Le Luberon in Camping-Car: advice, areas, routes

From crossing to Provence, one of the most beautiful parts of the South of France? What if we opt for a tour of the Luberon in motorhome?

Want to go visit the Luberon in motorhome? Go swipe the roads Provence under the song of the cigales, admiring the sublime landscapes of the Provencal hinterland! The Luberon is a 60-kilometre-long, 5-kilometre-long, horse riding on the river Vaucluse and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence .

The last southern foothill of the Préalpes, the Luberon is one of the most popular destinations in the South of France. The natural park also offers some of the most beautiful landscapes of Provence. In 2018, 4 million people visited the Vaucluse. In 2017, the Alps-de-Haute-Provence had nearly 14 million tourist nights.

Offering an itinerant journey in the Luberon allows you to explore picturesque villages, some of which are ranked among the most beautiful of the Hexagon. You will also discover exceptional views of the Provencal massifs. You have understood it, you are invited to discover a rich heritage and a land full of authenticity, away from mass tourism on the coast.

Ideas of itineraries in the Luberon by motorhome

From Cavaillon to Forcalquier, from Manosque to Apt, the Luberon Regional Natural Park houses an exceptional fauna and flora, a remarkable natural heritage. This must-see destination in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region will not fail to attract your curiosity.

The Luberon stretches on three small mountain massifs: the Oriental Luberon, the Grand Luberon and the Petit Luberon. Its area is 1,747.26 km2, equivalent to that of Essonne or Guadeloupe. The territory is small, but concentrates many must-see sites and monuments.

Here are some ideas of itineraries to visit the Luberon in camping-car or in furnished van:

• A week in the Luberon: since AvignonCavaillon, Gordes, Roussillon, Apt, Rustrel (the Colorado Provençal), Forcalquier, Manosque;
• Visit the Luberon on a 15-day camper : the same steps, the more the villages (Ansouis, Lourmarin, Mergers, Roussillon, Gordes), La Tour d’Aigues, Fonjoyeuse, l’abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, le village des Bories (Gordes), la forêt des Cèdres du Luberon, Mérindol, Cucuron;
• Visit the Luberon in one month: The same steps plus Cadenet (Trglodyte houses), Bonnieux, the Gorges du Régalon (Mérindol), Gargas (Oceans), Oppède-le-Vieux, the mills of Provence (Goult, Apt, Rustrel).

If you have any time left during your stay in Luberon, enjoy it to visit the other essentials of Provence. To the west, the Alpilles , Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Les Baux-de-Provence or Camargue to the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer .

To the south, Aix-en-Provence and the Holy Spirit, Calanques de Marseille . It would also be a pity to visit the Luberon by camping-car without exploring the Natural park of the Gorges du Verdon .

Driving in the Luberon in motorhome : traffic rules to know

The landscapes of the Luberon are lined with roads of small mountains, crossing vineyards and garrigues. The Vaucluse has a road network of 8,444 kilometres, including nearly 6,000 kilometres of communal roads and 2,342 kilometres of departmental roads. In the east, 62.6 per cent of the Alps-de-Haute-Provence road network is small communal roads.

Therefore, even if the Luberon is a small mountain massif, be very careful on the roads. First, crossings can be difficult with other vehicles. On the other hand, some motorists in the south like to take the road for a race circuit, as if they were alone on the network.

It should be noted that the premises are well aware of the roads, which they take daily. As a result, let the other vehicles exceed you to make circulation more fluid. Civil and courteous driving is also less accidental. In the Luberon, the villages are often perched on the heights: visit them in the morning or evening , at times when the tourist affluence is the least.

If you come to visit the Luberon during the summer season, the roads will also be very busy. This area is home to so many popular tourist shovels that you will certainly experience traffic jams near the most famous villages. So try to visit the Luberon after or before the summer tourism wave .

Moreover, camping-car traffic rules are the same as those that prevail everywhere in France.

Motorways in the Luberon: what price for your camper category?

The Luberon Nature Park area is not crossed by any highway and therefore has no tolls. Only highways A7 and A51 belt the natural park to the west and east respectively. The A7 is the highway of the sun, which connects Lyon to Marseille . It crosses the Alpilles and Luberon massif at the Cavaillon level. It is therefore one of the entrance doors to the Petit Luberon.

In the east, the Grand Luberon is crossed by the A51, which connects Marseille to Gap from Aix-en-Provence, Manosque and Sisteron. Both highways are granted to Vinci Autoroutes and are therefore subject to to tolls. The motorhomes must pay in class 2, while the vans are affected by Class 1.

