Transportation to villages

I don't know those particular locations, but I can suggest using Google Maps for questions like yours. Pull up your starting location, then click on Directions and enter your destination. It will show you details about various ways to make that trip. I have used this feature successfully to find transport directions to some very obscure places that my friends live in France.

Generally villages are not on train lines and buses are scheduled for local students and workers so often not useful for tourists. Visiting villages is best done with a car. -- or for the intrepid as part of a cross country bike trip.

You can also try Rome2rio. It shows the different methods-train, bus, drive- with routes and timetables.

Linda, That's a great idea. Why did I not think of it. Janet, I know you're right.. I just keep hoping I can find some villages to go to.

In this region the bus transport network is called "Zou"

The website is:

https://services-zou.maregionsud.fr/en/

You're lucky it's in English :))

Go to the website.

On the left, in the "Lines and points of interest" field, select Lines

Above the list of bus lines, select network: Zou! Proximité to see the list of orange lines

Find line 918 and click on it.

For timetables and map download this PDF file:

https://www.luberon-apt.fr/sites/aptluberon/files/brochures/files/ligne-918_apt_bonnieux_cavaillon.pdf

Generally villages are not on train lines and buses are scheduled for
local students and workers so often not useful for tourists. Visiting
villages is best done with a car.

This is true. Quaint little villages and access to high-speed modern transportation are often at odds with one another.

If there are buses to take the children and workers, will they sometimes let tourist ride with them?

I will be there at the end of my month in Provence on March 28. I will go from Avignon to Menerbes. The bus stop closest to my apartment is Limbert, Zou bus #915 at 852 to Robion. At 940 will take #918 to Menerbes. Not really any option but to take #918 at 523pm to Gare Cavaillon arriving at 6pm. Then take #907 at 615pm to Limbert arriving at 656pm. There is the market on Thursday.

An alternative is to take #915 from Limbert at 829 arriving in Maubec at 929 and then at 940 picking up #918 and getting to Menerbes at 956. I take the same #918 back to Maubec at 523pm, arriving Maubec 541pm and taking #915 at 553pm to Limbert at 636pm.

I am going all around Provence mainly by bus with a few trains to get me where I want to go. Takes work, Zou is great and it can be done.

Thank you.

If you want a Luberon village with good bus access, Lourmarin or Bonnieux is perhaps a better bet than Ménerbes, as buses on the Aix-Apt line (909) run up to 4 times a day, and there is a bus on Sundays too.

To get to Seguret, you can use line 904 from Orange to Vaison and it is surprisingly frequent (I see 5+/day, at least on weekdays). I would stay in Vaison rather than Seguret, though - Seguret is very tiny.

I am not exactly familiar with the location of the villages listed. Theoretically, in France I would look up the closest town / city to the villages I want to visit. I did that in 4 cities this last summer trip, in Arras, Amiens, Troyes, and Thionville/Lorraine.

Check the bus depot, the Gare Routiere outside the train station, if a local bus goes out there and if the schedule is reasonably compatible with your plans. Chances are that you'll be sitting with locals and school kids.

If not, then go to the Tourist Office, and arrange for a taxi to go out there, aller-retour. I've done that in Germany (ages ago in Hamburg, only to discover upon arrival the museum had moved), and this last trip in France too.

This so-called taxi option may be exactly what I will need to use this summer's trip in France going out to the villages in Lorraine, neat Metz and Thionville.

Something to also investigate before you go is whether the villages function as economic units or are suburbs for workers in cities who commute by car. Lots of small villages don't have grocery stores, restaurants, cafes or much else. even bakeries.

The SNCFConnect app will give you bus info as well as train info. We used it for navigating the buses to small villages outside of Colmar.

If you are going to Seguret, don’t miss Vaison la Romaine...especially the fabulous Tuesday and Saturday markets, along with wonderful Roman ruins.