Pertuis

• Vaucluse (84120) • Population: 17,833 • Altitude: 246 m

Pertuis is an opulent town on the rich plain of the Durance, at the southern edge of the Vaucluse. Called the "Porte du Luberon", it's also known as the capital of the Pays d'Aigues. • Market day Fri.

Aix Historic NE

A sizable little town, Pertuis is similar in feeling to Aix-en-Provence, 20 km to the south. There are all the shops and services of a town, and the bustle of being at the crossroads of two busy highways. It's a traditional town, however, with lots of narrow streets, vaulted arches and many fountains, some dating from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Vestiges of the medieval past include a 13th-century tower, now a bell tower, parts of the 14th century defensive wall, remains of a 16th-century chateau, and a clock-tower campanile built in 1605. The tourist bureau is located in a great old chateau.

The église Saint-Nicolas, on the same central square as the tourist office, was built in the 12th century, and was rebuilt or renovated in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries.

Fountains of Pertuis

The town of Pertuis has a number of lovely old fountains, dating from the 16th to 19th century. This fountain [left] is the Fountain of the Angel (le Fontaine de l'Ange). The oldest fountain in Pertuis, it was rebuilt in 1509 and into it's current form in 1620. It's located on the aptly-named Place de l'Ange.

History of Pertuis

Name

First record, 981 Pertusum (Roman)

Prehistoric: Neolithique sites and many Iron Age habitations have been found in this region.

Gallo-Roman: Pertusum was an ancient Roman site, and the remains of a villa are at Ste Thérése.

Medieval: Pertuis was ruled jointly by the Count of Forcalquier and the Abbey de Montmajour, and was a priory of the Abbey de Montmajour. In the 12th century, Pertuis was in the fief of the Counts of Provence. In 1460, King René gave Pertuis as a gift to Jeanne de Laval, his second wife. By 1493, Pertuis was attached to France, and received a visit by Charles VIII; since then, the town has had the crown and fleur de lys on its coat of arms. The town suffered plague epidemics in 1488, 1640 and 1720.

Dates

Market day: Fri.

June - Grand Corso Fleuri, Flower Parade - floats and music; day and evening

Hiking

• GPS: 43.695358, 5.504869

Maps

IGN (1/25,000) #3243 OT "Pertuis, Lourmarin"

Pertuis is a large town, located in the rich farming country of the Durance valley, and there's no real hiking adjacent to the center. The GR 9 (Grande Randonnée) runs north-south about 12 km to the east where it passes through Mirabeau and crosses the Durance. To the north, the GR goes by Grambois and passes into the Luberon. To the south, the GR 9 goes by Jouques and on to the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, east of Aix.
• There is some closer hiking, about 6-8 km to the southeast, where trails follow forestry roads over the hills of Malacoste (476 m) and St Sépulcre (590 m).

Transportation Pertuis

Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Pertuis

Bus services run to/from the Marseille airport (50 km) and to/from Aix-en-Provence (28 km). There is a Marseille-Aix-Pertuis bus line. We don't have any more details on bus schedules.

Avignon, Pertuis Bus

Two Vaucluse bus lines are required to travel between Avignon and Bonnieux, Lourmarin, Cadenet or Pertuis.
(A) • Line 15.1: Avignon, Coustellet, Les Baumettes, Goult/Loumieres, Gare de Bonnieux, Bonnieux/Pont Julien, Apt Le Chene, Apt; • Line 9.1: Apt, Bonnieux, Lourmarin, Puyvert, Lauris, Cadenet, Villelaure, Pertuis.
(B) • Line 7: Avignon, Caumont, Cavaillon; • Line 15.2: Cavaillon, Cheval-Blanc, Mérindol, Puget, Lauris, Puyvert, Lourmarin, Cadenet, Villelaure, Pertuis.

Cavaillon - Pertuis; Aix - Apt

Two Vaucluse bus lines serve the villages of Pertuis, Cadenet, Lauris and Lourmarin.
(A) • Line 8 (Cavaillon-Pertuis) serves: Cavaillon, Cheval-Blanc, Mérindol, Puget, Lauris, Puyvert, Lourmarin, Cadenet, Villelaure and Pertuis. There are 4-6 buses a day; about 1h10 between Cavaillon and Pertuis.
(B) • Line 9.1 (Aix-Apt) serves: Aix-en-Provence, Pertuis, Villelaure, Cadenet, Lauris, Puyvert, Lourmarin, Bonnieux and Apt. There are 4 buses a day. Distance: 2 hrs Apt-Aix; Pertuis is mid-distance for time.

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.