Travelling Provence France

Hikiing Around Provence

Our family really enjoys hiking. On our travels in Europe, we’ve hiked in England, Scotland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France, including several long-distance hikes of 50 to 190 miles. We think hiking is a wonderful way to explore a region, to see places most tourists never see, and to personally experience the unique beauty of the countryside.

During our six-and-a-half month stay in Provence (October 2004 to mid April 2005), seeing the Luberon on foot became one of our major priorities - actually, our passion! Charley and I hiked over 30 times, probably racking up over 200 miles. During our last six weeks we hiked about three times a week. Our daughter Kelly (age 11) attended the village school in Bonnieux, but she joined us at least once a week. Our hikes ranged from one hour to six hours.

We hiked on the Luberon Mountains and the Vaucluse Plateau and in the valley and hills in between. We hiked through small villages, by ancient ruins, up narrow gorges, through farms and vineyards, and along the edge of cliffs. We enjoyed some of these hikes so much that we returned a second time and even a third, bringing others with us on these repeat visits.

As we look back on our magical time in the Luberon, we realize that one reason we connected so much with this area is because we got to know it intimately on foot. Experiencing an area on foot, in slow motion, really is the ultimate “slow travel.” Read more