Provence: A Guide to Visiting Oppède Le Vieux

Oppède le Vieux

A Medieval Hilltop Village in Provence

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our experience in Oppède le Vieux

And whether or not I think you should visit

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How to visit Oppède le Vieux

Driving to Oppède le Vieux and Where to Park

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how long to spend in Oppède le Vieux

A Half Day in the Village

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Where to stay in Oppède le Vieux

Our favorite Provençal hotels and Airbnb rentals to book nearby

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Intros

Bonjour! If this is your first time on The Weithouse - welcome! My name is Taylor and I’m the girl behind the screen and camera bringing you resources to help you plan the trip of your dreams.

In January of 2022, my husband and I left our home in Atlanta, packed our bags and moved to Paris! Every day we wake up in disbelief that we get to call this incredible city our home, a city full of rich history, world-renowned food, and beauty hidden around every corner.

In this Oppède Le Vieux Guide, we’re sharing tips on how to visit the medieval village and ruins perched on a hilltop in the heart of the Luberon region of Provence. We visited Oppède Le Vieux for the first time in April 2023 and it’s one of our favorite Provençal villages to date.

Oppède le Vieux

Oppède le Vieux is in the Vaucluse region of Provence, near the villages of Ménerbes and Gordes. The village is said to date back to the 12th century and was abandoned by its residents a few hundred years ago when they moved to better farmland.

What’s left today is a seemingly preserved medieval village perched on a hilltop up against the Petit Luberon, as well as signs of the abandonment from years past, including a chateau in ruins.

The village itself has some new life present, but still feels empty when compared to other villages throughout the Provence region. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful piece of history to discover if you find yourself nearby during your Provence travels.

our experience in Oppède le Vieux

This was my third time to the Luberon region of Provence, and with each visit, I try to discover new villages I didn’t have the time to get around to on my prior trips.

I’d seen Oppède during some of my research of the area, but I’d never heard of Oppède le Vieux, so when we had some time left to visit one more destination on our last evening in the region, we decided to go check it out.

From the car, you can see Oppède le Vieux perched on a hill off in the distance and it looks like something straight of out a medieval fairytale. After finally finding the right place to park (more on this later), we realized we would have the entire place to ourselves as the parking lot was empty (this was early April, so I’m sure during peak season there would be more tourists).

As we hiked from the parking lot to the top of Oppède le Vieux, I couldn’t get over just how stunning all of the buildings were. It seemed like everywhere I looked a beautiful facade was waiting for me to photograph it, and I kept getting left behind by my fellow group of travelers.

Climbing through the village to the top where the ruins lie felt like being inside a medieval movie or novel, and I found myself imagining what life was once like in this now crumbling village.

In early April, we saw very few other travelers, which made the entire experience even more mysterious and magical. We peeked into the stone buildings, looking for signs of life, and most seemed long forgotten. My husband and I wondered how much a property would cost here.

Despite there being essentially no other signs of life during our explorations (other than the few other travelers we encountered at the top), we thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the beauty that is Oppède le Vieux. The village ended up being my favorite thing from our Spring trip to Provence.

How to visit Oppède le Vieux

The best (and basically the only way) to get to Oppède le Vieux is by car, as there is no train station nor bus stop in the village. Driving to Oppède le Vieux can be a bit tricky if it’s your first time, so here a few tips and things to avoid when trying to reach the village.

The main thing when trying to access the village is to note that there is one way in and one way out. In order to avoid having to turn around at some point, rather than using Oppède le Vieux as the destination in your iMaps or Google Maps, search for the villages’ parking lot: Parking Sainte-Cécile. This will lead you directly to the large parking lot just south of the village.

Once at the parking lot, you will walk through the Jardins de Sainte-Cécile and wind your way up to the village. At first, the incline seems steep, but the remainder of the climb up to the top of Oppède le Vieux is enjoyable.

how long to spend in Oppède le Vieux

Other than climbing to the top of the village to see the ruins, there isn’t much else to do in Oppède le Vieux, unless you wanted to grab a bite to eat after the climb. As that’s the case, I would give yourself either a half-day or less in Oppède le Vieux.

Depending on your speed, the walk from the parking lot to the top of Oppède le Vieux where the ruins lie could take you anywhere from 15-25 minutes. It’s a really pleasant walk through the village and up through the ruins, so you don’t notice the incline.

Once at the top, you can’t enter inside of the ruins or the church (as of April 2023), so you’ll just spend some time taking in the view. There are two paths to the top, and I’d recommend taking one path up and a different path down to see all of the old medieval ruins and walls.

We drove to Oppède le Vieux after spending the afternoon antiquing in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and the drive between the two is a short 22-minutes. We arrived to the village before sunset, which created beautiful lighting for photographing both the ruins and Oppède le Vieux itself. Visiting before sunset gave us enough time to get back to the car before the sun descended behind the mountains.

Where to stay in Oppède le Vieux

With Oppède le Vieux being nothing more than a tourist destination, my recommendation would be to stay elsewhere in the region (like the adorable village of Lourmarin). There are plenty of villages in the surrounding area that still have daily life in them, including world-famous Provençal markets, and by staying in those villages you’ll get to experience real Provençal life.

If you want to stay in a beautiful Provençal hotel, we’ve rounded up our favorites in this post, and this hotel is where we spent our time in June of 2022. And if you’re visiting Oppède le Vieux as part of a larger South of France itinerary, we’ve rounded up our favorite South of France Airbnb rentals here.

If you want to stay in close proximity to Oppède le Vieux, below is a cute Airbnb option that sits in Les Minguets, just at the base of Oppède le Vieux.

Planning for Provence

If you are planning a larger trip through the Provençal region of France, you can find all of the details of how to spend your time in our Provence Travel Guide (Luberon).

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Need help planning the rest of your trip?

If you’re exploring more of France, be sure to check out our Complete Guide to Paris, our Normandy Road Trip Itinerary, read our quick guide to visiting Monet’s Home & Gardens, or learn what it’s like to live as an American expat in Paris.

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