Les Baux-de-Provence
Les Baux-de-Provence features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Provence. Give it roughly ~150 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type village
- Suggested visit ~150 min
- Provence Provence guide
About Les Baux-de-Provence
A dramatic cliffside village perched on a rocky outcrop above the Alpilles, crowned by ruined medieval fortifications and home to the spectacular Carrières de Lumières immersive art show.
Les Baux-de-Provence is one of the most dramatically situated villages in France, clinging to a rocky spur of the Alpilles range at 300 metres altitude, with sheer limestone cliffs dropping away on three sides. The medieval fortifications that crown the spur were once among the most formidable in Provence; after their destruction by Cardinal Richelieu in 1632, the ruins were left standing as a monument to the once-powerful lords of Les Baux. The village below is perfectly preserved, with Renaissance mansions and medieval houses carved from the living rock. The nearby Carrières de Lumières, an abandoned limestone quarry transformed into a venue for extraordinary large-scale digital art projections, attracts over 400,000 visitors per year. The mineral bauxite takes its name from this village, where it was first described scientifically in 1821.
Did you know? Bauxite, the ore from which all the world's aluminium is extracted, is named after Les Baux-de-Provence, where it was first scientifically described in 1821 by geologist Pierre Berthier.
How long is a visit to Les Baux-de-Provence?
Set aside roughly ~150 min for Les Baux-de-Provence. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Les Baux-de-Provence worth your time?
Les Baux-de-Provence is among the 12 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Provence, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Provence
Hear the story of Les Baux-de-Provence
Preview the Provence tour free in the Gingerguide app.