Provence: lavender, gorges and Roman bridges

Route description

From Avignon, with its Palais des Papes and the broken Pont Saint-Bénézet, it is a short drive west to the Pont du Gard, a three-tier Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon river; in summer you can swim below it. Then continue south to Arles, with its Roman arena and the streets painted by Van Gogh.

Heading northeast, the road climbs from Bédoin to the summit of Mont Ventoux, the bare limestone summit of Provence at 1,910 m. The top road is closed in winter, and the summit is often windy and cold even in summer. The route then crosses the lavender country around Sault towards the Plateau de Valensole.

From late June to mid-July, the Plateau de Valensole is covered in purple rows of lavender to the horizon. Stay on the edges, because the fields are working farms, and spend the night at the farm stopover near Valensole.

From Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, the D952 follows the north rim of the Gorges du Verdon, one of Europe’s deepest canyons, with turquoise water below. The Route des Crêtes loop is narrow, so large motorhomes should skip it and stay on the main road; a riverside campsite near Moustiers is a good base for swimming or hiring a boat on the Lac de Sainte-Croix. July and August are hot and busy, so book campsites ahead.