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The Best Visit of Gordes – July 2011 - In process of editing ( July 8,2011) – Originally Dec 2010.
Gordes is very famous for its location on the top of a hill with a breathtaking view on the Luberon area.
From Mas des Etoiles, your “chambres d’hotes” or Bed and Breakfast in Gordes, it is very easy to reach by car in a matter of minutes.
A few advices or remarks for you to have the best visit of Gordes :
- First you should use the car park located on the road to Murs (D15). It is just 200 meters from the Château and Main Square. From there it is very easy to walk down to the center.
- It is better to do that either in the morning or late in the afternoon. The light for taking pictures will be better, it will not be as hot than in the middle of the day and it will be less crowded. You also need intact physical resources because to walk and down all the time is exhausting.
- There are stunning views.
The best known view is the site when you arrive from Avignon on D15. Just after the city sign “GORDES” ( 200 meters), you will see a sign “Panoramic view” on the right. Slow down and make a right. There is an almost hidden car park and from there you can go and see the view along the road. This is the worst site for being stolen by thieves. So be careful. The road to Murs is also fine. Just the road to the cemetery is good or the gardens of Hotel Simiane (the new town hall which is an old renovated hospital – In front of the post office). An other good place is the D2 just below Gordes towards Roussillon. You park there and you can explore the little valley at the bottom of Gordes. It is just delicious.
- In general the crowd makes a 10 minutes tour of the main streets and just sit down somewhere to have an ice cream or a soda. They will be able to say : I know Gordes. You must do more
You have to go down behind the church and explore the old narrow “calades” ( Calades are sorts of narrow street paved with stones and in general decorated in an artistic way).
The Summer Theater is a reasonable objective to be able to discover the main features. There will be excellent spots for photography and in general they are in the shade. If the Mistral wind is not blowing too much, the breeze will be refreshing.
- There is an excellent “Office du Tourisme” in Gordes just in the Château (Entrance near La Renaissance in front of Rosier real Estate Agency). There you get plenty of information and you can select better what you are going to do. Also it is very cool with the deep walls of the castle. So you can recover before returning in the furnace.
- Do not expect to meet many true Gordians. Gordes territory is immense. Most of it has been sold long ago to wealthy Parisians, Americans or member of a Royal Family. As the specialty of the area is thick walls, you will have little opportunity to meet them. You will just suspect they are the owners of the old cars which rove the countryside. They come to Gordes not to be remarked by anybody and the end of the Sunday Mass is no more at present a place to see them. (Handsome weddings, yes, every Saturday in the summer season).
- A last word and not the least : There are thieves everywhere. Be careful. They like particularly GPS and just to see a cord appetizes them enough for breaking a window of your car ( consequences : One day lost for the repair – Less with Carglass Avignon).
Where to dine ?
There are many restaurants in Gordes : Some good, many not so good.
You must be very careful to look at the prices before getting sitted. The Renaissance which is in a nice corner in front of the Château, is very well known for the casting of the movie “A Good Year” by Ridley Scott with Russell Crowe ( after a book of Peter Mayle). Marion Cotillard was an employee of the Renaissance. However a lot of people complain about the incredibly high prices. See the acid comments on Tripadvisor.
Among the good ones, you have Le Clos de Gustave ( 04 90 72 04 25 near the above mentioned parking with a nice terrace and local food at a reasonable price). The owners are very gentle with the guess. However the service can get slow, so iit isz better to anticipate the best time to book. In general it is 7 30 PM. L’Estaminet on the main square provides also an excellent quality for the price. Ask for “Magret de Canard”. You can also try “Le Loup Blanc” 04 32 50 27 almost in front of “La Bastide de Gordes”. Recently we have had good news from L’Artegal ( 04 90 72 02 54). It is now # 1 for the restarants on Tripadvisor. We sent a few guests to try and they came back “enchanted”. Ask for the terrace. You will be in a fresh atmosphere in the middle of Gordes evening life. In the easy range there is also the new Casa Rosario ( 04 90 72 35 56) which took the place of Bouquet de Basilic. Ask for the terrace. Pretty cheap offer but very good. The best at the low end for prices.
