Richerenches Truffle Market 2026: Ban on 5 December

1. The Ban des truffes, Saturday 5 December 2026

2. The market: two zones, two atmospheres

The Richerenches market is split between two streets in the village. The wholesale market runs along the cours du Mistral and is reserved for truffle growers, brokers and professional restaurateurs. Local descriptions say deals are struck by weight, often on the bonnet or in the boot of a car. The retail market is on avenue de la Rabasse: it’s open to private buyers and tourists, and growers sell truffles there by the gram.

The market presents itself as a century-old tradition. It dates from the early 1920s (1923 according to the Vaucluse département, 1922 according to another source). Tourism material also describes it as one of the largest wholesale and retail black truffle markets in Europe. No independent source confirms this, so we quote it as a claim, not a ranking.

3. A difficult 2025-2026 season

The DRAAF PACA regional report, dated 3 March 2026 and based on the price quotes from the Carpentras market, describes a season marked by scarce supply, uneven quality and cautious demand. Average prices stayed well below previous seasons. The same report notes strong Spanish competition, and quotes stopped in February 2026 for lack of volume. Its summary doesn’t publish a price per kilo in euros.

Nationally, FranceAgriMer estimates the 2024 harvest at 75 tonnes, including 60 tonnes of black winter truffles, up 25% on 2023. Annual output remains below 100 tonnes. The table below sets the figures alongside their reliability level.

Source: FranceAgriMer, truffle sector factsheet (January 2026 edition); DRAAF PACA, regional truffle report 2025-2026, checked on 13 October 2026.

To compare with another truffle and another market, our guide to the Alba white truffle fair 2026 covers a weekend in the Langhe.

4. Prices: no public quote for the 2026-2027 season

As of 13 October 2026, no public price exists for the 2026-2027 season, which hasn’t started. The only published range is FranceAgriMer’s: between €500 and €1,000 per kilo, depending on the season, variety, quantity and quality. That range rests on expert estimates and isn’t specific to the Vaucluse, so it doesn’t tell you what you’d pay in Richerenches.

Past prices don’t describe the season ahead. The DRAAF PACA notes that 2025-2026 prices stayed well below earlier seasons. The sensible move is to compare prices per kilo, ask for the size and grade of the truffle, and ask to see it weighed.

At retail, truffles are sold by weight. The price depends on size and quality, with Extra, I and II grades according to champiwiki.fr. No 2026 price has been published yet, so any figure you see before the season should be treated as an estimate, not today’s price.

5. 2026-2027 calendar: the Ban and the other dates

The season-opening fair in Pernes-les-Fontaines runs the same Saturday, from 9 am to 1.30 pm, overlapping the 10 am Ban. It has a single source (diamantnoirvaucluse.fr), so check the times before you travel. The sources don’t time the drive between the two villages. The calendar below places these dates alongside the other winter truffle dates in the Vaucluse.

Source: regional tourism agency, Ban listing; diamantnoirvaucluse.fr, markets and fairs; champiwiki.fr, checked on 13 October 2026.

The start of the season is still uncertain

The sources don’t agree on the first Saturday of the market. Greendrome and Pavillonm point to mid-November, champiwiki.fr and provence-guide.net to the Saturday after 15 November, and provence-guide.net also gives 1 December 2026. We don’t settle it: before travelling in November, check with the town hall. The end of the season is more stable, at mid-March, with 15 March 2027 given by provence-guide.net.

The truffle Mass and the omelettes

On the third Sunday of January, a Mass is held at the Saint-Denis church in honour of Saint Anthony. The calculation gives Sunday 17 January 2027. The 10 am time, according to champiwiki.fr, rests on that one source alone. The Mass doesn’t replace the Ban: they’re two separate events.

Truffle omelettes are served every Saturday until the end of March, at meals run by local associations. Booking goes through the commune’s website, according to vaucluse.fr (article of 20 January 2026). Book several days ahead. We didn’t find the price in our sources.

6. Getting there from Avignon: train, coach, car

No station or rail link to Richerenches appears in the sources we checked. The simplest option is to combine the train to Orange with a car or taxi. We didn’t verify any bus line or stop serving the village directly. Route estimates generated automatically online, such as « about three hours by bus », aren’t reliable for this village, so don’t rely on them.

Source: Omio for journey times (Alsa shuttle cited without a link), checked on 13 October 2026.

Parking is on the cours du Mistral, « between the plane trees » (vaucluse.fr, 20 January 2026). We don’t have a verified taxi or transfer fare: ask for a quote before the day.