Here are a few prices to visit the Luberon in motorhome by highway:

• Gap-Marseille: 18,80€,
• Gap-Manosque: 12,50€,
• Sisteron-Pertuis: 12,10€,
• Avignon-Cavaillon : 3,30€,
• Aix-en-Provence-Pertuis : 2€,
• Aix-en-Provence-Cavaillon : 7€,
• Montpellier-Cavaillon : 12,90€,
• Nice-Pertuis: 29,60€,
• Valence-Cavaillon: 19,60€.

Visiting the Luberon in van arranged by highway will be less expensive. Here are some prices in class 1 for the same destinations:

• Gap-Marseille: 13,20€,
• Gap-Manosque: 8,70€,
• Sisteron-Pertuis: 8,40€,
• Avignon-Cavaillon : 2,10€,
• Aix-en-Provence-Pertuis : 1,30€,
• Aix-en-Provence-Cavaillon : 4,30€,
• Montpellier-Cavaillon : 12.20€,
• Nice-Pertuis: 19,60€,
• Valence-Cavaillon: 12,70€.

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

But how to rent a motorhome to visit the Luberon? Now it is very simple to rent these vehicles between individuals, especially in France. Many platforms allow this type of rental, online, as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• At first, you have to choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).
• Be careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if travel abroad is possible.
• Do your work online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.
• If your request is accepted and after payment, you will have access to the owner's contact information to organize a First meeting.
• Day J, present your driver's license and pour bail.
• One. status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. You will have to sign it as soon as you get back from the lavender fields, and once done, the tour is played!

The camper areas in the Luberon: where to park?

Parking in the Luberon

You will find many parking spaces in the communes and on the natural sites of the Luberon. These sites are often equipped with car parks (often paid in summer) where you can park by camping-car. If parking spaces are taken on board, opt for parking on the outskirts of cities and villages.

Finding a place to park such a vehicle can indeed be complicated in the summer. Thus, you are recommended to aim the spaces dedicated to motorhomes.

Sleep in the Luberon

Would you like to find a "spot" where to sleep in nature during your camping trip? Know that French legislation prohibits the wild camping in all forest massifs of the Luberon Regional Natural Park. In the summer, the authorities’ controls can be more frequent than in the low season. The bivouac, on the other hand, is tolerated outside the summer. And it is necessary to have the owner’s approval to settle on a space of nature.

The Luberon massif and forest are also a privileged habitat for wild boars, and a predator feared by shepherds: the wolf. If you do not wish to brave the prohibitions of making camping wild , be discreet and leave no detritus outside the tent or vehicle. Food attracts animals at night. Better to avoid, so as not to wake up in front of a boar or a wolf!

Well, to find a place to sleep, Stay as far away from dwellings as possible , to respect the tranquility of the premises. Always leave a virgin "spot" of any filth and this, even more than usual: the Luberon is a protected natural park. The Park4night app will help you to visualize the "spots" where to sleep in camper (parkings, service areas, campsites, isolated places, etc.).

Sleeping in his vehicle is allowed in France. But to settle on the public space is considered wild camping. In order to encamp in legality, there are several outdoor hotel accommodation solutions: camper-car service areas and camping pitches. In the Luberon, there are 63 in the Vaucluse on the website of the magazine Camping Car.

What is the best time to travel by motorhome in the Luberon?

What is the best month to visit the Luberon in motorhome? You thought that in the South of France, it was hot all year long and that time was always sunny? Unwind, the Vaucluse and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence can experience severe winters and heavy rainfall.

The best season to visit the Luberon in motorhome runs from spring to early autumn, from early May to late October . Unsurprisingly, the climate of the Luberon is Mediterranean, but its situation in the hinterland is subject to continental influences. Winters are cold, with, for example, average maximum temperatures ranging from 6°C to 8°C between November and February. The winter frost days are frequent, and the snow is on the ground on the heights.

Conversely, summers are hot and dry. Summer temperatures exceed 30°C almost every day between June and August. Values often exceed 35°C. And during the episodes of caricles, peaks at more than 40°C are more and more frequently recorded.

In the fall, the average maximum temperature declines from 25°C in September to 20°C in October and then 13°C in November. It is also the most wet season of the year, with storms and sometimes violent Mediterranean episodes. They bring diluvian rains on Languedoc and Provence. The average annual rainfall is 700 mm in the Vaucluse and the wind blows nearly 110 days a year.

Finally, the Luberon is subjected to mistral, mainly in spring and winter. So plan a windshield.