Roussillon

Roussillon stands on a ridge of ochre in the middle of the Luberon, and every house in it is rendered in a colour dug out of the ground underneath — red, orange, pink, yellow. Against the green of the pines and the blue of a Provençal sky, it is the most saturated village in France.

It is one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, and it is 10 km from Gordes — the two are always visited together and could not look less alike.

The ochre

The hill is one of the largest ochre deposits in the world — iron oxide in sand, laid down when this was a shallow sea. It was quarried industrially from the eighteenth century until 1930, when synthetic pigments killed the trade, and the workings left behind a landscape of cliffs, pinnacles and gullies in seventeen distinct shades.

The Sentier des Ocres runs through the old quarries from the edge of the village — a short loop of about 30 minutes or a longer one of an hour, on marked paths through the cut faces. It costs a few euros, it is the best thing here, and one practical warning: the dust stains. Do not wear white, and expect your shoes to be orange afterwards.

The Conservatoire des Ocres, in a former factory below the village, explains how the pigment was washed, settled and fired, and still sells it.

The village

Small and steep, and the pleasure is simply walking it: the renders in every shade from cream to blood red, blue and green shutters against them, and a Provençal ritual of repainting to a locally agreed palette.

Climb to the Castrum, the viewing table at the top where the castle was, for the whole Luberon on one side and Mont Ventoux on the other. The church of Saint-Michel and the belfry over the old gate are on the way up.

Samuel Beckett

Beckett hid here from 1942 to 1945, having fled Paris after his Resistance cell was betrayed, and worked as a farm labourer while writing Watt. Roussillon is named in Waiting for Godot. There is a plaque, and not much more — which is probably in keeping.

What to eat

Provençal, and the market is the thing: tapenade, goat cheese, melon from Cavaillon, Ventoux wine. The village market is on Thursday mornings. See Provençal cuisine.

Getting to Roussillon

• By car — the practical way. 50 minutes from Avignon, 10 minutes from Gordes. Paid car parks below the village; it fills in season.
• By bus — a thin service from Cavaillon and Apt. Check the return before you rely on it.

See parking in France.

Around Roussillon

• Gordes — 10 km, and the Sénanque abbey beyond it
• Rustrel — the “Colorado Provençal”, a larger and wilder set of ochre workings, 15 km east
• Bonnieux and Ménerbes — across the valley
• Apt — the market town, with a big Saturday market

When to go

The ochre is at its most intense in low sun — early morning or the hour before sunset — and washed out at midday, which is exactly when the coaches arrive. Spring and autumn; the paths are hot and exposed in summer.

See the natural sights of Provence.

Weather in Roussillon

Updated: 8 September 2026