hello! I'll be there at the end of September and am looking to break up the drive between Gordes and Beaune somewhere in the mid-mark, and would love to stay in a beautiful and historic village. Any suggestions? (Note, we will actually be leaving in the morning from Valbonne and then in the car to see Gordes, so there's that drive that I'm also factoring into the total). Thank you!!

Several years ago, we enjoyed an overnight in Valence... but I wouldn't call it a "village" and it would still be a fairly long drive on Day 1. If you want a village, why not just stay in Gordes?

Viviers?
Tain l’Hermitage might be too far, and Vaison la Romaine too near, but you can make up your own mind.

Thank you all. Yes, I was looking at Tain L'Hermitage, which is about th right distance. I'll look up Viviers! And who knows, maybe it will be better to just stay in Gordes and then have a longer drive the next day.

The drive isn't all that long, I think it's only about 4.5 hrs. So I'm not clear on what you are trying to achieve. In fact, it isn't clear to me that you want to break up that drive, but that day you will have about a 2.5 hr drive to get to Gordes and then presumably want to spend time in Gordes. Unless there is something about why you want to get to Beaune so quickly. Such as if that would be your only day in Beaune, one overnioght.

So I would just stay in Gordes, but if there is more to this story, Grignan is a really nice small town in-between Gordes and Beaune. It's one of those plus beaux villages. It's not right near the highway, but not that far. It's about 50 miles north of Gordes.

Hello!
If you are looking for a stop roughly halfway between Gordes and Beaune in a beautiful village with a great place to eat, I suggest Charmes-sur-Rhône. This village is quiet and historic, with narrow streets, stone houses, and views over the Rhône valley. It is close to Valence, so it’s very easy to reach when travelling north or south.
Here you will find Le Carré d'Alethius, a charming hotel with a 1-star Michelin restaurant. The rooms are modern and comfortable, and chef Olivier Paget creates refined dishes inspired by the local products of the Drôme and Ardèche regions.

Thank you all! I realized that while in Gordes I'll be so close to Gigondas, which I visited once and fell in love with, so I've booked that night in Gigondas....so the next day's drive to Beaune won't be quite as long as if I'd gone from Valbonne straight to Beaune. Yay! I'm very excited. Next up: restaurants! lol

Glad you made the decision. My question = what route do you plan to take?
Are you planning to drive along the gorge? Slower, but a beautiful drive. I would drive from Valbonne, to Rouissollon, have lunch there and then continue on your adventures. If it were my trip anyway.

I'll be with my friend who wanted to go to Gordes, so we'll drive from Valbonne to there and then Gigondas and up. But now I will look up Rouissollon - thank you!

Now I see how close Rouissollon is to Gordes! Do you recommend there for lunch over Gordes?

No. I don't have restaurant suggestions. I liked where I ate but I'm sure there are lovely options in both. I was talking more about driving "back roads" from Valbonne to the Gordes area. Lunch in Rousslilon would be lovely with the red rock views. It reminded me of being in Sedona. Before you decided where you would spend the night, I was going to make a couple of suggestions of villages.

Here's a short video clip of R's red rocks -

On my first trip in 2004, the view was so gorgeous we decided to hang out for a sunset dinner and then drive to Cannes as planned. I like "back roads" but had no idea what was in between. Last year I made sure to drive the route in the daylight to see what I miss. Skip if you don't like curvy roads.

Gordes is lovely and will have lots of restaurant options.


Here's the Gordes photo I took in 2004 and really looked forward to returning.

Last year

Driving into Roussillon

Gorgeous red rocks

View from room outside of Eygaleries

You can't go wrong no matterwhere you decide to stay. I'd just take the back roads from Valbonne and then maybe the highway the following day. If you are stopping overnight in between, use the afternoon to relax and explore (instead of just driving).

Before leaving Valbonne, I'd stop at this cheese shop and stock up for the rest of your trip

365 Fromages in Valbonne

Amazing! Thank you!!

I far preferred Roussillon to Gordes. Others will, I'm sure, disagree. Sorry, but I have no restaurant recommendations for either.

You are very welcome!

I took the time to look up the restaurants (along that route) and checked online. The Thai restaurant in a rural setting I LOVED along the way is getting horrid reviews now. The restaurant just outside Gordes with the amazing views is no longer open and the hotel there is getting horrid reviews. So much can change. I started the day near Grasse (not far from Valbonne) and spent the night in Roussillon. The next night in Eygaleries. I was also going to suggest Bonnieux before you remembered the village you want to return too.

Short version of that - I looked for restaurant recommendations and mine are no longer good options.

Thank you though - I appreciate the effort!!

Roussillon is the subject of Village in the Vaucluse by Laurence Wylie. Many have made the pilgrimage to Roussillon after reading the book. It is an important and soul-stirring work. There are of course many beautiful villages in Provence, but for me Roussillon has no peer.

I loved both Gordes and Roussillon. Photo from Gordes is from a road leading in, and the one from Roussillon is on our hike. Do not wear white

If you try to descend into the ochre quarry in Roussillon (and you should) it is like stepping into a paint factory. Best done in old clothes.

thank you all!!! I'm definitely sold on Roussillon! We will be coming from Valbonne, and I'm actually not the biggest fan of narrow winding roads...but it would make more sense to go Valbonne-Roussillon-Gordes-Gigondas that day, and take the windier, prettier and a bit longer route to get to Roussillon. How scary are the roads? hahahah. Or what is the route you'd recommend that's not tooooo long but pretty? (maybe I just sedate myself - and obviously let someone else drive hahahah)

Stop near Hauterives for the night and see the Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval. You won't regret it.

Le Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval (by kerouac2) | Any Port in a Storm (proboards.com)