Bédoin

In the Vaucluse, at the foot of the Mont Ventoux with an altitude of 300 meters, appears the charming village Bédoin. Spread out over an area of more than 9 acres Bédoin comprises twenty hamlets, each with its own patrimonial richness. Two third of the area is covered with forest and is therefore one of the largest communal forests in France.

Like many other villages in the Provence, Bédoin is surrounded by sunny vineyards and can certainly be seen as a wine village. The characteristics of  its climate and the geological location give the AOC Côtes du Ventoux and Vin de Pays wines a unique taste. The provençal village has a ‘cave coopérative’ and several private caves who welcome you to taste their superb wines.

Not only will you see vineyards but also beautiful cherry orchards and olive groves that all together gives the landscape a lovely image. The olive oil of Bédoin is renowned since the 18th century: Bédoin as well as Caromb, the next village, possess both the regional AOC mark ‘Huile de Provence’ (Oil of the Provence).

The old centre of this provençal village lies on the Saint Antonin hill where the tower of the Saint Pierre church gracefully stands out, pointed at the north on the Mont Ventoux.

The church, built in the 18^th century (from 1708 to 1736) and dedicated to Saint Pierre, has a typical appearance with the Jesuit façades and its square clock tower. Saint Pierre has been partially destroyed in 1794 but has been rebuilt between 1907 and 1821.

Bédoin’s surroundings are a perfect spot for hiking. The hiking paths such as the ‘Sentier des Jas’, ‘Sentier des Glacières’ and ‘Sentier Sainte Croix’ are an ideal way to discover the woody surroundings of Bédoin. You can take several hiking tracks such as the GR 91 that crosses a big part of the southern hill of the Ventoux and the GR 4 that leads you all the way up to the top. For those who, except for the nature, also want to see the hamlets of Bédoin, don’t worry: there is a hiking track that passes the lovely hamlets of Les Beaux and Saint Colombe as well, with their typical provençal paved streets, on the route du Ventoux.

You can find all the information about the hiking tracks at the Office du tourisme from Bédoin: you can choose from a dozen hiking paths with a length that varies from 6 to 20 kilometers.

Bédoin not only provides in the need of the sportive hiker, the village is also a real paradise for cyclists. Each year thousands of cyclists come to Bédoin where they make their dream come true to climb up to the top of the Mont Ventoux and follow their heroes from the Tour de France. Some of them succeed and let’s say some of them at least try to....

Keep track when the Tour de France passes the Mont Ventoux: Bédoin will become a place you will hardly recognise and will definitely not be the same as you’ve seen it before……

For the climbing lovers you can climb(walk) the Montventoux by night with a professional guide in July and August