drive through the few streets to make sure you understand Bonnieux. Because the part that is up high with the views is not the part that is the "main square" (which isn't really much at all, nothing like the main place in Goult, for example). That main square (place Gambetta, I guess, and a few restaurants) is down below where the car park is, and then there are steep stairs to get to the upper part of the town with the views. The upper road is the road that goes by Hotel Cesar, for example (the upper part) and there isn't really a main square up there, there is just a sidewalk and small area (place de la Liberte) next to the road, at least on one side, next to Hotel Cesar or the restaurant St Andre, enough that you could be let out. There is a BOulangerie museum, also, up there.

The upper route is D36, the lower is D3.