Villas in Luberon

L'Isle sur la Sorgue suits market lovers, Gordes and Roussillon suit sightseers, and Cucuron is quieter; August is hot and busy. The Luberon is a long limestone ridge east of Avignon, with perched villages on both sides, vineyards and lavender. Most villas in the Luberon are in the countryside outside the villages, so plan on a car.

Where

Villas: 65
From, per week: £264
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Marseille Provence is the main airport, about an hour from Cavaillon and the south Luberon, with flights from London taking around two hours. Avignon's airport has very few scheduled routes. By train, Avignon TGV station is around 30 minutes from L'Isle sur la Sorgue, with connections from London via Paris or Lille.

Where to stay in Luberon

L'Isle sur la Sorgue and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

Most of our Luberon villas are around L'Isle sur la Sorgue, a town of canals and old water wheels with dozens of antique dealers. On Sundays the market fills the centre with food and antiques stalls. Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, where the Sorgue rises from a spring below a cliff, is around 15 minutes away, and you can kayak the cold, clear river back towards town in summer. Avignon and its TGV station are about 30 minutes west.

Best for: Couples and families who want a real town with restaurants and markets

Not for you if: You want hilltop views: this is the flat plain west of the Luberon hills.

Gordes and Roussillon

Gordes is stacked up a hillside around its château, and the Cistercian abbey of Sénanque sits in a valley a few minutes north, with lavender in front of it from late June into July. Roussillon, about 15 minutes east, is built from red and orange ochre, and the Sentier des Ocres trail runs through the old quarries. Both face the Luberon ridge from the north side of the valley. Marseille airport is about an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Sightseers who want the best-known villages and the lavender at Sénanque

Not for you if: You dislike crowds: both villages are coach-trip stops, and summer parking is paid and fills early.

Bonnieux and Ménerbes

Bonnieux and Ménerbes sit on the north slope of the ridge, looking back across vines and cherry orchards to Gordes. Ménerbes became famous through Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. From Bonnieux a road crosses the ridge to Lourmarin, passing a cedar forest with shaded, mostly level walks. Avignon is about 50 minutes away.

Best for: Couples who want a perched village among vineyards

Not for you if: You find steep lanes hard going: both villages climb sharply and parking is below the old centre.

Cavaillon, Robion and Oppède

Cavaillon is the Luberon's service town, known for its melons, with a large Monday market, a station and big supermarkets. Robion and Oppède sit at the western foot of the Petit Luberon, where the hills are steeper and more wooded. Oppède-le-Vieux, a half-ruined old village above the newer one, is reached on foot from a car park below. The Avignon TGV station is about 30 minutes away and Marseille airport about an hour.

Best for: Families who want big shops nearby and a short drive to Avignon

Not for you if: You want a pretty village base: Cavaillon is a working market town with ordinary suburbs.

Cucuron, Vaugines and the Pays d'Aigues (Villelaure, Grambois, Peypin d'Aigues)

South of the ridge the country opens into vineyards and wheat fields. Cucuron has a large rectangular pond ringed by plane trees in the middle of the village, and Lourmarin, with its Renaissance château and cafés, is around 10 minutes away. Villelaure is down near the Durance, while Grambois and Peypin d'Aigues are further east, close to the Etang de la Bonde, a lake with a summer swimming beach. Aix-en-Provence is around 40 minutes away.

Best for: Families and groups who want quieter villages on the south side

Not for you if: You plan lots of days in Avignon: the south side is better placed for Aix and Marseille.

Saignon, Villars and Saint-Martin-de-Castillon (around Apt)

These villages sit in the hills around Apt, which is covered on our Provence page. Saignon is a small village on a rocky spur above the town, with views north to Mont Ventoux. Villars is on the slope north of Apt, close to the Colorado Provençal at Rustrel, an old ochre quarry with marked trails through orange and yellow cliffs. Saint-Martin-de-Castillon is further east. Marseille airport is about an hour and a half away.

Best for: Walkers who want quieter hill villages near a market town

Not for you if: You want plenty of choice: we have only a handful of houses on this side.

Pierrevert and Manosque (east Luberon)

Pierrevert is a hill village just south of Manosque, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, with its own small wine appellation. Manosque is a large town with a walled old centre and plenty of supermarkets. The lavender fields on the Valensole plateau are around half an hour east, at their best from late June to mid-July. Marseille airport is around an hour away by motorway.

Best for: Visitors who want the lavender fields of the Valensole plateau

Not for you if: You want to tour the classic perched villages: Gordes and Roussillon are about an hour west.

When to go to Luberon

Late June and July bring the lavender, at Sénanque and around Valensole, along with heat and full car parks at Gordes and Roussillon. August is the busiest and most expensive month. May, June and September are better for walking and cycling. The mistral can blow cold for days, mostly in winter and spring. From November to March many restaurants close, though the markets carry on.