Introduction

Beaumes-de-Venise is best known for its Muscat wines. However, there are many historical sites here, several of which we'll visit on this tour. These include two large chapels, two castles, and two quarries. We'll climb onto the small Plateau des Courens. The ascent is also worthwhile for the wonderful panoramic views.

The facts

5,3 km total distance

2 h 30 min walk time

280 m total elevation

orientation easy, but not always marked

mark 35% of the total distance

40% easy trails

40% hard-surfaced quiet side streets

20% moderate trails

5% forest roads

<5% dirt roads

<5% stairs

dangers caves

children yes, but it's long

useful picnic stuff

required hiking boots, hiking equipment and water

GPS coordinates (WGS84) of start and end point 44.12087897733109,5.028141086939842

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Public transport

Carpentras can be reached by several long-distance buses, see Zou! (only french) and by the trains TER PACA (only french). Carpentras is 8 kilometers from the starting point.

You can then continue with the buses of Trans'Cove (only french) on the A.RP and J.RP lines, although these are more school bus lines. Change in Carpentras either at the Gandie stop or at the main bus station, both located north of the SNCF train station. This brings us to the starting point in Beaumes-de-Venise at the big car park. See also the map on this page.

There are taxi services in Carpentras and Beaumes-de-Venise.

Access by car

We are north of Carpentras, east of Orange and south of Vaison-la-Romaine. The quickest approach via the motorway is on the A7 and the Vaison-la-Romaine exit. Follow the signs for Sarrians, then Beaumes-de-Venise and Beaumes-de-Venise Centre.

Useful parking spaces

At the village's two central roundabouts, follow the signs to the 135-space car park. There is usually enough space in this car park, except perhaps on market days in Beaumes-de-Venise. This large square is called Place du Marché, the name comes from a time when markets were still real sales centers.

Hints

This is a hike starting from the city center. However, we go up and down on very steep paths.

Along the way there are two remarkable chapels, one of which has recently been renovated.

There is no water along the entire route, it is essential to carry enough.

The name of the village of Beaumes-de-Venise can be explained as follows: Beaumes comes from Baume, the Provençal word for Cave, of which there are several in the commune, some of which we will see during this hike. Venise is a corruption of (Comtat) Venaissin, a papal territory from the 13th century until 1791, when it was annexed to France. This territory is now part of the Vaucluse department.

The whole region is a zone with a high risk of forest fires. In summer, but also in other seasons when it is very dry or by strong winds, access to the forest areas can be regulated. As a result, the roads may be closed to traffic and/or the trails prohibited to hikers. Current information: Map for access to the forests of the Vaucluse department (only french). The map shows the colours green, yellow, orange and red which correspond to levels of danger.

The sections

1. Beaumes-de-Venise to the Notre-Dame d'Aubune Chapel.
2. Via the Heritage Orchard to the Plateau des Courens and the Grottes d'Ambrosi.
3. The necropolis on the plateau and the St. Hilaire Chapel.
4. Join the Castellas de Durban and descend directly to Beaumes-de-Venise.

Section 1: Beaumes - Chapelle ND d'Aubune

➙ 1,5 km ... 30 min ➚ 35 m ➘ 20 m ↝ easy

100% hard-surfaced quiet side streets, without marks

We leave the parking lot heading north towards the large building. Then, we pass to the left of it and to the right of a building with a crenellated tower.

The town hall is located in the former castle of the village's lords, the Fortia de Pilles family. The post office is in the old stables. It's the building topped with a crenellated tower.

We exit through a gate onto the road towards Vacqueyras. We cross the pedestrian crossing and turn left.

We turn right at the first opportunity. This is the Chemin du Pasquier.

Pasquier is a Provençal word meaning pasture. We are indeed heading towards the slopes where goats and sheep were kept.

At the next intersection, we turn left to resume a more clearly westward direction.

