Isle Sur La Sorgue
The drive to Isle Sur La Sorgue from Avignon seems to take forever. Although it’s only 40 minutes, the roads are hectic with congestion and our concentration is on full alert. It’s soon all forgotten as we pull into a free Aire just outside Isle Sur La Sorgue centre.
It’s mid October and the Aire only has a few other motorhomes here, I’m sure in Summer it’s probably full. Walking about 15 minutes from the Aire brings us to the centre and a surprise find.
A Crystal clear river
We’ve been to Isle Sur La Sorgue a couple of times before, but it’s a while ago. Today, we’re really overcome by its beauty and incredible atmosphere, despite it being off season. One of the main attractions here is the stunning clear blue River Sorgue passing through the town.
The water is a mix of turquoise meets aquamarine and it’s a joy just to stop and watch as it flows beneath one of the small bridges.
Beside the river are numerous outdoor restaurants running along an adjacent riverside promenade area. Beyond are long streets, where some really lovely, often classy shops await. There seems to be everything on offer, from homemade delicacies to crafts, hand-sewn clothes and artistic flare round every corner.
Antique shops galore – Isle Sur La Sorgue
Above all, this gorgeous town is famous for its antiques but its weekend only opening at most of these shops. We soon discover there are literally hundreds of Antique dealers in the town – they are everywhere!
Unfortunately, we’re here during the week, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to window shop! It’s not all doom and gloom either, because some antique dealers are open and it’s intriguing to take a look inside.
Although we don’t take the plunge and buy any artefacts, we do see some really unusual items and it’s just great to browse.
A noisy night
Unfortunately the Aire turns out to be a little bit noisy during the night. Next door is a skate park and it seems to attract youngsters doing wheel spins in their cars. Dust from the parking area fills the Aire as the cars screech to a sudden stop, much to the annoyance of us oldies trying to get a bit of peace and quiet!
By the way, there are toilets at the skatepark and despite the young drivers activities, it’s still a really convenient place to park.
Market day
Luckily we’re here on a Thursday, which we soon realise is market day. Stalls line the riverside, which is actually more like a canal in appearance than a river. Not only is the market huge, but it sells a great selection of French produce to tempt those tastebuds.
Everything from colourful fruit and veg to charcuterie, cheeses and tablecloths line the streets. There’s also craft stalls and a selection of shops stalls which set up outside their shop front on market day.
It’s enough to keep us browsing for the morning, before continuing in the wonderful selection of shops.
Overall, Isle Sur La Sorgue is a really beautiful place to visit in the Provence region of France. Not only is there plenty to keep you occupied for a day or two but it’s the kind of town that’s a bit different to the norm.
A short drive further and we arrive at another Provence hot spot – Fontaine de Vaucluse which we’ll be writing about next time.
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