By the way, an excellent idea is to have a drink on the terrace of “La Bastide de Gordes”, if possible at dusk, after the departure of the hordes of tourists. Whatever the price, there you have a very nice view and a taste of luxury for a brief moment. Be very careful about other places. Gordes is full of tourists and restaurants have no problem to fill-in with an arguable quality.
In Gordes Village, finally you have also some other pleasant small salad restaurants which serve decent food below 15 EUR : You will find easily La Canelle in the street down after Rosier, ou La Table à Gateaux.
Where are the real good restaurants ? Mostly not in Gordes, but they are reachable in matter of minutes.
One point : It is always preferable to book in advance, particularly they are open that day (they are often closed for various unexpected reasons).
If you are rich enough and you like to be among important people of all kinds, no hesitation and you enter Bastide de Gordes, Les Bories or Le Mas des Herbes Blanches. A bit further are Domaine des Andeols in St Saturnin d’Apt – 04 90 75 50 63 or Bastide de Capelongue in Bonnieux – 04 9075 89 78.
If you are clever enough, I give you my three very secret addresses where there should not be any disappointment : La Bartavelle in Goult ( You must book several days in advance – 04 90 72 33 72). Excellent food and charming. Goult is a village to discover. It has true alive inhabitants. The second is Café Véranda in Menerbes : It is just superb. The third favorite was “’Un Jour Charlotte” in Les Imberts but they stopped operations in 2011.
Our short list includes also L’Estellan just in front of us, Le Vieux Bistrot in Cabrières, Le Fournil and l’Arome in Bonnieux, Le Café Fleurs in Isle sur la Sorgue, Maison Gouin in Coustellet. This looks enough, I am not lauching a full guide !
Eveybody likes also La Bergerie in Maubec, Vieux Village. There also you are out of the crowd in a very pleasant and peaceful environment.
I forgot the famous Café de la Poste (Peter Mayle) in Goult and when I am at that level, Bistrot de l’Industrie in Isle sur la Sorgue. Salads and more in “Pain sur la Planche” in Coustellet.
All no thrills restaurants, because you must not waste one evening in poor quality places.
Where to sleep ?
Frankly many of the hotels in Gordes area are overpriced. It is the market rule : Too many people and not enough resources.
A good source is Tripadvisor. However by simplification they compare places which are not comparable. They don’t value the owners talents for speaking your language or their computer “kills” hotels or B&B’s which for some reason get bad marks. Also comments can be “bizarrely extremely too good or too bad”. However you get a fairly sound basis to make your own opinion. Google searches are also useful but you often get only one side of the things.
So there are a lot of B&B’s around.
Rates are a good way to identify the potential quality and services.
I will not say all are good or bad. In the lower bracket, guests are very happy at Le Ralenti du Lierre in Les Beaumettes, La Guillone (outside of the World on the road to Murs – Not really in Gordes as they claim). “Memoires de Provence” in Coustellet is also an exceptional value and a paradise for bikers.
In the same range as Mas des Etoiles is le Moulin des Sources in an adorable hamlet named “Les Gros”. It is very professional but more turned than us to a French speaking clientele.
Another new one located also in Les Gros is “Les Terrasses”. It is a new house, not as large as here, but in an interesting place. The owners are delicious and you can eat there great cuisine. They are true French from Paris. Incidently, he owner is a discrete and elegant classic music player in one of the best European orchestras.
As for the hotels, besides, the large ones, I would recommend Les Romarins ( medium) , Mas Carcarille ( medium) or Ferme de la Huppe ( higher).
I have learnt so many bad stories about some of the others that I prefer to end the debate.
Where to buy things ?
Really, Gordes is not the best place to make buyings. There are many “Marchands du Temple”.
Roussillon has much more global interest and prices are lower.
The best place is obviously L’Isle sur la Sorgue (15 kms) and you not miss this small city in your trip : You will find everything. It is worth half a day or several visits.
Closer is Coustellet (at the cross road with the Apt Avignon highway (or would be highway). The most precious after a laundry is a true and well kept supermarket on the right in the direction of Apt. This Sper U has become so popular in a few months that they intend to double its size very soon. Going there, you might stop by my bakery “ Au Fournil d’Antan “. The best bread in all the area. Excellent pastries. ( For gourmets enjoy also “Maison Gouin”, opposite on that street. Artists and show bizz people use to eat there away from the Paparazzi !).