The road is called Chemin derrière le Château (Path Behind the Castle). It must have been longer in the past.

We ignore the dead end on the left and continue straight ahead towards the fields.

We eventually come to a canal.

The idea of irrigating the Comtat Venaissin with water drawn from the Durance River dates back to the Middle Ages. However, the current project was only realized in the 19th century. The Carpentras Canal was inaugurated in 1857. The main channel is 65 kilometers long. With the construction of this canal, cattle pastures and even scrubland were converted into fields for vegetables. This profoundly transformed the region's agriculture.

Today, the fields of vegetables have given way to vineyards. Beaumes-de-Venise is renowned for its sweet wine, Muscat. This winemaking tradition is ancient, as Pliny the Elder mentions it in his Natural History: "There exists a kind of natural liqueur in the Narbonne province, and particularly among the Volonces (inhabitants of Vaison-la-Romaine), intermediate between liqueur and wine."

Continue straight ahead at the following intersections.

We leave the canal and the large chapel appears between the trees in front of us.

The Chapel Notre-Dame d'Aubune is located at the foot of the Plateau des Courens. The name Aubune is believed to derive from the Celtic word Alp, meaning height. In Gallo-Roman times, the site must already have been venerated, as an abundant spring flows here. A statuette of Mercury has been found on the site.

An inscription on the tomb of a young woman, Epyminia, dates from the 5th century. A first chapel was built around the 6th century.

Let's first turn left in front of the chapel.

The priory itself is first mentioned in the 12th century. Construction of the chapel took place between 1125 and 1180. However, the vaults collapsed in 1561, indicating a long period of neglect beforehand.

The buildings were rebuilt in the 17th century with a new north aisle. The western part is surrounded by a hermitage which served as a refuge for pilgrims until the 19th century.

Here we find a recreated garden.

This garden adopts the form and plants of medieval abbey gardens. In the Capitulary of Villis, Charlemagne issued a list of 88 plants around 795, which were to be planted on all imperial estates, abbeys, and hospitals. The garden at Aubune was recreated in 2015. Its square beds contain plants arranged according to their use: culinary plants, aromatic herbs, medicinal plants, plants for dyes, for perfume, or simply for their floral splendor. Some of the plants originate from the hill of the Plateau des Courens.

Let's go back to the south of the chapel.

Several fantastical builders of the chapel have been invented. For example, it is claimed that the chapel was erected by Charles Martel in gratitude for a Frankish victory over the Saracens. There is, however, a major problem with the dates: an initial chapel on this site is dated to the 6th century. Martel lived in the 8th century, and the current chapel was built starting in the 11th century. The locals claim that Charlemagne built the chapel, but this is equally impossible, as the King of the Franks lived in the 8th and 9th centuries.

You need to step back a bit to admire the detail of the bell tower.

The association called the Académie de Beaumes-de-Venise offers guided tours from 10 a.m. to noon every Thursday and the last Saturday of the month, from March to September. This includes a visit to the hermitage and the underground passage of the spring.

Access to the interior of the chapel remains prohibited for safety reasons.

The accompanying photo dates from 2013.

From the distance taken to admire the bell tower, one can also look towards the ridge. With a bit of luck, one might see another gleaming white chapel.

The village of Beaumes is nestled against the southern foot of the Plateau des Courens. This small rocky ridge protects the site from the Mistral wind. This plateau is a spur of the Dentelles de Montmirail. It is only one kilometer long and rarely more than 100 meters wide. It has steep slopes to the south, north, and east, making it a strategic defensive location.

Section 2: Chapelle ND d'Abune - Grottes d'Ambrosi

➙ 1,3 km ... 45 min ➚ 150 m ➘ 30 m ↝ easy

65% easy trails, with marks

35% moderate trails, without marks

We continue west from the chapel. We reach a crossroads where we turn right and head uphill. We then come across an information panel about the site on the left.

