Mont-Ventoux is a mountain in the Vaucluse region of Provence of southern France. At 1,910m (6,270 ft), it is the highest mountain in the region and is famous as a Tour de France cycling race destination. Our 2025 drive through reinforced this opinion – this is biking mecca, with more bikes than cars, and a tourism focus catering to the same. You’ll find campgrounds galore, lots of affordable hotels and a smattering of premium ones, wine tasting, and a few lovely hilltop towns. I wouldn’t run out to spend time in this area, but for a day or two on the way to somewhere else, why not?
Our drive started from Gordes, due north up the D177 – a gorgeous, nearly empty road through canyons before opening into a major valley.
Stop 1: Le Spa des Écuries Hôtel Crillon le Brave (in Crillon le Brave), which is in a tiny hilltop town. The hotel looks quite lovely and worth an overnight, surrounded by not much of anything.
Stop 2: Eglise Saint Pierre (in Bédoin). Wander up the narrow streets to a rather tired, though imposing and large, Church. A place to stretch your legs, not where I’d choose to stay.
Stop 3: Malaucène. This is a well-worn, fairly large fortified village (about 3,000 permanent residents). There’s a lot to pick away at – Roman, Romanesque, Gothic – you name it, all in fairly rustic repair and built on top of each other. We popped into the massive cathedral. I think this town would fall into love it or hate it categories – it’s not really nice (yet), but it appears friendly and interesting.
On the north side just outside of town, there’s a restaurant and hotel that pops up frequently as a dining destination – Le Pont de l’Orme.
Stop 4: Vaison-la-Romaine. This village has history on display. We really liked it, and would go back.
Vaison-la-Romaine is famous for its Roman ruins and medieval town – which face each other across a river. The Roman ruins are extensive (really extensive) and quite accessible, as are the Christian buildings that harvested the Roman stone. On the hill (the medieval side), you find a charming, steep carless artist village with sweeping views. There’s plenty here for a few hours or even overnight. Consider staying, or eating at Hôtel Le Beffroi, which looks to have a gorgeous outdoor restaurant area.
