An autumn tour of southern France by motorhome: from Avignon to the Camargue

You don't have to visit Provence in high summer. Once the main school holidays are over, roads and campsites get quieter, and in September it is often still warm enough for a day at the lake or on the Mediterranean. This loop follows the "Provence" trip idea in road-trip.info: 12 to 14 days from Avignon via the Luberon and the Valensole plateau into the Gorges du Verdon, and finally down to Arles and the Camargue. It adds up to around 500 kilometres.

The trip idea gives May to September as the travel season, with the lavender in bloom from late June to mid-July. If you travel in September or early October, you won't see any lavender in bloom – the fields will have been harvested long before – but you'll get more peace and quiet in return. Many campsites close in autumn: check the opening dates of the sites you want to stay at before you go.

The route at a glance

• Days 1–2: Avignon (start, 2 nights)
• Days 3–4: Gordes in the Luberon (approx. 45 km, about 1 hour, 2 nights)
• Days 5–6: Moustiers-Sainte-Marie via the Valensole plateau (approx. 115 km, about 2 hours, 2 nights)
• Days 7–8: La Palud-sur-Verdon at the Gorges du Verdon (approx. 30 km, about 45 minutes, 2 nights)
• Days 9–10: Arles (approx. 220 km, about 3 hours, 2 nights)
• Days 11–12: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue (approx. 40 km, about 45 minutes, 2 nights)
• Day 13: Aigues-Mortes (approx. 45 km, about 45 minutes, 1 night)

Apart from the day to Arles, the drives stay short.

Days 1–2: Arriving in Avignon

You start on the Rhône. The old town behind the city walls is best explored on foot: the Papal Palace, seat of the popes in the 14th century and the largest Gothic palace in the world, and the Pont d'Avignon – the famous half-bridge of Saint-Bénézet from the children's song.

The trip idea suggests Camping du Pont d'Avignon on the Île de la Barthelasse, opposite the old town. It has a pool, and a free ferry takes you into the centre.

A rewarding half-day trip is the Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct over the Gardon, about 25 kilometres to the west. There's a motorhome car park and bathing spots by the river.

Days 3–4: The hilltop villages of the Luberon

After about an hour's drive you reach the hills of the Luberon with their villages of pale stone. An important tip from the trip idea: don't drive the motorhome into the narrow lanes – park on the edge of the village instead.

Gordes sits on top of a rock. The classic view of the village is from the road towards Cavaillon. North of it, in the valley, lies the Abbaye de Sénanque, a Cistercian abbey surrounded by lavender in July. Around Roussillon, the Sentier des Ocres leads through bright red and yellow ochre rocks. And in the south of the Luberon you'll find Lourmarin, a pretty village with a château and a market on Fridays.

There are two campsites to choose from: Camping Les Sources, about 2 kilometres below Gordes, with a pool and pitches for motorhomes, or the quiet Camping Arc-en-Ciel in a pine forest, a few kilometres from Roussillon.

Days 5–6: Via Valensole to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Via Apt and Manosque you head up onto the Valensole plateau. In summer, lavender and wheat fields stretch to the horizon here, most beautiful early in the morning or at sunset. Please don't walk into the fields – they belong to the farmers. In autumn the fields have been harvested, but the wide landscape is still worth the drive.

At the end of the stage lies Moustiers-Sainte-Marie at the entrance to the Verdon: a village in front of a rocky gorge, with a star hanging on a chain above it, known for its faience pottery. You can stay at the quiet Camping Le Vieux Colombier, a few hundred metres below the village – you'll be in the lanes in no time on foot.

Close by is the Lac de Sainte-Croix, a turquoise reservoir with beaches. Pedal boats and electric boats head from there into the gorge.

Days 7–8: The Gorges du Verdon

Only around 30 kilometres, but with plenty of views: along the northern rim of the gorge you drive to the mountain village of La Palud-sur-Verdon. From here the Route des Crêtes leads to viewpoints high above the gorge.