Another association, Les Courens, maintains the terraced orchard. Dry stone walls are called Restanque in Provence, but here they are known as Bancau.

These terraced fields date back to the 18th century. At that time, the population was increasing, and farming on the plains with a year of fallow was no longer sufficient. These terraces were initially very poor, but by adding fertilizer and water, crops could be grown more densely than in the fields on the plains. Wheat was planted under the olive trees and between the vines.

In 1857, the Carpentras Canal, mentioned earlier, became operational. This led to an intensification of fruit and vegetable production on the plains to feed the large cities. The terraces were abandoned during various agricultural crises, including diseases affecting vines and mulberry trees. They were then primarily converted into olive groves. A final blow came with the frost of 1956, which killed a large number of olive trees. However, several survived and, with their roots, still support the terraces.

The Les Courens association is revitalizing these sites, clearing the land, rebuilding the walls, and experimenting with different crops in collaboration with local stakeholders.

We first pass beneath the ruins of the Grange Laget. In front of and below it, the first restored terraces can be seen.

Behind the terrace and directly below the barn was a quarry where traces of a pickaxe are still visible. This is point number 1 on the map above.

This is a type of pickaxe for soft rock, already known to the Romans. The pickaxe allows a vertical groove to be cut into a natural slab, the depth of which corresponds to the size of the pickaxe. This marks the area to be extracted. The block is then removed using steel wedges. For larger blocks, moistened wood is also used. As it swells, the block is detached without additional effort.

The path beneath the heritage orchard climbs gently. We pass beneath other, lower terraces where the Beaumes school garden is located. This is point number 2 on the map above.

Of course, these vegetable gardens vary greatly depending on the season.

Straight ahead may be beehives. They aren't always there. This is point number 3 on the map above.

This spot also marks the point where you turn right and continue uphill between the terraces.

Between the terraces also grows the common caper bush, whose flower buds produce capers. This is point number 4 on the map above.

It is a very robust plant that was planted when the terraces were gradually abandoned. It also persists on the hillside. The flower buds are pickled in vinegar and are an integral part of Mediterranean cuisine.

There is often a clear view towards the large bell tower of the Aubune Chapel.

There are many paths, and the aim is always to return to the path that passes above the redesigned vegetable garden. This is possible just above the ruins of the barn.

It's possible we didn't climb up early enough. In that case, there's a chance to catch up here on the cobbled paths between the new stone walls.

Ahead, between the walls, are vineyards, known locally as muscadières.

Here we're already on the upper path. We can see back into the vegetable garden, which evolves year after year. A small, free book exchange is also located here.

The ascending path is ancient and climbs steadily, initially in a straight line.

The yellow and red markers indicate a GR (long-distance hiking trail).

This is a connecting path to the GR de Pays des Dentelles de Montmirail, which passes north of the Plateau des Courens.

After two short switchbacks, we arrive at the forge of the Aubune quarry, which was active further back.

The start of the quarry here is unknown. We only know that stone was still being extracted from 1844 to 1935. The municipality of Beaumes owned it. 150 cubic meters were extracted in the form of building blocks, which were used, for example, to build the parish church in the town.

In front of the forge is a sort of terrace formed by the quarry spoil. From here, you can clearly see back towards the chapel and Beaumes-de-Venise further on.

The climb isn't over yet, it continues at a steady pace, but without any real difficulty.

The path winds its way up in several short switchbacks.

Behind the low wall lies the upper part of the old quarry.

The path leads us between sloping limestone slabs. Higher up, these will form a ridge.

The steep climb ends unexpectedly and abruptly. We arrive at a junction where we follow the trail markers to the right.

Along this southern ridge of the Courens Plateau are several impressively sized rocks.

A rock a little further on is called the Devil's Rock (Rocher du Diable). Local legend says that the devil tried to destroy the chapel below (Notre-Dame d'Aubune), but the Virgin Mary petrified him in place with her distaff.

