My husband and I are bringing our boys, ages almost 16 and 11 to Bonnieux in late July. We have done the Provence trip as a couple before but never spent time in the Luberon, so it will be new for all of us. The boys are very well-traveled and very interested in history, although perhaps crumbled ruins have been overdone at this point. Intact sites are of more interest. We plan to meander around the villages, take in the markets and local sights. Ideas for good markets for them to look for Santons are appreciated-I find they have a greater tolerance for "shopping" when they have a purpose Also, a suggested day when no fabulous market is going on which we may want to schedule with a tour guide for a full-day excursion. We haven't selected an itinerary for the guide but plan to have them do something we feel an expert guide would do better than ourselves. We will definitely do St. Remy and Les Baux ourselves, where we look forward to returning to Cabro d'Or, which we have enjoyed in the past. Any ideas would be great--I've thought maybe Arles, a bullfight, Pont du Gard, Avignon...just don't know what might be the biggest bang for the boys. Also, any winery ideas w/be welcome--we'd love to go to Gigondas/Vacqueras, etc. but figure the boys will be bored. Plan to stop at Chateau la Canorgue but others w/b great! Thanks for any ideas! Susan
Our family spent last week in the Luberon. Our teens said swimming in the river beneath the Pont du Gard was by far their favorite part of the trip. They also loved the mostly ignored Abbey of St. Hilaire. My 13 yr old boy sung some Lord of the Rings type songs inside and we could hear him outside. No one was around except a cat. The castle at Les Baux was so hot (temperature-wise) that they would've liked it better had we gone first thing in the morning. Another favorite was the Fort of Buoux, especially the amazing steep staircase cut into rock that you exit down. Another favorite ruins place was Oppede -le-Vieux. That place was seriously dangerous at the top, without guardrails or any mediation--so of course the kids liked it. (The mom, however, was a bit anxious.) Have fun!
Definitely agree for kids (and adults) the Pont du Gard swim is great and the Fort du Buoux as well. If you have a hot day, go for a kayak ride down the Sorgue river from Fontaine de Vaucluse to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is great fun and lets you see some interesting old buildings from a unique angle.
Also, take them to the Colorado of Provence near Rustrel - great spot to walk around and explore, just be careful not to wear anything white or any cloths you really care about.
You won't really find Santons at the markets right now - more a Xmas thing. Though you will find them at lots of specialty shops and also a smaller selection at tourist oriented shops (for example, in Bonnieux or Apt or Gordes).
Guests recently hired a tour guide based in Avignon who we met when she came to pick them up. She was very personable and very knowledgable and looked like she'd be a lot of fun. Our guests raved afterwards and hired her for a second day. If you are interested, send me an email... (to the moderators: I'm not sure if the above comment violates any rules, but just to say that we have absolutely no working connection with this guide, she is just someone we met who is starting out and full of energy and who guests recommended highly)...
Hi - the castle in Tarascon is a nice visit and across the river in Beaucaire (at the castle) is home to a lot of LARGE birds of prey and a little show with them - your boys may like that. If they are looking for santons your best bet is to find them in little shops but if you are visiting Les Baux - in the town of Maussane just south of Les Baux is a little santon shop/musee. That's all they sell so you will find a big selection.
There is also horseback riding in the area as well as a golf course at the base of Les Baux.
That's a nice little golf course - I've played there a few times and there is nothing quite like hitting a drive, then looking up and seeing a medieval catapult pointing your way...
You can also kayak or canoe down the Gard River, under the Pont du Gard, and stop for a swim and picnic along the way. We didn't do the swim, but we did the canoeing last month, and it was a highlight of our trip. We rented from Kayak Vert.
By the way, if you go to the Pont du Gard visitor center first, you can pick up discount coupons for Kayak Vert, which give you 10% off. But don't go just for that, because you would have to pay to park, which would negate much or all of the discount. We did enjoy the museum at the Pont du Gard, and they have a kids' section which we didn't go into.
You can park free off of the main road (D981, I think) and take a short walk through the woods to access the pedestrian level of the bridge. We did that because we were staying in a nearby town and walked from our gite, but we saw lots of cars that had parked near the highway, where people were obviously taking the hiking path. It might be harder to park there in summer though; we were there in May.
If you go to Les Baux, don't overlook the Picasso spectacle, which has been discussed in other recent topics here. We saw a lot of kids there who seemed to be enjoying it, and since it's in a cave it's naturally air conditioned!
Wow, so many great suggestions...THANKS! We are pretty casual travelers, we have ideas of things to do and maybe a couple fixed things to see but generally are the type who like to see what each day brings and meander, soak in the local culture, etc. I learned my lesson traveling with the boys summer before last in Ireland when Murphy and his law sent us 13.5 out of 14 days of rain with a mostly outdoor itinerary of ideas. I think the odds for clear skies in Provence are slightly higher than Ireland so I am not so concerned about indoor options I DO like to have options for them--sometimes letting them choose things is a good way to start the morning out on the right foot--that and a pain au chocolat!
Any feedback on Gorge du Verdon? A BA flight attendant suggested this a few weeks ago but not sure what there is to do there. My boys will totally love to do the Gregorian-type chants in a deserted abbey!
Is the water near Pont du Gard calm or do we need to actually have some rowing prowess??? Not to say, ahem, that the husband and I are not crew-caliber rowers but... Someone else had mentioned a kayak or canoe ride down a very placid river--more of a float down a river. Would that the the Sorgue, perhaps? Or maybe it was the Gard...if I am in charge of scheduling a kayak trip you can bet I will pick the one requiring the least effort in late July heat!
