Bonnieux, Provence, France
Bonnieux is a small village in Luberon, interestingly located on top of a hill, about 10 km from Lourmarin, 8 km from Goult, 12 km from Apt and 14 km from Gordes. It is worth visiting because of beautiful views available from the hill, the cedar forest and many pleasant cafes and restaurants.
Parking in Bonnieux
It turns out that the town does not have any large parking lots, dedicated to tourists. You can for example use a small parking lot located at the Place Gambetta (P1; GPS: 43.824001, 5.307401). We just parked on the street at the road D36 (P2; GPS: 43.823929, 5.308665), where we already had nice views of the surrounding countryside and we could start our stroll.
The Old Town
As usual in the case of such towns, we stroll the narrow streets and watch old houses. Some of the buildings are from the sixteenth century. In addition, you can climb the stairs (86 stone steps) to the top of the hill, where the church of the twelfth century is located. It's known as the "old church" (A; GPS: 43.823008, 5.308706) as opposed to "new church" (B; GPS: 43.824763, 5.307360) built in the nineteenth century in the lower parts of the village. The church tower is located at an altitude of 425 meters. Beautiful cedar trees grow around it. From this place we can enjoy really nice views of the surroundings of Luberon, including the Mont Ventoux on the horizon, about 40 km from here.
In the seventeenth-century building the Bakery Museum (Musée de la Boulangerie) (C; GPS: 43.822637, 5.307886) is located. If you bake bread, this museum is a must-visit :). Tickets: adults - 3.5€, children and the elderly - 1.5€.
Pont Julien
Pont Julien (the Julien Bridge) (D; GPS: 43.8625478, 5.3065197) is an ancient, Roman bridge located in Luberon, France, 6 km north of Bonnieux and 5 km south of Roussillon. It was built by the Romans in 3 BC. The bridge is built of natural stones, without the use of mortar. Nowadays, the Pont Julien is still in a good technical condition and in use by pedestrians and cyclists.
You can drive up almost to the bridge by car. About 50 meters from it (on the south side) there is a specially created parking lot for a dozen cars ((P3; GPS: 43.8617464, 5.30669317).
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