A little further along, there's a plunging view down towards the Notre-Dame d'Aubune Chapel.

The plateau is covered with traces of human activity, such as this low wall that appears to have supported a terrace.

At the Devil's Rock, our path forks to the left. We continue to follow the yellow and red markers.

The path now crosses the plateau from south to north. This plateau isn't flat. We pass several abandoned terraces.

Finally, we reach a true pass, which also forms a crossroads. We cross it and take the small, unmarked path to the left.

At the far north of the Plateau des Courens, this path leads to six caves.

They first served as shelters in prehistoric times.

Some are tiny, or their entrances are blocked.

This one is filled with debris and earth, the natural opening is undoubtedly much larger.

It's the same here, the entrance is blocked. But let's go further ahead, there are larger ones, I promise!

The fourth cave is larger and more accessible. You can enter for a few meters before encountering earth that blocks any further exploration.

The fifth cave is the largest. It has two entrances at the same level, so you can walk through it. There's also an opening at the top that lets in light.

Let's enter through the eastern entrance, that's the side we're coming from.

You have to step over some stones to reach the western exit.

The sixth and final cave is once again filled in, although a passage remains open that you can enter by climbing.

The path in front of the caves is littered with blocks of stone of various sizes. This is not of natural origin.

It's essentially spoil heaps, debris left over from the time when millstones were quarried here. This occurred from the beginning of our era until the beginning of the 20th century. Depending on their size, these millstones are used in oil or flour mills.

The path continues along the ridge, but there are no more caves beyond it. So we retrace our steps.

On the return path to the pass, we look to the northeast. In the distance, Mont Ventoux once again looms.

The newly renovated St. Hilaire Chapel shines brightly on our ridge.

Section 3: Grottes d'Ambrosi - Chapelle St. Hilaire

➙ 0,6 km ... 30 min ➚ 30 m ➘ 10 m ↝ easy

10% easy trails, with marks

25% moderate trails, without marks

65% easy trails, with marks

We return to the junction at the pass. We cross it diagonally to take the path south behind the northern ridge, continuing east.

The trail climbs a little further. The markers are now blue.

We pass over some old terraces.

A ruin to the right, below the path, serves as a landmark for the rest of the route.

After a few slightly larger trees, we reach a junction. The main path (and our route for later) climbs to the left. However, we first descend to the right, making a short out-and-back detour.

We thus cross the plateau to the south.

Reaching the southern edge of the plateau, we arrive in a cleared area with rock-cut tombs.

The vast necropolis from the early centuries of Christianity consists of about fifty graves. These tombs must have been looted much earlier.

We then return to the previous junction.

The path then climbs again. At our feet are still old stone walls.

The path turns left, but when then veering back to the right, you can continue straight towards a viewpoint.

We climb again over old stone walls. The uppermost one is clearly defensive, as it raises the ridge.

The view takes in the Vaubelle vineyards on the foothills of the Vaucluse Mountains, which extend further onto the plain formed by the Ouvèze and Aygues rivers.

We then return to the path marked in blue, keeping to the left.

The plateau is particularly narrow here, and the path takes us then along its southern edge.

Here, we have a direct view of Beaumes-de-Venise and the ruins of its castle.

Straight ahead stands the Chapel of St. Hilaire.

This chapel dates from the 6th century and is an example of early Christian architecture. It is a Romanesque building constructed according to the traditional Latin cross plan and one of the earliest examples of Christianity in Provence.

It was probably devastated and burned by the Saracens who ravaged the region at the beginning of the 8th century. The chapel is believed to have been restored in the 12th century by monks living under the protection of the lords of Durban, from the ruined castle further east on the plateau.

It is entirely white and looks almost new. This is true because it was restored from a state of advanced ruin starting in 2012. Previous photos show only the side walls and the isolated arch of the transept vault. The restoration work was completed in 2021.

Irises grow naturally in Provence on limestone soils, but here they have been planted extensively.