The trip idea's notes are worth a careful look here: the Route des Crêtes is partly one-way and very narrow, its middle section is closed from late November to late March, and at times it is also closed for roadworks. With a large motorhome you're better off driving only the D952 and parking at the viewpoints. The tourist office can tell you about current closures. Point Sublime, right on the D952, offers the classic view into the gorge and is easy to reach even with a large vehicle.

Hikers can tackle the demanding Sentier Blanc-Martel through the gorge with its tunnels – take a head torch.

For campsites, the trip idea names the shady municipal Camping municipal Le Grand Canyon on the edge of La Palud, a good base for the Route des Crêtes, or the small Camping Frédéric Mistral in Castellane at the eastern end of the gorge.

Days 9–10: Arles – Romans and Van Gogh

Now comes the longest driving day: around 220 kilometres and about three hours via Riez and the motorway past Aix-en-Provence to Arles. The town combines Roman buildings with Van Gogh's motifs.

Highlights are the 1st-century amphitheatre, still used for events today, and the Roman theatre. Van Gogh fans will recognise the café on Place du Forum and the Espace Van Gogh garden. A detour takes you to Les Baux-de-Provence, a castle village on a limestone rock in the Alpilles, with the Carrières des Lumières next to it.

You can stay at the simple Camping City on the edge of town, with a pool, close to the Fondation LUMA and within walking distance of the old town.

Days 11–12: The Camargue and the Mediterranean

Through the Rhône delta with its rice fields, lagoons and white horses you drive to the sea at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. You'll often see flamingos right next to the road – and up close in the Parc ornithologique du Pont de Gau with its circular paths.

From the roof of the fortified church in Saintes-Maries you look out over the town, the sea and the delta. And if you fancy some exercise, you can go riding on Camargue horses or cycle along the sea dyke to the La Gacholle lighthouse.

Two options for the night: the large Camping Le Clos du Rhône at the mouth of the Rhône, about 1.5 kilometres from town, with a pool and beach access, or the municipal Aire de camping-car Plage Ouest right on the beach west of town, though without shade.

Day 13: Aigues-Mortes to finish

The last stage takes you to the medieval fortified town of Aigues-Mortes on the edge of the salt marshes. Its town wall is completely preserved, and from the walkway on top you look out over the town and the salt pans. The Salins d'Aigues-Mortes shimmer pink and can be visited by little train or on a guided tour. The trip winds down at the fishing harbour of Le Grau-du-Roi and on the long, unspoilt sandy beach of L'Espiguette.

You can stay at Yelloh! Village La Petite Camargue on the road to Le Grau-du-Roi, with motorhome pitches and a pool. From there it's via Montpellier or Nîmes onto the motorway towards home.

Practical tips for Provence

Tolls (péage): French motorways are toll roads; you pay at the toll station by credit card. Motorhomes up to 3.5 t and 3 m high usually pay class 2, taller or heavier ones class 3. The stages of this loop also work well on country roads.

Crit'Air and low-emission zones: Marseille and Montpellier have low-emission zones (ZFE) where foreign vehicles need the Crit'Air sticker too. The rules in France are changing frequently at the moment – check before you go which towns on your route are affected. Order the sticker only from the official site certificat-air.gouv.fr – third-party sites charge considerably more.

Over 3.5 t: Vehicles over 3.5 t need the "Angles morts" (blind spot) stickers on both sides and at the back in France. Lower speed limits than for cars also apply.

Wildfires and the mistral: In summer, usually from June to September, forests and footpaths are closed daily when the fire risk is high – check the prefecture's map in advance (risque-prevention-incendie.fr). The mistral often blows hard from the north for days: retract the awning and watch out for crosswinds when driving.

Aires and wild camping: Almost every village has an aire de camping-car with water and waste disposal. Wild camping on beaches and in the Camargue is prohibited and enforced. German gas bottles are not exchanged in France: set off with full bottles or buy a French bottle locally together with a matching adapter.

Planning the loop with road-trip.info

The whole route is available as the "Provence" trip idea in road-trip.info – with all stages, campsites and sights. You can adopt it as your own trip, move stages around or add days, and use “Smart research” to get further pitch suggestions for each stage. You then share the packing list, food and departure check with your travel group – and on site you can see who else is nearby.