I will have to look into Tarascon and Beaucaire--hadn't studied it before, but my boys loved the somewhat commercial English Warwick castle with the birds of prey and such when they were younger.
Does anyone have a thumbs up/down on Arles with kids? If they've seen Rome and other ruins in Italy will things in Arles amaze them? Impressing a teen is, some days, a feat!
Again, thanks for all the ideas! So great to hear from people who've visited recently.
The river under the Pont du Gard is extremely calm, but at parts it could be quite deep. Collias is a lovemly village just a few km from PdG, where one can rent canoes/kayaks.
Children and adults will all enjoy Arles, which is compact with a high concentration of interests, plus a large number of good eateries for such a small place.
It is impossible to compare Rome with Arles; it's like apples and artichoke. Even if one is a purist about the top 10 of wows, one will naturally not even put a big city with a small town in association when it comes to experiencing. Ceci dit, Arles is the definition of small is beautiful, (or small AND beautiful). If you are easily bored, you can take a short drive to Camargue, Les Baux, Barbegal, Eygalières, all quite conveniently. But you should know that at the period in question, Arles could have a mosquito issue. Don't forget to bring anti-mosquito ointments. (I use Tiger Balm and St Luke's talc, which mosquitos HATE.) Oh and bring your skimpiest clothes and swimwear. I just got back from Provence last night. It was hot hot hot. We were practically naked all 10 days. Bon voyage.
Is the water near Pont du Gard calm or do we need to actually have some rowing prowess?
The water is mostly very calm as you can see from this photo. But just on the other side of the bridge there is a little fast water, but nothing too scary. The woman at the Kayak Vert office told us to "keep to the right" all the way, and that was good advice.
By the way, I don't think anyone has suggested in this topic, the guidebook Provence Byways. Definitely try to order a copy before you go. It will give you all sorts of great tips for the Luberon area.
You have gotten some great recommendations. I did also want to point out a couple of great notes that we have on our main website Slow Travel. Kaydee spent considerable amount of time in the Luberon area with her family. She has written several notes on things to do with a family, what to eat and hiking in the Luberon. You can find links to the articles on our Provence Travel notes page.
We are currently nearing the end of our second week in Bonnieux with our three kids, boy 13, girl nearly 11, and boy 5. The Fort de Buoux was a huge hit with the older kids. We climbed right up to the top then did the (hair-raising) climb down the "secret steps". Right up a teenaged boys alley. We have also had rented bikes. After getting our "Provence legs" we have really enjoyed cylcing in the region. You will love Bonnieux. We are dreading the end of our time here.
Posts: 34 | Location: Northern VA | Registered: 18 May 2007
Thanks to all for the fantastic recommendations. I DID order the Provence By-Ways book a couple months ago--it looks like it will be invaluable...I still remember having a gigantic Michelin map spread out across the car, nearly obscuring the driver, during our last driving trip in Provence--I felt like the Candid Camera people would be stepping out to tell us they'd sold us a prank sized map. If we can figure our way around some of the loops with this nice, compact book I will be delighted!
What do you all have to offer about Aigues-Mortes and/or Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer? The latter I am told it has an interesting Spanish edge to it? I spoke to a tour guide and she suggests maybe we do Arles in the morning to see the highlights, drive through the Camargue, go to Saintes-Marie & have lunch, stop at Aigues-Mortes in the afternoon, see salt and rice fields, etc. I was thinking maybe Cassis on a different day for a coastal town but the legend of Mary Magdalene/Lazarus coming to Saintes-Maries sounds sort of interesting when I Googled it? This would be our "busy" day...the rest of the week we will meander about on our own.
I've printed off a couple hiking tips from Kathy Wood's notes. It should be a real treat to do some of these things which you all have so kindly pre-tested and recommended! This is really great resource...thanks again!
Just returned from 2 weeks in the Luberon - we missed a good site at Fort de Buoux (we went to Buoux - scary drive), but that's Ok - had a great time. I blogged daily & am working on a TR. When we were at the Pont du Gard, we saw a group of young schoolchildren canoeing on the river below - one of several activist school outings we saw. Great idea. Link to video below.
We also went to Abbaye St. Hillaire and a couple more better-known abbeys. One of our group, not me, was a bit of a church nut. The abbey is privately-owned by a family intent on restoration - no religious connection any more. On our 2 previous visits to the Luberon we stayed on a rural gite almost next door. I actually tried to see if I could spot our gite from the grounds of the abbey. We drove by the entrance to the abbey a few times each day - but no visit until this year when we were based about half an hour away over in Ansouis. Go figure.
Also, a suggested day when no fabulous market is going on which we may want to schedule with a tour guide for a full-day excursion. We haven't selected an itinerary for the guide but plan to have them do something we feel an expert guide would do better than ourselves. We will definitely do St. Remy and Les Baux ourselves, where we look forward to returning to Cabro d'Or, which we have enjoyed in the past. Any ideas would be great--I've thought maybe Arles, a bullfight, Pont du Gard, Avignon...just don't know what might be the biggest bang for the boys. Also, any winery ideas w/be welcome--we'd love to go to Gigondas/Vacqueras, etc. but figure the boys will be bored. Plan to stop at Chateau la Canorgue but others w/b great! Thanks for any ideas! Susan
