Les Baux de Provence, France - Les Baux de Provence Travel Guide

Les Baux de Provence

Les-Baux-de-Provence in the Alpilles, France

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Les-Baux-de-Provence Travel Guide

Introduction

Les-Baux-de-Provence is a pretty little village of medieval stone houses and winding streets, perched on a rocky plateau at the highest point in the Alpilles. It is actually one of the most picturesque villages in France, and a hugely popular tourist destination, brimming with shops and restaurants and tiny, walled streets known as ruelles, which open onto stunning vistas at virtually every turn. The village itself is overlooked by the ruins of an 11th-century castle, which also overlooks the Val d'Enfer – or "Valley of Hell" – and from the ramparts of which, according to local legends, the ancient Lords of Les Baux tossed enemies to their death. The castle, of course, offers superb all-round views of the surrounding countryside. Good views can also be enjoyed from the Saracen Tower on the southern edge of the plateau – on a clear day you can see all the way to the Mediterranean Sea at Aigues-Mortes! - or from any of several footpaths that lead down the western slope from the Rue Porte Eyguières to the Vallon de la Fontaine. Les Baux, by the way, has been designated by the French Tourist Authority as one of the "Plus Beaux Villages de France" – "Most Beautiful Villages of France."

Location

Les Baux-de-Provence is located in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department in the province of Provence in southern France.

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Where to Party

Essential Information

Nearby Destinations

How to Get There

Sightseeing

Main Neighborhoods

How to Get Around

Where to Party

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Trivia

Les Baux's most famous resident was geologist Pierre Berthier who, in 1821, discovered in Les Baux the aluminum ore, bauxite, and named if after the town.

Know Before You Go