European Heritage Days 2026 in the Luberon

Walk • Village • Heritage

Heritage discovery walk in Mérindol

Put on your walking shoes and set off on a 6 km walk through Mérindol. Buildings, remarkable sites and traces of the past punctuate the route, gradually revealing the history of the village.

A little extra: enjoy a complimentary aperitif at the end of the walk and extend the morning in a friendly atmosphere.

Free of charge.

Water • Irrigation • Farmland

Guided tour of the Canal Saint-Julien in Cheval-Blanc

Since the 12^th century, the Canal Saint-Julien in Cheval-Blanc has irrigated and shaped the surrounding plain. Accompanied by a technician, follow a 2 km guided route from the hydroelectric plant to the former Moulin de Milan.

A rare opportunity: discover from the inside a structure that remains essential to agriculture and the landscape around Cavaillon.

Free • Registration required.

Village • History • Heritage

Historical tour of the village of Lauris

Wander through the streets of Lauris and trace its history through the remains, monuments and places that reveal how the village has evolved over time.

A guided tour offering a fresh perspective on the historic centre and a better understanding of the heritage of Lauris.

Free of charge.

Château • History • Music

The Château de Thézan: history and music

Discover the historic reception rooms, former Second Empire baths and grounds of the Château de Thézan in Saint-Didier during a day filled with heritage activities.

On the programme: short talks on the history of the estate at 11 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm and 5 pm, a photography exhibition on the restoration of the orangery, and a presentation of local heritage by the La Martillière association.

Music throughout the day: violinist Sylvine Feuillet performs at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm.

€8 adults • €6 ages 8 to 17 • Free for children aged 7 and under.

Vintage vehicles • Heritage • Saint-Didier

Vintage vehicles in front of the Château de Thézan

Period and collector vehicles will be displayed in the Parc du Tinel, facing the 17^th-century façade of the Château de Thézan.

An original encounter between motoring heritage and architectural heritage, organised with the Fédération Française des Véhicules d’Époque, La Demeure Historique and the municipality of Saint-Didier.

Free access.

Textiles • Traditional skills • Demonstrations

Discover textile crafts in Cabrières-d’Avignon

The Atelier des Cigales opens its doors in Cabrières-d’Avignon to introduce visitors to traditional textile crafts: boutis quilting, tatting, bobbin lace and more. Members’ creations are presented in an exhibition accompanied by demonstrations.

You can also have a go: introductory sessions and workshops in embroidery, tatting, boutis and piqué marseillais.

Free visit. Demonstrations and introductory sessions by registration.

Town Hall • Architecture • History

From the communal house to the Town Hall

Discover the unusual history of Cavaillon Town Hall, a building at the heart of municipal life that has undergone numerous alterations over the centuries.

Meeting point: beneath the glass roof of the Town Hall.

Jewish heritage • History • Guided tour

In the footsteps of the “Jews of the Pope”

With tour guide Anne De-Haro, walk along Rue Hébraïque, the former Jewish quarter of Cavaillon, before discovering the former synagogue and the objects displayed in the Chapelle du Grand-Couvent.

A tour exploring the daily and religious life of the Jewish community of the Comtat Venaissin and the distinctive history of this community in Provence.

Meeting point: in front of the Boutique des Musées, Rue Hébraïque.

Château • Renaissance • Art

Discover the Château de Lourmarin from a new perspective

Step inside the first Renaissance château in Provence in Lourmarin and let its rooms, staircases and collections reveal their stories. For families, a treasure hunt turns the visit into an exploration.

Also on display: the temporary exhibition “A Century of Art at the Château de Lourmarin”.

And in the evening: at 9 pm, Shicong Li and Duru Erdoğan perform a cello and piano recital featuring works by Fauré, Brahms and Schumann (€30 full price • €23 members • €12 under 25s). Doors open at 8 pm, giving visitors time to enjoy the terraces and have a picnic before the concert.

Heritage Days rates: €4.50 adults • €1.50 ages 6 to 12 • free under 6.

Gordes • Architecture • Music

Beneath Gordes, a hidden heritage

Leave the streets of Gordes behind for a moment and enter the remarkable world of the Caves du Palais Saint-Firmin. Cellars, gardens and architecture reveal a story that unfolds both underground and in the open air.

