Roussillon Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Vaucluse (84220) Population: 1165 Altitude: 343 m Nearby:      [ Apt 10 km | Gargas | Gordes | Goult | Joucas | Murs | Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt | Pont Julien ] Photos:             1  The red-stone village perched on top of ocre-red cliffs. (15 k)             2  A close-up of the village with its campanile-topped tower. (16 k)             3  Red ochre Giants' Causeway, near Roussillon. (30 k) Below: [ Reader's Comments | History | Wine | Hiking |Lodging | Reader's Comments ] This ocre-red village is a tourist destination on the southern edge of the Plateau de Vaucluse. Roussillon is a beautiful village, with its red rocks, red stone buildings and red tile roofs, but it's such an apparently well-frequented tourist site that doesn't let a traveller stop without paying. All roads in, around and near the village have pay parking only, with a person guarding every spot with a hand out for your money. And there are no signs anywhere indicating the "official" cost of parking, so you'll have to trust to the honesty of the person and the moment, along with your knowledge of currency rates and local economic conditions, to determine if you're paying a "fair" price to stop at this village and mingle with the other tourists. The old village is, of course, well-kept and lovely, and the remains of the ancient château which is built into the buildings. The 19th-century clock and bell tower is topped by a 19th-century wrought-iron belfry (campanile). Giants' Causeway The Giants' Causeway is a natural park of jagged cliffs of ochre beside the village of Roussillon. A walking tour of the park should take well under an hour. (See our Reader's Comments, below.) Reader's Comments (Photo and text contributed by Beyond reader Beena.) Roussillon, for us, was special,because of the different colors of the houses, that you can see from looking from further away. Looking at it from the entrance to the Park was a nice site, and the walk in the colorful park was one of the most beautiful sites. Btw - this park is not mentioned in the Eyewitness book, we learned about this place by accident, when we parked the car (just outside the village) we got a receipt, that gave us free entrance for one person, and the entrace was just near the parking lot, so we decided to try it out, and lucky for us. Name Roman: Vicus russulus (from the red-ocre environs) First record, 989: de Rossillione History Prehistoric: So many neolithic signs and artifacts have been discovered here that the site is now an important archeological reserve. Roman: There are signs of the Roman occupation of Roussillon when they were mining ocre from the hills. Medieval: Various Lords ruled here until the Revolution, including Agoult, Vins and Isle. Dates, Numbers Market day: Wednesday morning Fête - Journées de l'Ocre: Ascension Fête Votive: last Sunday July Office de Tourisme - tel: (33) 490 05 60 25 Wine Apt is in the region of the Rhône Valley Côtes de Luberon wines and the Côtes de Ventoux wines. Camping Ballooning Hiking Maps: IGN "bleue" (1:25,000) 3142 est "Apt, Bonnieux" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #14 "Luberon" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #27 "Ventoux" The GR6 (Grande Randonnée) passes east-west through Roussillon. To the east, the GR6 goes to the village of Gargas, then heads northeast towards St. Saturnin-lès-Apt at the base of the Plateau de Vaucluse. To the west from Roussillon, the GR6 goes to the perched village of Gordes, then up past the ancient Abbaye de Sénanque. Lodging Listing available Reader's Comments These comments were contributed by Marcia D., San Francisco, Nov 1998: In Roussillon is a wonderful little cafe right in the town square, called Cafe Mincka. Mincka has a great assortment of wonderful "tasting salads" featuring Provencal specialties. She cooks everything herself, and her son serves. There are several cafes on the square, but Mincka's is the best, we think. She also has a selection of dog foods available, if you have your best friend with you.