7. Budget: what’s free and what isn’t

The Ban itself is free. Costs mostly come from side activities and the truffles themselves, whose price isn’t published yet for this season. Here’s what’s confirmed and what isn’t.

• Entry to the Ban: free, according to the regional tourism agency listing.
• Truffle hunt (cavage): paid, with no price in the listing we checked.
• Truffle omelette: price not checked in our sources.
• Truffle and wine museum: paid since 1 July 2026, according to champiwiki.fr. The amount isn’t published in the sources we checked, so we don’t give one.
• Truffles by the gram: the price depends on size and quality. No 2026-2027 price exists yet.
• Trip from Avignon: train, taxi or car, with a cost our sources don’t cover.

Before you go, ask for the prices our sources don’t give:

• the price of a truffle hunt (not published in the listing we checked);
• the price of the truffle omelette (not checked);
• the museum entry fee (not published);
• a taxi or transfer quote (not verified).

A pre-booked activity online, like the Avignon food tour featured above, adds to this budget. Nothing requires you to take it.

8. Based on your travel style

Is the market worth the detour? It’s worth it to see the weighing at the cours du Mistral, where trade is reserved for professionals (provence-guide.net, vaucluse.fr). To buy, avenue de la Rabasse sells truffles by the gram straight from the growers (richerenches-info-mairie.fr, provence-guide.net). Our sources contain no visitor reviews, so we don’t judge the experience.

For a first visit. Arrive before 10 am if you want to see the blessing, since the official listing gives that time. Then watch the cours du Mistral from a distance and head to the retail stalls on avenue de la Rabasse, where you can buy a small amount by weight. The day has two halves: the Ban, then the retail market until 1 pm.

As a couple, for food lovers. The Saturday truffle omelette is a good reason to have lunch there, as long as you book several days ahead. At retail, you’ll also find wine, oil, honey and cheese (provence-guide.net).

With family. The Ban is free, which keeps a day with children simple. Our sources don’t describe the village’s accessibility (cobbles, slopes, pushchairs) or activities for kids, so check with the tourist office before you go.

On a small budget. The Ban is free. Without a truffle hunt or an omelette, spending is limited to retail purchases and transport. Bring cash, and don’t expect a fixed price: by the gram, the price is whatever the scale says.

For people with reduced mobility. We found no accessibility data in the sources we checked. Ask the tourist office before the trip.

9. Four mistakes to avoid

• Coming for the Ban in November. An AI answer placed the Ban in November. The official listing sets it for Saturday 5 December 2026. A different event, the Ban of the Drôme provençale, is listed on the third Sunday of November in a pavillonm.com article (2023): don’t mix the two up.
• Assuming Carpentras runs on Saturday. The Carpentras market, the one used for price quotes, runs on Friday mornings.
• Looking for a signposted « truffle route ». We found no official route by that name. The markets in the Diamant noir du Vaucluse network, Richerenches included, form a de facto circuit, as described by diamantnoirvaucluse.fr.
• Buying wholesale. The cours du Mistral is reserved for professionals. At retail, bring cash.

One last point: advice to arrive « from 9.30 am » or to avoid the crowds, which circulates in some online answers, isn’t sourced anywhere. The only documented constraint is parking on the cours du Mistral.

What other guides don’t tell you

The general guides we read give the market hours, but few date the Ban or put the season in context. Here are five points checked against official open sources or the Vaucluse collective brand.

• The Ban takes place on Saturday 5 December 2026 at 10 am. The guides we read don’t date the Ban, and an AI answer puts it in November. Regional tourism agency listing (checked 13 October 2026).
• The 2025-2026 season was hard. Scarce supply, uneven quality, prices well below earlier seasons, and quotes stopped in February 2026 for lack of volume. DRAAF PACA regional report, 3 March 2026 (checked 13 October 2026).
• French production remains small. 75 t in 2024, including 60 t of black winter truffles, up 25% on 2023. FranceAgriMer, truffle sector factsheet, January 2026 (checked 13 October 2026).
• A fair runs in Pernes-les-Fontaines the same day. From 9 am to 1.30 pm, with a truffle-hunting demonstration and free tasting, according to the Diamant noir du Vaucluse collective brand. diamantnoirvaucluse.fr (checked 13 October 2026).
• Carpentras doesn’t run on Saturday. The reference market for price quotes opens on Friday mornings, from mid-November to late March. diamantnoirvaucluse.fr (checked 13 October 2026).