The chapel's renovation was overseen by the Archbishop of Avignon. It was consecrated in 2019.

Many naive religious objects can be found all around the chapel.

A Stations of the Cross is located beneath the wall of this cross.

The gardens are beautifully laid out.

Hilaire is the first bishop of Poitiers known with certainty, dating from the 4th century. He was exiled for defending the Trinitarian faith in a Gaul that had embraced Arianism, which held that the Father alone is God, and that Jesus was merely a man.

The very simple plan clearly displays the characteristics of early Romanesque-Christian architecture. The very long nave leads to a transept and ends in a semicircular apse sanctuary, 4 meters in diameter.

Following common practice, the church, oriented towards the east, has its true facade facing south. The main door opens in the middle of this facade. To the west, another small door is set into a corner of the wall.

The chapel is roofed with lauzes (stone slabs).

Lauzes are flat, natural stones used to cover buildings, in this case, limestone. This type of roofing requires a very massive timber frame or solid vaults, as is the case with this chapel.

The chapel is not open, and it seems that during the renovation, a small opening in the doors to allow a view of the interior has been forgotten. This view is taken through the opening in the apse.

This religious building has always been devoid of any notable decoration, either inside or out.

North of the chapel is another viewpoint looking north.

You can see over fields of vines. In the background, to the right of the center of the photo, the Crête de la Salle ridge rises in the Dentelles de Montmirail.

The plateau is open here, and you can also see south towards the Carpentras plain.

Section 4: Chapelle St. Hilaire - Beaumes

➙ 2 km ... 50 min ➚ 60 m ➘ 215 m ↝ easy

30% easy trails, without marks

20% moderate trails, faulty marks

10% forest roads, without marks

10% easy trails, faulty marks

10% hard-surfaced quiet side streets, without marks

5% dirt roads, without marks

5% easy trails, without marks

<5% stairs, without marks

15% hard-surfaced quiet side streets, without marks

To the east of the chapel stretch long, narrow vineyards. The ground is flatter here, and the soil is more cultivated.

You can walk on either side of the first field.

These fields are interspersed with rows of trees and also feature changes in elevation. We can see back to the Chapel of St. Hilaire one last time.

A small oratory also marks this boundary between these fields.

The second field is a little longer, here, it's best to stay on the north side, so to the left.

At the far end is a bank that we skirt to the left.

After this, the scenery changes slightly. We walk to the right of the field, but to the left of a tiny rocky ridge.

Assuming that the limestone slab runs flat to the left beneath the vines, we can believe that the layer of soil is minimal.

This last vineyard slopes down towards Castellas.

The Castellas is undergoing renovations and access is prohibited until the walls are stabilized.

The Celto-Ligurian populations preferred to settle on the plateau's summit to protect themselves from the insecurity of the plain. They established an oppidum and remained primarily on the western side of the rock. The Gallo-Romans later occupied the eastern side of the rock. During the centuries of the Pax Romana (which lasted here from approximately 100 BC to 400 AD), the population moved down to the plain around Notre-Dame d'Aubune and to the present-day village of Beaumes. During the period of invasions (from the 5th century onwards), the oppidum was once again occupied. The village of Durban survived until the 18th century despite several periods of destruction.

At the eastern end are the ruins of this village and the remains of the Castallas of Durban. It was built between the 8th and 12th centuries. The castle was likely destroyed in the 14th century during the Hundred Years' War.

Its elevated position, combined with the farmland and water resources in the plain, necessitated the construction of rainwater cisterns and underground grain silos. These are the parts that still remain.

An association is working to preserve the remains of the Castellas. Access is prohibited during the restoration work, which will last several years.

We therefore turn right in front of the gate.

Here begins a very direct descent back to the starting point. The section in the forest has yellow markers.

We head straight towards the town.

The view of Beaumes-de-Venise is magnificent.

In the distance rises the Vaucluse Plateau with the Luberon mountain range.

