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This is a very attractive and very picturesque village, perched on a narrow butte overlooking the Durance valley. Lurs (you pronounce the "s") is a tourist village, but not too well known and not too crowded. There's no real commerce in the village, but one good hotel-restaurant and one great restaurant.
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Also: |
Alaunium |
Dominici Affaire |
Ganagobie |
Nearby: |
Digne-les-Bains 41 km |
Forcalquier 10 km |
Ganagobie 11 km |
Manosque 24 km |
Mees 16 km |
Oraison 9 km |
Peyruis 12 km |
Sigonce 7 km |
Sisteron 36 km |
Hotels near Lurs: |
9 km Oraison |
10 km Forcalquier |
24 km Manosque |
36 km Sisteron |
41 km Digne-les-Bains |
The village is built along the top of a ridge high above the surrounding countryside. The view from here is fabulous, down over the Durance river and the hills stretching away to the east, and across the sunflower and lavender fields to the southwest. While wandering here, and while dining at the Bello Visto, we watched a golden eagle soaring nearby, a bit below us.
The village is well restored, with cobblestone streets and stone buildings [photo-2]. One summer-time attraction is an outdoor theater, with the encircling seats rising above the stage.
The Tour de l'Horloge [photo-4] has a simple campanile, and the modern-looking clock was built in 1499, one of the oldest in the department. The village has the remains of a feudal chateau and the bishop's palace. The village church is from the 10th century, with a bit of restauration over the centuries since then.
History
Name
First record, 9th century Lurs
Gallo-Roman:
The site of Lurs has been inhabited since Antiquity, with the Roman Via Domitia passing along the Durance at the foot of the hill.
Medieval:
Lurs was the property of the Bishops of Sisteron, who took the title Princes of Lurs. Their residence was in Lurs, along with a chateau-fort. The chateau was beseiged and taken three times in the 16th century, during the Wars of Religion.
Dates
Last Weekend July - Fête patronale du Village
Every Dec - Ancient Crèches (Santons), Pays de Forcalquier - from the 19th-c.
Annick Breger
Location:
La Maréchale
Email: annick.breger@wanadoo.fr
Olive oil available.
Cascade Mill - Moulin de la Cascade
Tel: 0492 799 503
Olive oil available.
Transportation Lurs
Bus
Bus Marseille - Gap - Briancon
The Marseille - Gap - Briancon bus route is: Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Meyrargues, Peyrolles, Mirabeau, Corbières, Sainte Tulle, Manosque, Volx, Villeneuve, La Brillanne, Lurs, Peyruis, Saint Auban, Chateau-Arnoux, Volonne, Peipin, Les Bons Enfants, Sisteron, Le Poet, Rourebeau, Le Beynon, Valenty, Monetier-Allemont, Le Vivas, La Saulce, Tallard, Chateauvieux, La Tourronde, Gap; La Batie Neuve, Chorges, Savines, Embrun, Chateauroux, Guillestre, Mont-Dauphin, L'Argentière, Briançon.
Trip time Marseille - Gap is 3h15 (Marseille - Manosque 1h20; Manosque - Sisteron 0h50; Sisteron - Gap 1hr). The separate bus between Gap and Briançon is just under 2 hours.
The route and schedule is available on the SCAL-Autocars website (link just below).
Web: www.scal-amv-voyages.com/ligne.htm
Sports
Swimming
There's no swimming pool at Lurs, but there's better. Along the D116 road between Lurs and Sigonce, at a bend in the road beside the bridge that crosses Lauzon to the olive oil mill, is a popular swimming hole [photo-6]. The water is clean and clear, with deep pools, a small waterfall and rocks for sun bathing.
Hiking
Maps:
IGN (1/25,000) #3341 ouest "Forcalquier"
IGN (1/25,000) #3342 OT "Manosque, Forcalquier"
Didier Richard (1/50,000) #28 "Montagne de Lure, Val de Durance"
Dining
Le Bello Visto
Location:
village
Closed: Tue dinner off-season; Wed; Oct
Tel: 0492 799 509
All cooking is done with olive oil from the 400-year-old Moulin de Lurs. Great view of the Durance valley from the dining room.
(11 km east/ Forcalquier; 17 km north/Manosque; 32 km south/Sisteron) We ate here July 1999, the food and service both excellent, the view fantastic. More meat choices than fish, but our truite au pastis, which turned out to be a filet of truite saumoné, was great. The offered (free) pre-starter was ravioli aux herbes sauce aux cepes. Two meals à la carte, with hor d'ouevre, entree, fromage and a good bottle of wine was 380 F.
Le Séminaire
Location:
village
Tel: 0492 799 419; Fax: 04 92 79 11 18
Hotel-Restaurant, located at the end of the promontory, no doubt with a great view.
Lodging - Hotels
Hotels in Towns Nearby to Lurs
• 9 km — Oraison hotels
• 10 km — Forcalquier hotels
• 24 km — Manosque hotels
• 36 km — Sisteron hotels
• 41 km — Digne-les-Bains hotels
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Photo gallery of 6 photos for Lurs