Luberon villages in 2 days - need your advise which ones to choose

Hi,
A few comments:
Day 1
- what do you mean by "Lubéron"? It's not a village. Coming from Aix, you can easily stop in Lourmarin, then have lunch in Bonnieux.
-Then, on the way between Bonnieux and l'Isle sur la Sorgue, you can stop in either Lacoste (which I find a bit fake, but is well restored), Menerbes, or Oppede le Vieux (never been). ----Not Fontaine de Vaucluse, which you can safely skip. There will not be much water in the Fontaine in August.

Day 2
- do take some time to stroll in Isle sur Sorgue
- see above: source de la Sorgue which is in Fontaine de Vaucluse is not worth it, especially in August.
- Gordes is a good lunch spot
- Roussillon to Aix takes you back through Bonnieux (or Lacoste with minor detour) and Lourmarin so you have a second chance to see those if you didn't make it on day 1.

As for La Coste winery: there are two tours, one for the art around the domain and one for the wine. Did the latter: it is very interesting BUT you'll be visiting a super modern winery - not century old cellars. Also, a 1pm tour basically means that's all you'll do that day until 3pm. Maybe someone will come up with another suggestion closer to / in the Lubéron?

Just to add to the above...

It would be nice to hit one of the villages during its market day -- you only need to really do one. Unfortunately, your current schedule with Isle sur la sorgue might not fit. You might try inverting your days to Thursday (Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Lacoste, end in Roussillon. Friday - Market early, walk the trail, and then drive across to Gordes and then Isle Sur La Sorgue. The route back to Aix is quick via the tollroads (of course, not as scenic).

How fancy do you want the lunch to be? There is Le Domaine de Capelongue near Bonnieux, for example. But then you'll have to drop a destination. For lower price points, try Le Fournil or L'Heure Bleu

I've not done the tour at Lacoste. There are several wineries just outside of Bonnieux on the route to Pont Julian-- the one from the Russell Crowe movie (Chateau La Canorge, a beautiful set of grounds/classic building) and a small organic one with some tasty choices (Les Eydins, no tour and not picturesque). There is also the cooperative tasting room (on the main route out to D900).

Dear Balso and Gooster,

Thank you very much for your valuable inputs!
I highly appreciate both of your comments!
Now it’ll make our trip so much more organized )

Thank you!

Hello Gooster,

Just a quick note
Not so sure how accurate and up to date this info is, but according to Luberon.com, the market day in Russellion is Thursday.
https://www.theluberon.com/activities/luberon-markets.
Would you have any idea where I can double check it
Thank you in advance

Fontaine de Vaucluse: If possible, check with the tourist office in Sorgue (or elsewhere, perhaps) to see if the spring will be "running" on the day of your planned visit. (It's not that they turn it on-and-off; I understand rainfall can influence the flow.) We failed to do so. It's a cute village with an interesting paper-mill/museum, but the walk up to the Fontaine is a bit anti-climatic if there's only a trickle of water coming forth. (Day 2, Item 1 = Day 1, Item 4)

As others note above, the market in Sorgue, especially on Sunday, is a treat. The short hike on the Ochres Trail in Roussillon makes a stop there particularly worthwhile. We managed to arrive early (from Sorgue), enjoy some coffee and pastry at a cafe, and still have the trail almost all to ourselves for the 30-45 minute stroll.
https://www.provenceguide.co.uk/equipment/luberon/the-ochres-trail/provence-821608-1.html

Rick includes a wine-tasting itinerary of Cote-du-Rhone in his guide book. Gigondas is a nice starting point, with some tasting available in the village and a nice restaurant named -- as I recall -- Nez.

Hi rca,
Thanks a lot - It’s a great idea to check if the spring will be running during the time of our visit. Hope we’ll be lucky to see it ))

It would be nice to check out a farmers market in any of the villages on our route. But it looks like we are unlucky according to theluberon.com website...
The only markets on our way in Thursday will be in Roussillon and Ménerbes - which very unlikely we’ll catch them as we can be in both places only after lunch ((
Maybe next time then :)

P. S. We decided to keep all our winery visits for Bordeaux so have a quality time in Luberon villages )

I'm so sorry, @lyudmila, I had my market days mixed up. Unfortunately, the market is on Thursday in Rousillon, and Friday in Bonnieux/Lourmarin.

That’s perfectly fine, Gooster
No worries

I checked - there is a farmers market in Aix in Thursdays (maybe not that authentic as in a small village but should give us an idea ))
I think we can pass by before staring our Luberon villages detour )
Thank you for all your advises once again!

We loved Menerbes! It's small but lovely and the food in every cafe is good. The market at L'isle Sur la Sorgue was a delight. Gordes did not hold any particular interest for us.

Dear leaders,

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Will make sure we'll pass by Menerbes!

Another vote for Menerbes, by far our favorite village in the Luberon. Also for Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which was our home base. The Sunday market is terrific, and it has some terrific restaurants. Fontaine de Vaucluse not worth it. Roussillon was great, esp the ochre trail. Gordes seemed a bit artificial (read Rick’s blurb for details).

Dear blattner,
Thank you very much for your comments

Would you remember the names of the restaurants you really liked (maybe some landmarks)?

Thanks a lot!

Isle-sur-la-Sorgue doesn’t have much in the way of “landmarks.” The river winding around and through the old town is cool, as are the numerous water wheels that are still in place. There is a slightly kooky museum of toys and dolls. The big attractions are probably the Sunday market which is extraordinary, and the antiques markets which are legendary.

As for restaurants, we liked La Balade de Saveurs (which I render “parade of flavors”), Café Fleurs, where our meal was not only prepared but personally served by the chef, and Le Carré d’Herbes, which is off the beaten path but worth finding. Le Prévôté is a gourmet restaurant of the pricey-but-worth-it variety. The Bellevue looks like it might be a run-of-the-mill tourist spot, and it sort of is, but our meals there were terrific. Do not miss the Café de France, on the plaza by the church. Basic café fare but excellent. And if you’re up for a drive, Bistrot Le5 in Menerbes is a great spot for lunch.

Thanks a lot, blattner!

Highly appreciate your detailed comments - now we have plenty of restaurants options to choose from
Thank you !