FR26.4 Vaison-la-Romaine

After Cuiseaux we headed straight to Orange. On Google Maps it looked absolutely lovely, with its ancient theatre and maze of little alleyways.

When we arrived, however, disappointment set in rather quickly. The theatre was almost completely hidden behind scaffolding, the hilltop park was closed due to construction work and the little alleyways were, quite frankly, a bit underwhelming compared to what we had seen so far.

We decided to change plans and head to Vaison-la-Romaine the following day.

When I first spotted it on Google Maps, I thought it looked absolutely stunning. When I presented my grand plan to Kathrin, she responded with a rather unimpressed “meh” that clearly translated to: “Looks just as boring as Orange.”

How wrong she was!

(And yes, she has since admitted that she judged it a little too quickly.)

Vaison-la-Romaine didn’t make it easy for us at first, though. Finding a parking spot for Wilma turned out to be surprisingly complicated. In the end, we parked in a large area alongside several other vehicles, conveniently located right next to a “No Campers” sign.

We decided it would be fine. There were no realistic alternatives, we weren’t camping and there were plenty of other vans parked there as well.

Finally, we headed into town.

And we fell in love almost immediately.

The place was buzzing with life. Lovely little shops, cafés and restaurants lined the streets and gave the whole town an incredible atmosphere. And then there’s the medieval old town, winding its way up the hillside through narrow streets and stone archways until you eventually reach a viewpoint with a fantastic 360-degree panorama over the surrounding area.

Absolutely stunning.

We finished our visit with a nice beer, some fresh bread and an olive spread that was second to none.

In our opinion (and yes, Kathrin now agrees), Vaison-la-Romaine is an absolute must-see if you’re in the area.

Just don’t try to stay on the official campsite unless you’re the kind of camper who enjoys parking your home about 10 centimetres away from your neighbour’s.