For a stay in Auribeau, you can choose between two circular hikes of very different lengths. Medieval buildings along the route to Mourre Nègre, the village’s location at the foot of the Grand Luberon, and the Lavender Route add specific historical and landscape connections to the hiking options. Depending on your interests, you can choose a shorter loop, a longer hike or a seasonal landscape theme.
Comparing two circular hikes
The Tour de Saint-Pierre is an easy circular hike covering 2.8 kilometres, with 149 metres of elevation gain and a duration of 1 hour and 15 minutes. It is part of the Vaucluse department’s tourist hiking trail network and is also designated as a local PR trail by the municipality of Auribeau. The start and finish are at the municipal car park at the northern entrance to Auribeau.
The Route Mourre Nègre et biodiversité en chemin offers a more demanding alternative: it is a difficult circular hike covering 11.6 kilometres, with 667 metres of elevation gain and a duration of 4 hours and 15 minutes. It also starts and ends at the municipal car park at the northern entrance to Auribeau. As a local PR route designated by the municipality of Auribeau, it offers a very different time commitment and elevation profile from the Tour de Saint-Pierre.
Both routes share the same starting point, but differ considerably in distance, elevation gain and duration. These details make it easier to choose between a shorter loop and a longer day of hiking. The easy and difficult ratings complement the numerical comparison with each route’s classification.
Fort and chapel on the route to Mourre Nègre
The Fort d’Auribeau is an 11th-century medieval fortification on the route to Mourre Nègre. The Chapelle Saint-Pierre, a 12th-century chapel, is also on this route. It was formerly the village church of Auribeau. The routes therefore offer more than distance and elevation gain: they also pass named buildings with distinct historical functions.
The church of Saint-Pierre in Auribeau also has a medieval connection: it is mentioned in 1158 in a confirmation of ownership by Pope Adrian IV to the bishop of Apt. Together with the chapel’s former role as the village church, this reference provides another point of reference for the village’s history. The buildings and the historical mention can be considered as separate topics alongside the hiking options.
Landscape and lavender routes
Auribeau lies at the foot of the Grand Luberon, at the end of the Claparèdes plateau. The Aiguebrun River also rises in Auribeau. These geographical features add a clearer sense of the landscape in which the village is set.
The official Lavender Route includes Auribeau as one of its village stops. The Routes de la Lavande connect Auribeau, Castellet, Saint-Martin-de-Castillon and Viens via roads lined with lavender fields. The lavender bloom varies from year to year, an important consideration when planning a trip specifically around the season.
Auribeau offers different ways to explore: circular hikes with specified distances and elevation gains, historic buildings along the route to Mourre Nègre, and village stops and roads lined with lavender fields. By deciding what to focus on during your stay, you can weigh these options according to hiking time, interest in local history or seasonal scenery.
Discover more destinations: Villelaure, Saint-Martin-De-Castillon, Malaucene, Buisson, Beaumont-Du-Ventoux, La Bastidonne, Pernes-Les-Fontaines, Saint-Christol.
For the broader travel overview: Vaucluse.
