It’s always fun to visit new places, but we treasure returning to the places that have captured our hearts.

Since our first family trip in 2003, Bonnieux and the Luberon have become a second home to us. We now have our own place in the village, and if you add up all our time there, it’s approaching three years. Still, every time we make the drive from the Marseille airport or the Avignon station, we always feel an incredible thrill as the Luberon mountain comes into view and we head down the valley… and especially when we have our first glimpse of Bonnieux. Whether we’re leading a Luberon Experience group or simply enjoying family time in this place we love, this beautiful valley in Provence continues to embrace us and always offers new discoveries.

We developed our Return to the Luberon week at the request of many people who joined us for The Luberon Experience and wanted to come back with us to explore more of this beautiful area. We had a wonderful time with our first “Return” group in 2013, and we’ll welcome other travelers back to Bonnieux next year. We know they’ll enjoy the familiarity of Bonnieux and the Luberon and the warm welcome from the friends they made during their first experience week, and we’re looking forward to introducing them to other special places in and beyond the Luberon.

Here’s a look at some of the new experiences our Return group enjoyed last year:

The Gorge at Oppedette

Picnic at Valsaintes

The village of Cucuron on the south side of the Luberon

The village of Viens

Wine tasting at Chateau Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape

The garden at Valsaintes

The windmill in Goult

Learning to play boules

A familiar and very special place… our home for the week.

Kathy and Charley Wood founded European Experiences in 2006, offering week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe. Their trips include The Luberon Experience in Provence, France, named one of the top 50 tours in the world by National Geographic Traveler magazine. Kathy has personally organized and hosted over 150 Experience groups. She hosts Experience weeks in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, Puglia, Alsace, the Dordogne, the Cotswolds, and Normandy. Charley is now mostly retired but continues to co-host The Cornwall Experience and our Christmas trips with Kathy every year. Kathy has been traveling in Europe for 30+ years and loves sharing her special places in Europe with other travelers. The Woods have a second home in their beloved village of Bonnieux in the Luberon. Read more about Kathy and Charley here. Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.