Les Baux de Provence Things To Do In 2025

Exploring Les Baux de Provence Village

During our time in Provence we planned a day to explore Les Baux de Provence. We had heard of this small village, perched on the top of a hill, that is included on the Les Plus Beaux Villages list otherwise known as the Most Beautiful Villages in France list.

Since we based ourselves in Saint Remy, it was an easy drive (only 20 minutes) to make it to this medieval village. In this blog, we will provide all the things you should consider seeing when planning your visit.

Highlights of Les Baux de Provence

This little village is located within the Alpilles Regional Natural Park, so the drive is very pretty. It is a forested area with large limestone boulders and cliffs. The winding road is tricky at some points, especially considering the posted speed limit of 80 km/h. But we just took our time and made it without any issues.

There are parking lots at the base of the village entrance and also down the road at Carrieres des Lumieres, but be advised that they fill up quickly. Try to arrive early, or if that isn’t possible, they do allow parking along the streets, but make sure you are tucked right to the side, since these roads are quite narrow.

The Stunning Village

We have visited many towns in France but have never become accustomed to the beauty that can surprise you as you enter the gates of a well maintained medieval village. Les Baux is certainly no exception.

Dating back to the 10th century, when the first fortified town was built here by the Baux family, it really is a marvellous sight as you gaze up through the narrow cobblestone pathways, inviting you to continue to the centre of the village.

The town offers visitors gorgeous photo opportunities around every nook and cranny. It is hard not to stop every 20 metres to take yet another picture of an ancient storefront or doorway or arch that looks so unique.

Many shops are available with regional specialties. If you are hungry for a snack, check out the stores or stands with flavourful spreads including tapenades, or varying types of nougat or calisson sweets made with almonds, that are extremely popular in this area. 

There are also many opportunities for souvenir shopping where you can purchase local pottery or of course, the famous lavender from Provence.

If you are looking for a meal, there is no shortage of options from little cafes to Michelin star restaurants such as Oustau de Baumaniere, where you can enjoy farm to table style meals in a stunning environment.

There are many highlights you should look out for when exploring the town streets. And all of these are free to enter.

Don’t Have To Read This Now? Pin It For Later:

Eglise Saint-Vincent

Within the village, the St Vincent church is built partially into the rock. It has several different architectural styles, which are interesting to observe. It was initially a very small building with only one Romanesque nave when built in the 12th century. 

In the 13th century, due to its affiliation with the Saint Paul Mausole in Saint Rémy de Provence as a priory, it was enlarged with a second Romanesque nave. Then in the 16th century, it was enlarged again with three chapels, but during that period, they were Gothic style.

It then had another extension in the 17th century which completed the church and is what you can see today. In 1886 it was classified as a Historical Monument.

The inside is quite simple and somber since it has been built with dark stone and very little decoration. But it does have some lovely stained glass windows (added in 1960s) that let in small streams of light.

Chapelle de Pénitents Blancs

In the same square as the St Vincent Church, you will find this tiny chapel. It was built in the 17th century by the Brotherhood of the White Penitents. It seems to have had the original ceiling closed off.

But it is worth a visit to see the beautiful murals that were painted on the walls in the 1970s. They are quite elaborate and depict a Provencal nativity scene. 

Also, make sure you take a look over the walls at the gorgeous views of the valley below.

Musee des Santons

This tiny little museum is worth a quick walk through to view some cultural artifacts. The santons are small but very intricate figurines that have been created for displaying daily life in a village but also extensive nativity scenes.

This Provencal custom of creating small life like statues is prevalent in the region.

There are some large displays housing several collections of statues from the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Hotel de Manville – Town Hall

While this building is quite unassuming from the outside, take a peek inside to see a gorgeous Renaissance mansion built in the 16th century for the affluent Manville family.

It has a lovely courtyard inside. The building was restored in the 1960s and now houses the Mairie.

✅ If you love exploring villages such as this one, check out this 5 star tour that includes Le Baux de Provence and a few neighbouring villages that are all beautiful. Highly recommended for a wonderful day.

Les Baux Chateau

The real star of the show is the castle from the 13th century that is built on the top of the hill. You can enter part of the property from one side for free, but if you really want to explore the ruins in detail, we recommend paying the entrance fee.

