Eyragues: Heritage, Gardens and Trails

Discover Eyragues through different highlights: routes with clearly specified distances, gardens and Provençal heritage. When planning your stay, you can decide whether to focus on a walking or cycling tour, a botanical stroll or historic sites. The options differ both in theme and length.

Routes and Garden Trails

The Chemin de la Transhumance is 13 kilometres long; the tour takes around three hours and has an elevation gain of 100 metres. You can walk or mountain-bike along the trail. Along the way, views open up over the Alpilles, Mont Ventoux and the Luberon. The stated duration and elevation gain give you concrete points of reference for planning your time. As the municipality may update route details, check the information before setting out.

Another option is the “Entre agriculture, tradition et patrimoine” cycling loop. It is listed as either 21 or 23 kilometres long and passes through Eyragues, Châteaurenard and Maillane. Compared with the 13-kilometre Chemin, it is the longer of the two routes described; the Chemin, in turn, comes with an approximate tour duration and views of the landscapes mentioned. This lets you choose between a route with time and elevation details and a longer cycling loop through three towns.

For a shorter stroll, the Parc des Poètes has a short trail among numerous Mediterranean plant species. Bambous en Provence offers a different kind of plant life: the garden covers 4.3 hectares and has a collection of 250 bamboo species. A one-kilometre nature trail leads through a plant tunnel and bamboo groves. The garden also has water features for lotus flowers and water lilies. This gives you a choice of trails of different lengths and with different garden themes.

Culture and History in Eyragues

The Musée Témoignage et Patrimoine d’Eyragues is located in La Bastide, in the Parc des Poètes. The museum provides exhibition space for the public. At the park’s southern entrance, the Allée des Félibres honours seven Félibrige poets: Frédéric Mistral is represented by a statue, and Joseph Roumanille, Théodore Aubanel, Jean Brunet, Anselme Mathieu, Paul Giéra and Alphonse Tavan by busts. QR codes beneath each bust provide information about the poet in French, English and Provençal.

The museum collections include rare books of Provençal literature and encyclopaedias. A separate costume collection is devoted to the traditional dress of the Arlésienne. It spans the 18th century to the present day and includes items such as ribbons and lace. Books and encyclopaedias therefore represent a different collection focus from the historic clothing and its details.

The Église Saint-Maxime and the Chapelle de Notre-Dame-du-Pieux-Zèle also offer different historical points of interest. The chapel dates back to the early Romanesque period of the 11th century; remains of early Christian sarcophagi can still be found in its shady garden. The Église Saint-Maxime is a Romanesque church dating from the 12th century. It has been remodelled several times and is listed in the register of historic monuments.

Festivals and Local Traditions

Saint-Eloi is celebrated at the end of June with the caretto ramado. A plant-decorated cart is pulled by dozens of heavy horses and led by a pair of Prieurs. Another date in the annual calendar is the horse fair, organised by Attelage Eyraguais every year on the first Sunday in March. The Comité des Fêtes also organises the Saint-Symphorien festival, among other events.

Discover more destinations: Carro, Gémenos, Coudoux, Les Milles, Gréasque, Rousset, Paradou, La Ciotat.

For the broader travel overview: Bouches Du Rhone.