Exceptionally: the private terraced gardens, normally closed to the public, open their gates. A musical trio accompanies your discovery of the gardens.

Full price: €6
Reduced price: €5

Architecture • Middle Ages • 19^th century

The Middle Ages reimagined in the 19^th century

From Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Véran Cathedral to the churches of Les Vignères, discover how the 19^th century transformed and reinterpreted medieval architecture through restoration, technical innovation and Gothic Revival inspiration.

2 pm-3:30 pm: Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Véran Cathedral, meeting point on the square in front.

4:30 pm-6 pm: Les Vignères, meet in front of the parish church, followed by the chapel.

Guided tour • Stone • Traditional skills

Stone memories in Les Taillades

In Les Taillades, you only need to look around to see that stone is everywhere. Accompanied by a Destination Luberon tour guide, travel from Roman times to the 20^th century and discover how the quarries shaped both the village and the lives of its inhabitants.

Duration: 2 hours • Free, booking required • Limited places.

Olive grove • Mill • Tasting

Olive growing at Moulin Bastide du Laval

Walk among the olive trees overlooking the Luberon massif, then step inside the mill in Cadenet to follow the journey from olive to oil. An introduction to a living Mediterranean tradition.

The guide explains the different varieties, the specific features of olive production and the techniques that contribute to the quality of the finished product.

A flavourful finale: enjoy a guided tasting of the estate’s olive oils.

Free of charge.

Garden • Dye plants • Traditional skills

Tour of the Dye Plant Garden

Explore the Lauris Dye Plant Conservatory Garden, dedicated to plants that have been used for centuries to produce colours, pigments and natural dyes.

During the guided tour, discover the diversity of dye plants and their uses in crafts, textiles and pigment production.

Free of charge.

Dry stone • Heritage • Lecture

Dry-stone landscapes in Provence

In Cabrières-d’Avignon, Danièle Larcena, President of the Pierre Sèche en Vaucluse association, explores the history of this age-old building technique and its role in shaping Provence’s agricultural and pastoral landscapes.

From terraces and stone huts to structures linked to water management and traditional rural activities, the lecture offers a fresh perspective on a form of heritage that continues to shape the landscapes of Provence.

Free • Registration recommended with Marie Chatelain: 06 41 80 96 27.

Water • Irrigation • Farmland

Guided tour of the Canal Saint-Julien in Cheval-Blanc

Since the 12^th century, the Canal Saint-Julien in Cheval-Blanc has irrigated and shaped the surrounding plain. Accompanied by a technician, follow a 2 km guided route from the hydroelectric plant to the former Moulin de Milan.

A rare opportunity: discover from the inside a structure that remains essential to agriculture and the landscape around Cavaillon.

Free • Registration required.

Château • Music • Heritage

A day of heritage at the Château de Thézan

Historic reception rooms, former Second Empire baths, remarkable grounds and a photography exhibition make up the discovery trail at the Château de Thézan.

On Sunday: cellist Veronika Soboljevski punctuates the visit with musical interludes at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm, 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm.

The Fondation du Patrimoine also presents its work on the restoration of the orangery, with short talks about the Loto du Patrimoine at 11:15 am, 2:15 pm and 4:15 pm, plus quizzes with prizes at 12 pm and 5 pm.

Food break: La Roulotte crêperie will be in the grounds from 11 am to 5 pm.

€8 adults • €6 ages 8 to 17 • Free for children aged 7 and under.

Vintage vehicles • Heritage • Saint-Didier

Vintage vehicles in front of the Château de Thézan

Period and collector vehicles will be displayed in the Parc du Tinel, facing the 17^th-century façade of the Château de Thézan.

An original encounter between motoring heritage and architectural heritage, offering another way to discover Saint-Didier.

Free access.

Textiles • Traditional skills • Demonstrations

Discover textile crafts in Cabrières-d’Avignon

The Atelier des Cigales opens its doors in Cabrières-d’Avignon to introduce visitors to traditional textile crafts: boutis quilting, tatting, bobbin lace and more. Members’ creations are presented in an exhibition accompanied by demonstrations.

You can also have a go: introductory sessions and workshops in embroidery, tatting, boutis and piqué marseillais.

