Most Beautiful Villages of the Luberon You Need to Visit

Rolling hills, stone villages, and some of the best views in Provence. The Luberon is a mix of medieval fortresses, farming towns, and old trading hubs. Some villages are perched on cliffs, others hidden in valleys. Once shaped by farmers, artists, and revolutionaries, they’re now some of the most striking places in France.

1. Gordes

Photo: I, Luc Viatour (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Gordes is one of the most visited villages in Provence, built into a rocky hillside with narrow alleys winding up to its 10th-century château. The views over the valley are incredible, especially at sunset.

A few minutes outside the village, the 12th-century Sénanque Abbey sits in a quiet valley, where monks still live and produce lavender honey.

The Village des Bories, an open-air museum of ancient stone huts, shows how farmers and shepherds lived in the region centuries ago.

Market day is Tuesday, when the village fills with stalls selling local cheeses, olives, and Provençal textiles.

2. Roussillon

Roussillon doesn’t look like any other village in the Luberon. The buildings are deep red and orange, colored by the ochre-rich soil that surrounds the village.

The ochre cliffs just outside town were mined for centuries, and today, visitors can walk the Sentier des Ocres, a short trail through the former quarries. The old ochre factories are gone, but some workshops still teach the traditional techniques of making pigments.

The village itself is full of small art galleries and cafés with views over the Luberon Valley.

3. Lourmarin

Unlike the hilltop villages of the Luberon, Lourmarin sits in a valley, surrounded by olive groves and vineyards.

It has one of the liveliest weekly markets in the region (Friday mornings) and a château that was the first Renaissance-style building in Provence.

Albert Camus spent the last years of his life here and is buried in the village cemetery.

Lourmarin is a good base for exploring, with wine estates and walking trails in every direction.

4. Ménerbes

Photo: Pline (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Ménerbes was once a Protestant stronghold during the French Wars of Religion, holding out against Catholic forces for five years in the 16th century.

Today, it’s primarily known for its views over the vineyards below. The narrow main street leads up to a small citadel, and many of the stone houses have been restored into art galleries, shops, and cafés.

The village gained international attention because of the book A Year in Provence whose . author Peter Mayle lived here for years.

5. Bonnieux

Photo: Von Michal Osmenda (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Bonnieux climbs up a steep hillside, with the older upper village offering some of the best panoramic views in the region. The 12th-century church at the top (Église Haute) is no longer in use, but it’s worth the walk up for the scenery alone.

The lower village has more restaurants, shops, and a main square that hosts a weekly market on Fridays.

Just outside Bonnieux, the Pont Julien is one of the best-preserved Roman bridges in Provence, still standing after 2,000 years.

6. Lacoste

Lacoste is best known for the ruins of the Château de Sade, once home to the infamous Marquis de Sade before he was imprisoned in the 18th century.

The castle is now owned by fashion designer Pierre Cardin, who restored parts of it and hosts an annual arts festival here.

The village itself is quiet, with narrow, steep streets lined with stone houses and artists’ studios. SCAD Lacoste, an American art school, has a campus here, adding a small but international student presence.

7. Oppède-le-Vieux

Oppède-le-Vieux was almost abandoned in the 19th century when its residents, looking for easier living conditions, moved to the valley below.

The ruins of its medieval castle still stand on a rocky ridge above the village, and the 12th-century Église Notre-Dame-d’Alydon is one of the last remaining structures from its past.

Because it was never fully modernized, the village has a preserved, untouched feel. A short walking trail leads up through the ruins to a viewpoint over the valley.

8. Saignon

Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri (CC BY 3.0)

Saignon is one of the smallest and least-visited villages in the Luberon, but its location on a high ridge makes it one of the best for views. A massive rock formation behind the village, Rocher de Bellevue, offers a natural lookout point over the valley below.

The village itself has a few cafés and a small central square, but the main reason to visit is for the scenery and the quiet streets that still feel unchanged by tourism.

9. L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Unlike the hilltop villages of the Luberon, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue sits on flat land, surrounded by the Sorgue River. Canals run through the town, earning it the nickname “The Venice of Provence.”

The village is best known for its antique shops and markets – one of the largest in France, with hundreds of stalls on Sundays. The town also has working water wheels from its past as a textile and paper-producing center.

While it’s busier and more commercial than the smaller villages, it’s a great stop for food, shopping, and riverside cafés.