Driving from Fayence to Luberon area - NEED ADVICE!
 

My husband will be staying in a small town - Callian - near Fayence in August and were planning to drive west to Luberon (Bastide de Marie in Menerbes) on a Friday. We are worried that this drive on a Friday in August might take a very long time. We are eager to visit that part of Provence, but don't want to spend one of the few days we have in France driving. Any advice? Is this a reasonable plan?

What other options do you have ???? I vacation in that region quite often, but never in August. Leave early in the day & you should not have many problems.

Actually, the drive there can be extremly scenic if you take the back roads. This is from my 20+ page itinerary - e-mail me at [email protected] if you want the entire copy.

When you get to the D19 from the D562 (the D562 has some ugly commerce along the way), take it toward Fayence & drive through Tourrettes (keep to the right through a parking lot as you enter town), then Fayence (explore – look for the “Vieux Village” sign just past the fabric shop on the left), Seillans*, Bargemon, and then the D25 to Callas. These are all very charming villages. Stop at some if you have the time - perhaps Fayance is the best place to stretch your legs and your wallet. One of my wife’s favorite Provence fabric stores is in Fayence. There are great views along this route.

As you leave Callas, take the small road that heads southwest and ends at the D54 at Figanieres. Take the D54 northwest toward Chateaudouble. When you hit the D955 (before Chateaudouble), head south. This is the very picturesque Gorges de Chateaudouble*. Stop at the D49 junction on the D955, turn around, & retrace the route on the D955. When you get back to where the D54 hits the D955, take the D51 to Chateaudouble. This is a cute town. If it’s lunch time, try “Restaurant la Tour” with fabulous views on a square shaded by plane trees. It's the 2nd restaurant from the parking lot. Then continue on the D51 to Ampus (explore). Take the D49, D51, D77 to Aups*, which is one of my favorite towns in the area. They have a very nice farmers market on Wednesday & Saturday mornings. There are also several interesting shops to browse in. After Aups, retrace your route a little & take the D77 east to Tourtour*. Park in the parking lot just outside of town (nice view of this medieval village as you approach town). This is another pretty village. There’s a good panorama from the grassy area near the church. There are some nice outside places to have lunch under plane trees, if you’re there around lunch time. Tourtour has several hotels hear by (we’ve never stayed at any of them). The Bastide de Tourtour is located in a lovely setting close to town. The fixed price menu is reasonably priced, but the selections looked very un-interesting when we glanced over them. The a la carte selections were expensive.

Leave Tourtour (drive through the village) on the D51 toward Villecroze and continue on the D51 until it hits the D560 near Salernes. If you are doing this drive on a Sunday morning, there is a nice outdoor market in Salernes & there are lots of outdoor cafes where you can watch the market activity. There is a nice store featuring tiles produced in the area, at the northwest end of town on the D560 (5 min walk from the market area). After Salernes, take the D560 west to the D22 toward Cotignac. As you approach Cotignac, get the cameras ready for some great photo ops of this town, looking down on it from the cliffs above. Cotignac* is one of our favorite small towns. Get out & explore - this is a good lunch spot with a large central square lined with cafes, shops, and shaded by plane trees. Leave Cotignac on the D13 toward Carces. You will start to see a lot of vineyards now, and in May & early June there are fields of red poppies in bloom. Drive through Carces & take the D562 toward Le Val. There is a by-pass around Le Val, but instead, drive through Le Val – however, take the by-pass & enter town from the south side instead of the north side (the north entrance has an impossible acute turn that your car will have trouble with).

At Le Val, hop on the freeway to Carpentras, and then on to Menerbes.

Stu Dudley

Stu, thank you so much for your wonderfully detailed response. I am so excited to learn about some of the more off the beaten path stops between Callian and Menerbes. Since you seem to know the area quite well, do you think we should head to Luberon/Menerbes at all? We are staying for a week in Callian at a friend's house there. We are interested in exploring beyond the Vars region, and I thought Luberon sounded quite scenic and beautiful. I am particularly interested in visiting Isle sur la Sorgue. However, perhaps there is enough to do in the Vars region that we don't need to make the trek west? We were only going to go to Luberon on Friday morning, stay at Bastide de Marie Friday night and then return to Callian on Saturday afternoon. Should we rethink this plan? It sounds like the trip west may be worth it just given all of the neat places to stop along the way. Now that you know more about the options - should we still plan to head to Menerbes? Also, what is Mougins like? Have you visited there? Thanks again...

I think leaving early on Friday, taking a leisurly drive to the Luberon (with the sun at your back for best views) would be a great idea. However, if you are going to be near Fayance for a full week, you could explore the towns & countryside along the route I suggested while you are staying in Fayance.

On Friday & Saturday, you could explore the villages and countryside in the Luberon, and return late Saturday. Saturday morning is also market day in Apt, and it's a very nice market - get there early. We've vacationed 4 weeks near Cotignac (which is a little west of Fayance) and 5 weeks in the Luberon. I think there is more to do in the Luberon area, so perhaps adding a day or two there would be a good idea.

I visited Mougins many years ago, and found no reason to return. I've returned to the Cotignac and Luberon areas several times.

Stu Dudley

I have a couple of additional questions - assuming we're heading to the Luberon is Bastide de Marie a good place to stay. It is quite pricey and I want to be sure it is worth the money. However, they have offered me a suite for the price of a regular room (a honeymoon "gift"). Are there any other highly recommended, fairly luxurious (but not necessarily off the charts luxury) inns or hotels that anyone recommends instead? Also as a straight shot - how many hours does it take to get from the Luberon to the Vars region (Callian)?

Thanks all - I am getting so excited for this trip!

The Marie is an excellent hotel and in a perfect location. We've never stayed there, but some of our closest friends did. We joined them there for dinner on one occasion. The outside dining area is set in the vineyards. Our friends loved the place.

The only negative may be that the price includes breakfast and one meal - either lunch or dinner. You don't have to dine there, but you are paying for a lunch or dinner.

This may or may not be a negative, but almost everyone there was an American. The waiters all speak English quite well, and the bartender was actually British. There were also a lot of kids there - running through the dining room & wet from a dip in the pool. The kids in the dining room may have been a one time event, but there were lots of families there. The food was very good (not terrible original or creative), but the menu was limited.

Stu Dudley