You are then led past buildings and artifacts that cover numerous time periods. Just outside the gate to the Chateau the first location you will see is the Saint Blais Chapel. The building is built in typical Provencal Romanesque style and was used regularly until the 18th century.

Once you enter, there is a beautiful garden that sits upon the original hospital site (there are still some remaining ruins of the building).

There was always a garden here for medicinal purposes but the current one was created with the Middle Ages in mind. It houses vegetables, herbs, an orchard and a secret garden. It is a lovely area meant for reflection and rest.

You then come into a very large, open area where you can see several massive weapons from the Middle Ages. Here is a battering ram used to break down ramparts and gates.

They also have the largest trebuchet in France that was used to throw stone balls weighing 140 kg. While it must have had a devastating effect, it wasn’t terribly efficient since they could only fire twice per hour!  

From here, you can see some wonderful views of the surrounding countryside, confirming why this location was chosen for building a defensive fort.

As you circle around the outside you can walk around the remains of this incredible structure. Pretty much all of the castle is available for exploring and it is quite impressive to see how much of it is still intact.

There are lots of steps, narrow passageways and precarious points to meander over. If you are up for it, be sure to walk to the highest point as the views over the ruins and on to the surrounding region are fantastic! Give yourself 1-2 hours to really enjoy this area in depth.

We also noticed, as we were leaving, that they offer an Escape Game in the Castle. This would be a great spot for a clue collecting game.

Carrières des Lumières 

Just outside of the village, within walking distance, is another fascinating must visit location. This massive quarry has been transformed into a magical backdrop for light projection shows. There is more than 7000 square metres of surface space that is utilized for projecting images, including on the walls, floor and ceiling.

This location dates back 1000s of years and was used to mine the stone for building Glanum and then for building the Baux Chateau. Its signature white limestone is easy to manipulate and therefore a quarry was officially opened in the 1800s to build many structures of the area.

The quarry closed in 1935 and it wasn’t until the early 1960s when it started to become popular for artists and provided inspiration. There have also been many films created within this setting. Since 2012 it has been hosting light and sound shows that highlight the masters of art.

It is truly an immersive experience as you walk through the site and take in the beautiful imagery illuminated by 100 projection cameras.  The massive walls reach 14 metres high and the texture of the stone surface adds to the intensity of the moving projection.

The artwork has been masterfully created and gives you time to take in the images that are slightly different depending on which wall you are looking at.

The halls seem to go on forever and there are several areas where you can go up a level and view the large hall from a different perspective all while listening to a terrific musical soundtrack. 

There are two shows presented that take approximately an hour and run on a loop. Each year the artist and theme changes. When we were there, the long show was Monet and the short show was Rousseau.

As followers of Monet, including our visit to L’Orangerie in Paris, we loved every minute of it! But many artists have been showcased here, including Renoir, Van Gogh, and Dali. Be sure to add this to your plans when visiting Les Baux-de-Provence.

FAQs

Is Les Baux de Provence Worth Visiting?

We loved our day in this picturesque medieval village. This is honestly what Provence is all about. – exploring locations from long ago.  The number of people that visit here is astounding and estimated at 1.5 million visitors a year. So we recommend doing as we did and avoiding the high season. Tiny locations like this are much more pleasant when they aren’t overly crowded.

How To Get To Les Baux de Provence

Getting there is best done by car. While the road is windy, it gives you the most flexibility for managing your time.

✅ If you don’t have a car, we recommend letting an expert take you on a guided tour. This option provides transportation, tour of Les Baux de Provence and the entrance ticket for Carrières des Lumières. This would make a perfect day!

Combination Ticket

The town offers a combination ticket if you are visiting both the Baux Chateau and Carrières des Lumières. Make sure to look for that option to save a little money when pre-booking your tickets online.

Final Word…Planning Les Baux de Provence Things To Do

If you enjoy checking out fairytale towns with a massive castle integrated within them, be sure to plan some time to visit Les Baux de Provence. It is one of the most impressive locations that we have visited, and we would highly recommend seeing it. Centrally located in Provence, it is a super easy day trip from locations such as Avignon, Arles, or Nimes.