Coustellet merits more than a short comment : . The hamlet is ugly, like a crossroad in Arizona but there you find everything. One of the new attractions is a coffee shop called “ La Vie en Rose”. Get in there and you will have superb and memorable time. This is a must for refined people ( just near the supermarket opposite to the main road..
Others
Lavender fields : It is not necessary to make a lot of miles to watch lavender fields. I know three of them very frequented by Chines buses : One is just out of Les Imberts on D 133 . You have also a nice view on the “Petit Luberon”. The next is better for the color and is between Saint Pantaleon and Goult. The third is very large but hidden between Goult and Roussillon. Of course you have the most renowed in Abbaye de Senanque and all the area around Sault.
My wife loves Lourmarin. It is very classy. The day is Friday morning for the market. It is a bit the contrary of Gordes, you will see that.
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The Best Visit of Gordes – December 2010 - In process of editing ( Jan 9,2011)
Gordes is very famous for its location on the top of a hill with a breathtaking view on the Luberon area.
From Mas des Etoiles, your “chambres d’hotes” or B&B, it is very easy to reach by car in a matter of minutes.
A few advices or remarks for you to have the best visit of Gordes :
- First you should use the car park located on the road to Murs (D15). It is just 200 meters from the Château and Main Square. From there it is very easy to walk down to the center.
- It is better to do that either in the morning or late in the afternoon. The light for taking pictures will be better, it will not be as hot than in the middle of the day and it will be less crowded. You also need intact physical resources because to walk and down all the time is exhausting.
- There are stunning views.
The best known view is the site when you arrive from Avignon on D15. Just after the city sign “GORDES” ( 200 meters), you will see a sign “Panoramic view” on the right. Slow down and make a right. There is an almost hidden car park and from there you can go and see the view along the road. This is the worst site for being stolen by thieves. So be careful. The road to Murs is also fine. Just the road to the cemetery is good or the gardens of Hotel Simiane (the new town hall which is an old renovated hospital). An other good place is the D2 just below Gordes towards Roussillon. You park there and you can explore the little valley at the bottom of Gordes. It is just delicious.
- In general the crowd makes a 10 minutes tour of the main streets and just sit down somewhere to have an ice cream or a soda. They will be able to say : I know Gordes. You must do more … You have to go down behind the church and explore the old narrow “calades”. The Summer Theater is a reasonable objective to be able to discover the main features. There will be excellent spots for photography and in general they are in the shade. If the Mistral wind is not blowing too much, the breeze will be refreshing.
- There is an excellent “Office du Tourisme” in Gordes just in the Château (Entrance near La Renaissance in front of Rosier). There you get plenty of information and you can select better what you are going to do. Also it is very cool with the deep walls of the castle. So you can recover before returning in the furnace.
- Do not expect to meet many true Gordians. Gordes territory is immense. Most of it has been sold long ago to wealthy Parisians, Americans or member of a Royal Family. As the specialty of the area is thick walls, you will have little opportunity to meet them. You will just suspect they are the owners of the old cars which rove the countryside. They come to Gordes not to be remarked by anybody and the end of the Sunday Mass is no more at present a place to see them. (Handsome weddings, yes, every Saturday in the summer season).
- A last word and not the least : There are thieves everywhere. Be careful. They like particularly GPS and just to see a cord appetizes them enough for breaking a window of your car ( consequences : One day lost for the repair – Less with Carglass Avignon).
Where to dine ?
There are many restaurants in Gordes : Some good, many not so good.
You must be very careful to look at the prices before getting sitted. The Renaissance which is in a nice corner in front of the Château, is very well known for the casting of the movie “A Good Year” by Ridley Scott with Russell Crowe ( after a book of Peter Mayle). Marion Cotillard was an employee of the Renaissance. However a lot of people complain about the incredibly high prices. See the acid comments on Tripadvisor.
