The source of the Sorgue River is just 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the lovely town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, in the aptly named village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (map). The Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is the largest spring in France, producing 630 million cubic meters of water each year. The emerald green color makes it even more outstanding.

The beautiful waters of the Sorgue, just a short distance from the Fontaine. It's really that green!

To visit the Source (called Le Gouffre), you walk from the center of the village, Place de la Colonne, along a path that for the first few minutes is lined with souvenir shops and snack bars. After a few minutes the terrain becomes a bit rougher and the shops end, and you can enjoy a nice walk in nature until you reach the spring. It is about a 15 - 20 minute walk, somewhat uphill, but a pleasant stroll.

The Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is at its most dramatic in the late winter or early spring, when the water gushes out. We visited in a dry sumer, when there was little water to see at the actual source, but the site itself is magnificent, and there was plenty of bright green water in the rushing stream.

The height and flow of the water are measured by the Sorguomètre and regularly reported on the regional Tourist Information site. The Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and the water it provides to the region are very important to the local economy and carefully monitored.

Le Gouffre, or the Chasm, is a dramatic site, at the base of a cliff that is 230 meters (755 feet) high.

For years researchers have tried to determine the total depth of the spring, but they have never succeeded. It's been explored to a depth of 308 meters—just over 1,000 feet—but that's not the bottom.

The waters come from rain and also from snow from Mont Ventoux, the highest mountain in the region, and other mountains in the Massif du Luberon.

After its emergence from the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the Sorgue runs for 56 kilometers (35 miles), and defines the town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Various branches and canals have created the "island" that gives the town its name.

On the eastern side of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, about 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from town is the Partage des Eaux, where the river divides to form the Sorgue and the Sorgue de Velleron. This lovely park is home to one of the famous water wheels of the Sorgue (a couple of which can also be seen in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse).

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Fontaine-de-Vaucluse What to See in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse Tourist Information L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue About the Vaucluse About the Luberon About Provence