Free visit. Demonstrations and introductory sessions by registration.

Garden • Dye plants • Traditional skills

Tour of the Dye Plant Garden

Explore the Lauris Dye Plant Conservatory Garden, dedicated to plants that have been used for centuries to produce colours, pigments and natural dyes.

During the guided tour, discover the diversity of dye plants and their uses in crafts, textiles and pigment production.

Free of charge.

Underground heritage • Chapel • Unusual tour

Saint-Charles caves and Saint-Roch chapel

Explore an underground network whose presumed or documented uses span the centuries: a possible Roman place of worship, mushroom farm, Resistance hideout or playground.

The tour continues in the Saint-Roch chapel with a presentation of the archaeological excavations carried out there in 2011.

Booking required. Two groups of 10 people per hour.

What to bring: a torch, walking shoes and a jumper. The tour is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Jewish heritage • History • Guided tour

In the footsteps of the “Jews of the Pope”

With tour guide Anne De-Haro, walk along Rue Hébraïque, the former Jewish quarter of Cavaillon, before discovering the former synagogue and the objects displayed in the Chapelle du Grand-Couvent.

A tour exploring the daily and religious life of the Jewish community of the Comtat Venaissin and the distinctive history of this community in Provence.

Meeting point: in front of the Boutique des Musées, Rue Hébraïque.

Château • Renaissance • Art

Discover the Château de Lourmarin from a new perspective

Step inside the first Renaissance château in Provence in Lourmarin and let its rooms, staircases and collections reveal their stories. For families, a treasure hunt turns the visit into an exploration.

Also on display: the temporary exhibition “A Century of Art at the Château de Lourmarin”.

Heritage Days rates: €4.50 adults • €1.50 ages 6 to 12 • free under 6.

Gordes • Architecture • Music

Beneath Gordes, a hidden heritage

Leave the streets of Gordes behind for a moment and enter the remarkable world of the Caves du Palais Saint-Firmin. Cellars, gardens and architecture reveal a story that unfolds both underground and in the open air.

Exceptionally: the private terraced gardens, normally closed to the public, open their gates. A musical trio accompanies your discovery of the gardens.

Full price: €6
Reduced price: €5

Accessible tour • Heritage • Accessibility

Tactile and descriptive tour of the Château de Thézan

With Romane Bréchet, heritage mediator for the CoVe, discover the Château de Thézan in a different way through a tactile and descriptive tour.

The history of the site, its architecture, rooms, decorative features and works of art are explored in a format adapted for blind and visually impaired visitors and their companions.

Free for visitors with disabilities • €8 for companions • Registration required.

Photography • Heritage • Workshop

The “Clic-Clac” tours at the Château de Thézan

Accompanied by Romane Bréchet, heritage mediator, and Émilie Reynaud-Cochet, photographer, explore the rooms of the château while taking a fresh look at their details, decorative features and objects.

The workshop combines heritage observation and photography, helping participants learn how to highlight the site’s most remarkable features.

What to bring: your camera.

Free workshop by registration • Château admission: €8 full price / €6 reduced price.

Architecture • Middle Ages • 19^th century

The Middle Ages reimagined in the 19^th century

From Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Véran Cathedral to the churches of Les Vignères, discover how the 19^th century transformed and reinterpreted medieval architecture through restoration, technical innovation and Gothic Revival inspiration.

2 pm-3:30 pm: Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Véran Cathedral, meeting point on the square in front.

4:30 pm-6 pm: Les Vignères, meet in front of the parish church, followed by the chapel.

Church • Cyanotype • Family

Heritage to share as a family in Maubec

Step inside the church in Maubec, discover its history and then make room for creativity. Here, heritage is also passed on through hands-on activities, observation and children’s imagination.

On the programme: a tour of the church, a children’s drawing competition and cyanotype workshops to experiment with an early photographic technique known for its distinctive blue tones.

Free of charge.

Garden • Landscape • Heritage

Guided tour of the Grand Jardin in Lauris

Discover the Grand Jardin in Lauris on a guided tour devoted to this remarkable landscaped area in the village.

Take the time to observe the garden, its layout and majestic trees in a setting closely connected to the history of Lauris.

Free of charge.