Gordes in Provence – Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

on August 23, 2013

Gordes is one of the most famous hilltop villages in the Provence region. It is listed as one of “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” (The most Beautiful Villages in France). The fastest way to reach Gordes is to the TGV from Paris to Avignon (2h 40). From Avignon, it is a 30 mins drive to Gordes. If you are here for for a day then I would recommend visiting Avignon in the morning and then going to Gordes and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse in the afternoon. All of these attraction are within 30 mins by driving. You can also checkout Fontaine-de-Vaucluse post to find out more info.

We drove uphill, hoping to find a parking lot in the village…

Lucky we, managed to find a parking space without looking high and low everywhere.

After we parked the car in place, we walked into the village center….

Gordes is proud of its castle firmly planted in its very core and which reminds the passer-by of a past rich with conquests but also marked with the sufferings of its inhabitants.

Today, the castle acts as both a Town Hall and a Museum sheltering the works of the painter Pol Mara. The good thing about this place it, though touristic, yet it preserves its own charm.

This kind of restaurants will usually do business only at night time, but not at the other time. I always wonder why afternoon-tea is not popular here?

Most of the houses and buildings were built of white stone. Its labyrthinth of “calades” (narrow cobbleston streets) add a lots of charm to this place.

Many artists have stayed in Gordes and have contributed to its fame. Besides, Gordes is the seat of many cultural events in summer with its museums, festival, concerts and numerous exhibitions.

It would be nice to have a house here, wonder how much does on old house like this cost?

I think most of the people who walked on the calades are visitors. Other than visitors, we didn’t see anyone who looks like a resident here.

Very quiet neighborhood. We didn’t get to see many children at this place. Even the kids had noticed that too.

We were pretty exhausted after having so many programs for the day. So, at around 6 pm, we have decided to leave Gordes and headed back to the hotel area for dinner.

On the way back, husband pull over the car, so that I could take some real good pictures at the vintage point. Panoramic view of the Village of Gordes.