For a slightly less steep climb, we keep right to pass through a rocky cleft.

The slope remains quite steep, however. The path winds its way down a few times.

We are, however, on an old path between Castellas and the village of Beaumes. Some of the slabs have clearly been laid to improve the terrain. However, nothing is maintained here.

There are few respite sections. Even when it's almost flat, we're still descending.

At times, we have a view back towards the ruins of the Castellas de Durban. It's clear that the walls are very unstable.

There are also a few unusual sections, like this one under a dry-stone wall.

The path soon turns right and downhill to a junction. We keep right and, in fact, head west again. We're just above a forest track, but the descent is further ahead.

We arrive abruptly at the forest track called Chemin des Gonets.

There, we have to turn back, heading east.

We walk about 200 meters along this flat road.

We look for a path descending to the right where the road bends to the left.

We're back on the steep slope we were on before.

Openings in the forest allow us to see that we are approaching Beaumes.

Our path leads through a stone ditch.

The path takes us past this cave dwelling.

It has a rectangular doorway and a sort of horizontal arrow slit, which could be natural or an accidental opening. This type of structure is often found in softer rock. They were rarely actual dwellings, they were more often cellars or sheds.

From the inside, you can see that the rock was worked to accommodate a door frame.

Several cave structures are located in the commune of Beaumes-de-Venise. Another one, the Rocher de Rocalinaud, is to the east of the town.

The coat of arms of Beaumes-de-Venise is engraved opposite the cave dwelling. The rock is soft, so this depiction is undoubtedly more recent than the dwelling itself.

Unlike many other communes, the emblem does not incorporate the symbols of the village's former lords. Since the 14th century, three chapels representing the three Christian groups of the village have been located here: Saint-Véran (to the southeast), Beaumes, and Aubune.

The path continues into a deep hollow where it makes two bends.

It leads to a housing development of villas. We continue down the tarmac road and follow it as it turns left.

Just before the first houses, we take the farm track to the right.

On the right, we see the last vestiges of Beaumes Castle, which fell into ruin as early as the 15th century.

The walls are accessible via overgrown paths. We can't see much there, which is why we leave these ruins aside.

Our path enters a forest one last time, heading in the direction we came from the road.

It climbs slightly.

We arrive on the other side, immediately in the town. We descend a staircase leading to a small square and turn right to pass under the Tor Portail Neuf gate and enter the walled city.

You can generally descend through the narrow streets as you please. Just keep slightly to the right to exit the walls in front of the church.

We are now on Rue de la République, which leads to another passageway through which we exit the medieval walls once again.

The Church Gate passageway leads directly to the church door. The evening sun illuminates this facade.

Saint-Nazaire Church was sacked in 1562 by Protestants and devastated during the French Revolution. It was rebuilt in 1849 in the Neo-Romanesque style.

The church square overlooks a roundabout from which you can see the parking lot, which is the starting point. The bus also stops at the bottom of the roundabout in front of the parking lot.

Sources and additional information

It is better to use a good topographic hiking map: this tour is on the IGN map "Carpentras, Vaison-la-Romaine, Dentelles de Montmirail", scale 1:25000, 3040ET.

If you don't want to bother with a paper map, you can also use mapping apps on your cell phone. On the one hand, it is the Cartes IGN app from the official map service. However, it requires access to the data network and this is sometimes difficult in canyons or remote locations.

Alternatively, you can use apps that store data directly on the device. They're generally not free, but they don't cost much. We mainly use OSMAnd, here it is possible to add contour lines, relief shading, markings and others. To store this data on your phone you need a lot of space.

Of course, one needs access to satellites for the GPS signal with any app. In some canyons this is not the case. Therefore, do not rely on the position shown, but read the map on your phone as you would read it on paper. Most apps are available for Android and iPhone. The applications usually allow us to record the route travelled and also view the GPS files offered for each of our hikes.