Languages
VAUCLUSE
Showing 1 of 1 accommodation
The Bivo Moto community is building the motorcycle accommodation map
Do you know a hotel, guesthouse or campsite suited for motorcycle travelers in this area? Share it and help other riders plan their next road trips.
Recommend an establishmentVaucluse is one of those departments that hooks you from the first few kilometres. Between the switchbacks of Mont Ventoux peaking at 1,909 metres, the limestone-carved Gorges de la Nesque, and the winding Luberon roads threading through lavender fields and garrigue, the terrain is built for motorcycles. The hilltop villages follow one another like natural rest stops: Gordes, Roussillon, Venasque, Bonnieux, each worth killing the engine for a few hours. Provence here is not just scenery: the air smells of thyme and pine resin the moment you leave the tourist roads. Watch out for the Mistral wind, which can hit hard on exposed plateaus and ridgelines. Allow at least two to four days to cover the main routes without rushing. The department suits both relaxed touring and technical riding on the narrow backroads of the Luberon, sometimes on the same day.
Highest point
Mont Ventoux 1909 m
Best season
April → October
Landscapes
Plains → Summits
Starting in Avignon is almost mandatory: the Palais des Papes, the largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages, and the Pont Saint-Bénézet are as impressive in person as their reputation suggests. To the east, Vaison-la-Romaine surprises with its vast archaeological site, Roman villa ruins, a 1st-century bridge and a medieval town clinging to its rocky spur. The Luberon villages form a natural circuit of their own: Gordes with its dry-stone lanes, Roussillon perched on ochre cliffs at 343 metres, Bonnieux commanding the valley below. Near Gordes, the Abbaye de Sénanque set among lavender fields is one of Provence's most iconic sights. Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, with its mysterious resurgent spring, makes a cool and welcome stop. On the food side, Vaucluse produces black truffles around Ménerbes, Carpentras strawberries, Venasque cherries and Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, threaded by canals and paddle wheels, is famous for its antique markets. Rustrel's Colorado Provençal offers dramatic ochre landscapes worth a short hike.
Provence's iconic summit at 1,909 m with exceptional panoramas. Road D974 closed from mid-November to mid-April.
Dry-stone hilltop village ranked among France's most beautiful, with cobbled lanes and sweeping Luberon views.
Largest Gothic building of the Middle Ages, testament to papal power in 14th-century Avignon.
Hilltop village at 343 m on ochre cliffs, with a spectacular ochre trail through vivid red and orange formations.
12th-century Cistercian abbey nestled in a valley, surrounded by lavender fields in summer.
Spectacular limestone canyon between Sault and Villes-sur-Auzon, with a winding D942 cliff road above the gorge.
Major archaeological site with Roman ruins, a 1st-century bridge and a medieval town perched above the river.
France's most powerful resurgent spring, gushing from the foot of an imposing limestone cliff.
Medieval 12th-century bridge over the Rhône, Avignon's landmark with a panoramic view of the Palais des Papes.
Abandoned ochre quarries with blazing colours and lunar-like formations, accessible via short hiking trails.
Town crisscrossed by the Sorgue river and paddle wheels, renowned for antique markets and art galleries.
One of France's most prestigious wine appellations, with cave cellars and papal castle ruins to explore.
Jagged limestone ridges north of Ventoux, flanked by Gigondas and Vacqueyras vineyards in the valleys below.
Cliffside village ranked among France's most beautiful, with a 6th-century baptistery featuring Merovingian capitals.
Luberon village on a rocky spur overlooking the Calavon valley, surrounded by vineyards and cedar forests.
Lively Provençal village with a Renaissance château, southern gateway to the Luberon heading toward the Var.
Major Provençal Friday market known for strawberries, winter truffles and the famous local berlingot sweets.
Rare 18th-century dry-stone hamlet near Gordes, perfectly preserved example of traditional Provençal architecture.
Vaucluse packs some of the best motorcycle roads in the South-East into a surprisingly compact area. The D974 climb to the summit of Mont Ventoux from Bédoin is the classic: 21 kilometres of progressively tighter hairpins through pine forests then a near-lunar landscape at the top. From Sault, the ascent is more gradual and perfectly suited to those who want to soak in the lavender fields along the way. The Gorges de la Nesque are tackled via the D942 between Sault and Villes-sur-Auzon a vertiginous cliff road with little traffic and a decent surface. In the Luberon, the D36 from Apt toward Bonnieux rolls through sun-baked garrigue with satisfying linked corners under oak canopy. The Carpentras, Malaucène, Vaison-la-Romaine loop on the D938 and D977 skirts the Dentelles de Montmirail with fine flowing sections through vine-covered hillsides. The D25 into the Petit Luberon toward Oppède stays quiet even in high season, ideal for escaping tourist traffic. Heading back toward Avignon on the D901 in late afternoon, the low Provençal light over the Comtat Venaissin plain is something you won't forget.
The iconic Vaucluse climb: 21 km of switchbacks to 1,909 m, closed from November to April depending on the face.
Cliff-edge corniche road above a dramatic limestone canyon, low traffic and good tarmac throughout.
Winding backroad through garrigue and oak woods, with rewarding linked corners in the heart of the Petit Luberon.
D938/D977 circuit at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, through Gigondas vineyards and wooded Ventoux foothills.
40 km across the Vaucluse plateau, a pleasant connector linking lavender country to the Luberon hilltop villages.
Twisting route linking hilltop villages to the Comtat plain, with constant views across the Luberon massif.
Quiet departmental roads through authentic southern Luberon villages, very little traffic outside peak summer season.