Among the good ones, you have Le Clos de Gustave near the above mentioned parking with a nice terrace and local food at a reasonable price ( 04 90 72 04 25). L’Estaminet on the main square provides also an excellent quality for the price. Ask for “Magret de Canard”. You can also try “Le Loup Blanc” 04 32 50 27 almost in front of “La Bastide de Gordes”. By the way, an excellent idea is to have a drink on the terrace of “La Bastide de Gordes”, if possible at dusk, after the departure of the hordes of tourists. Whatever the price, there you have a very nice view and a taste of luxury for a brief moment. Be very careful about other places. Gordes is full of tourists and restaurants have no problem to fill-in with an arguable quality.
In Gordes Village, finally you have also pleasant small salad restaurants which serve decent food below 15 EUR : You will find easily La Canelle in the street down after Rosier, ou La Table à Gateaux.
Where are the real good restaurants ? Mostly not in Gordes, but they are reachable in matter of minutes.
One point : It is always preferable to book in advance, particularly they are open that day (they are often closed for various unexpected reasons).
If you are rich enough and you like to be among important people of all kinds, no hesitation and you enter Bastide de Gordes, Les Bories or Le Mas des Herbes Blanches. A bit further are Domaine des Andeols in St Saturnin d’Apt – 04 90 75 50 63 or Bastide de Capelongue in Bonnieux – 04 9075 89 78.
If you are clever, I give you my three very secret addresses where there should not be any disappointment : La Bartavelle in Goult ( You must book several days in advance – 04 90 72 33 72). Excellent food and charming. Goult is a village to discover. It has true alive inhabitants. The second is Café Véranda in Menerbes : It is just superb. The third favorite is “’Un Jour Charlotte” in Les Imberts. It is very close from our Chambre d’hotes Mas des Etoiles. Serge Alvarez is a well known photographer who got the “virus” when a youngster, he met Willy Ronis who used to live in Gordes. His wife Muriel is an excellent cook. Their taste is impeccable and they also have a creative garden full of good ideas. ( A bit like Mas des Etoiles ! ).
Our short list includes also L’Estellan just in front of us, Le Vieux Bistrot in Cabrières, Le Fournil in Bonnieux, Le Café Fleurs in Isle sur la Sorgue, Maison Gouin in Coustellet. This looks enough, I am not lauching a full guide !
I forgot the famous Café de la Poste (Peter Mayle) in Goult and when I am at that level, Bistrot de l’Industrie in Isle sur la Sorgue. Salads and more in “Pain sur la Planche” in Coustellet.
All no thrills restaurants, because you must not waste one evening in poor quality places.
Where to sleep ?
Frankly many of the hotels in Gordes area are overpriced. It is the market rule : Too many people and not enough resources.
A good source is Tripadvisor. However by simplification they compare places which are not comparable. They don’t value the owners talents for speaking your language or their computer “kills” hotels or B&B’s which for some reason get bad marks. Also comments can be “bizarrely extremely too good or too bad”. However you get a fairly sound basis to make your own opinion. Google searches are also useful but you often get only one side of the things.
So there are a lot of B&B’s around.
Rates are a good way to identify the potential quality and services.
I will not say all are good or bad. In the lower bracket, guests are very happy at Le Ralenti du Lierre in Les Beaumettes, La Guillone (outside of the crowd on the road to Murs). “Memoires de Provence” in Coustellet is also an exceptional value and a paradise for bikers.
In the same range as Mas des Etoiles is le Moulin des Sources in an adorable hamlet named “Les Gros”. It is very professional but more turned than us to a French speaking clientele.
As for the hotels, besides, the large ones, I would recommend Les Romarins, Mas Carcarille or Ferme de la Huppe. I have learnt so many bad stories about some of the others that I prefer to end the debate.
Where to buy things ?
Really Gordes is not the best place to make buyings. There are many “Marchands du Temple”.
Roussillon has much more global interest and prices are lower.
The best place is obviously L’Isle sur la Sorgue (15 kms) and you not miss this small city in your trip : You will find everything. It is worth half a day or several visits.
Closer is Coustellet (at the cross road with the Apt Avignon highway (or would be highway). The most precious after a laundry is a true and well kept supermarket on the right in the direction of Apt. Going there, you might stop by my bakery “ Au Fournil d’Antan “. The best bread in all the area. Excellent pastries. ( For gourmets enjoy also “Maison Gouin”, opposite on that street).
To continue ...
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