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This lovely, light little perched village is the opposite of touristique yet welcoming to tourists. If you come here from the thronged tourist sites, you'll welcome the calm beauty of Joucas, with refurbished buildings (of natural stone of course), and tiny step-streets that climb up through the village to the top.
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Nearby: |
Apt 15 km |
Avignon 41 km |
Carpentras 30 km |
Gordes 6 km |
Luberon |
Murs 5 km |
Roussillon 4 km |
Senanque Abbey 12 km |
Vaucluse Plateau |
Venasque 20 km |
Hotels near Joucas: |
Joucas |
4 km Roussillon |
5 km Murs |
6 km Gordes |
15 km Apt |
20 km Venasque |
30 km Carpentras |
Joucas does have the amenities, however, in spite of its small size and relaxed atmosphere. There's a combined hotel (Logis de France), restaurant and terrace café in the village, and an "Alimentation" for your groceries. You can even buy a "Joucas - Provence" teeshirt here. Outside of the village there are some very nice hotels and restaurants, dispersed individually among the trees.
On the plain below the village, with a lovely view up at the ancient buildings, is a nice park, playground and tennis court. The view from the village is out to the south, past the playground, to fields and vineyards and the far-off Luberon mountains.
An interesting thing in the village is the ancient olive-oil mill, now used as a museum to display the old milling implements.
History
Name
First record, 1071 Jocadae; Jocadium
Gallo-Roman:
vestiges remain at the quarter Notre-Dame.
Medieval:
Joucas was part of the fief of Agoult during the 11th and 12th centuries, and then ruled by the Knights Hospitalers of Saint John. The village was deserted during the 14th and 15th centuries. Reinhabited in the 16th, it changed hands several times during the Wars of Religion.
Dates
Fête: last Sunday August
Foire: 29 Aug; 26 Dec.
Transportation Joucas
Bus
Department 84, Vaucluse Buses
See Beyond's Bus Schedules Page 2: Vaucluse Department for downloading Vaucluse bus-lines map [Plan global des lignes] and bus-line schedules [pdf for each line] (link for PDF files).
• Avignon has train or bus connections to Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Nîmes, Saint Remy-de-Provence, Paris.
• Cavaillon has bus connections to Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Saint Remy-de-Provence.
• Pertuis has bus connections to Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.
Sports
Ballooning
Hot-Air Balloon Provence
Location:
Le Mas Fourniquière, Joucas
Tel: 0490 057 677; Fax: 04 90 05 74 39
M. John Bolten. First class comfortable easy flights followed by a champagne picnic afterwards at a unique location. They speak French, English, Dutch, German.
Hiking
Maps:
IGN (1/25,000) #3141 est "St-Saturnin-lès-Apt"
Didier Richard (1/50,000) #27 "Ventoux"
A short loop hike onto the flank of the Plateau de Vaucluse goes west and southwest out of the village. Some variations of the marked trails will take you to the village of Murs and other places on the plateau.
The local trail southwest from Joucas joins the GR97-6 (Grande Randonnée), which passes Gordes to the west or Roussillon to the east.
Dining
Le Mas des Herbes Blanches
Location:
Route de Murs
Closed: Beg Jan-mid Mar
Tel: 0490 057 979; Fax: 04 90 05 71 96
The chef was previously at La Tour d'Argent and Chez Jacques Cagna at Paris. Cuisine is Provençal and creative. The 200F menu changes daily, according to the local market.
Le Phébus
Location:
Route de Murs
Closed: Mid Oct-Easter
Tel: 0490 057 883; Fax: 04 90 05 73 61
Classic cuisine, including seafood and lamb. Service a bit oppresive, and reservation time strictly observed.
Lodging - Hotels
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Photo gallery of 2 photos for Joucas