The Luberon4 min read
When to see the lavender in the Luberon
The bloom is shorter than most people think. Here is when to come, where to go, and how to see Sénanque before the coaches arrive.
Every spring we receive the same question, usually in March: when exactly is the lavender out? The honest answer is that it depends on the altitude, the rain, and the farmer.
The short version
In the Luberon, lavender starts to colour in the third week of June and is at its fullest in the first half of July. Around Sénanque Abbey, a few minutes from the house, the rows are often cut by the 20th of July. On the Valensole plateau, an hour east, the season runs a week or so later.
If you can only choose one week, choose the first week of July.
Where to go
- Sénanque Abbey. The twelfth-century abbey and its rows of lavender are the picture everyone knows. Go at 7:30, before the car park fills. The monks ask for silence near the church, and it is worth respecting.
- The road to Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt. Smaller fields, fewer people, and the Vaucluse plateau behind them.
- Valensole. The famous long rows. Make a day of it and stop in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie for lunch.
Staying with us in July
July is our busiest month, so we keep a handful of rooms for guests on our Lavender Season package, which includes an early morning at Sénanque with a driver and a picnic breakfast. The Suite Terrasse looks out over the valley, which turns faintly violet in the evening light.
Book early. By April most of July is already taken.
