Provence
In the very south of Vaucluse, some thirty kilometres from Aix-en-Provence, Ansouis and its thousand-year-old castle look onto the Grand Luberon forest-planted hills from which the village is separated by vineyards.
Themes
- Castles and ramparts : The castle
- Wine : AOC Côtes du Luberon wines
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Bargème is the highest village in the Var : perched at a height of 1,097 m, it offers an unobstructed view of the valley. This listed site is overlooked by the towers of its medieval castle, which was partly devastated by the Wars of Religion, and will enchant all those who are fond of old buildings and medieval heritage.
Themes
- Castles and ramparts : The Sabran-de-Pontevès Castle
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The houses of Gordes cling to the side of the Vaucluse plateau, overlooking Cavaillon plain. They are arranged in tiers around the imposing Renaissance castle and church and narrow cobbled streets wind their way through them. Gordes is a village of artists and has been extolled by Marc Chagall, Victor Vasarely and Pol Mara ; it is a must on Provence’s cultural trail.
Themes
- Abbeys and churches : Sénanque Abbey
- Castles and ramparts : The Renaissance castle
- Panoramas : Views of the village from the road, view of Apt Valley and Cavaillon plain from the top of the village
- Unusual sights : The village of Les Bories (dry-stone huts)
- Wine : AOC Côtes du Ventoux wines
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Les Baux-de-Provence lies perched like an eagle’s nest in the heart of the Alpilles and is a must-see place in Provence which artists, craftspeople and makers of local produce keep alive all year round.
Themes
- Castles and ramparts : Les Baux Castle
- Gastronomy : AOC olive oil from the Valley of Les Baux
- Unusual sights : Cathédrale d’images
- Panoramas : Les Alpilles scenery
- Wine : AOC Baux-de-Provence wines
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Lourmarin sprang up at the foot of the gash that the River Aiguebrun cut in the Luberon and it stands amid vineyards and olive groves. Its fountain-lined streets thread their way around the Castellas and a charming Romanesque church and lead to the magnificent castle. This was built in the 15C by the Agoult family and today houses a well-stocked collection of furniture and objets d’art. Lourmarin is an artists’ village and, among others, attracted Henri Bosco and Albert Camus who are both buried in the cemetery.
Themes
- Castles and ramparts : The castle
- Gastronomy : AOC Côtes du Luberon wines
- Unusual sights : The graves of Henri Bosco and Albert Camus
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From the top of a rocky spur overlooking the Luberon garrigue and vineyards, the fortified village of Ménerbes and its castle watch over the neighbouring Most Beautiful Villages of Gordes and Roussillon. Inside, the narrow streets reveal a wealth of heritage : old houses, the town hall square with its 17C belfry and bell tower. Like many villages in the Luberon, Ménerbes has attracted several famous artists such as Picasso who used to have a house there.
Themes
- Abbeys and churches : Saint-Hilaire abbey
- Castles and ramparts : The citadel and castle
- Unusual sights : Corkscrew Museum and Truffle and Wine Centre
- Panoramas : View of Coulon valley and the villages of Gordes and Roussillon from the deserted cemetery
- Gastronomy : AOC Côtes du Luberon wines
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The high set houses of Montbrun-les-Bains overlook a plain swathed in lavender and protect the ruins of a medieval castle. The narrow streets lead from one fountain to the next down to the bottom of the village where, for the past twenty years, the pump rooms have given a new lease of life to an ancient spring that has beneficial effects.
Themes
- By the waterside : The sulphur springs
- Castles and ramparts : Ruins of the Renaissance castle
- Panoramas : View of the plain and Mont Ventoux
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Moustiers has established its houses and bustling streets in the indentation of a rock, right beside the Lac de Sainte-Croix and the Gorges du Verdon. It is famous for producing pottery (faïence) and the village still has some twenty workshops devoted to that craft today.
Themes
- By the waterside : Source of the River Adou, Lac de Sainte-Croix, Gorges du Verdon
- Unusual sights : The "Chain" and its star linking the two rocky cliffs overhanging the village
- Panoramas : View of the village and its site from a waymarked path leading to the "Chain"
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Situated in the heart of the biggest ochre deposit in Europe, Roussillon blazons forth its difference through an astonishing palette of flaming colours. As you wander its narrow streets and stairways and gaze upon its facades, which are often quite plain and naturally beautiful, you will be admiring the result of age-old know-how.
Themes
- Unusual sights : The ochre cliffs and quarries
- Panoramas : View of Mont Ventoux and the Luberon
- Wine : AOC Côtes du Luberon wines
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Seillans is just a few kilometres away from Fayence and has everything a typical Provencal village should have : houses arranged in tiers on the hillside, narrow paved streets, arched passageways, little squares where fountains babble, sunny weather and vistas of vineyards and olive groves. The spot appealed to the painter Max Ernst who spent the last years of his life here and whose work can be admired at the Tanning-Ernst Collection.
Themes
- Abbeys and churches : Chapel of Notre Dame de l’Ormeau, Church of SaintLéger (11C)
- Castles and ramparts : Medieval castle, Sarrasine gate, tower, etc.
- Gastronomy : Olive oil (celebration in November)
- Unusual sights :
- Wine : AOC Côtes de Provence wines
Tanning-Ernst Collection (engravings)
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 Calade _ Ot Les Baux-de-provence.jpg "Baux-de-provence (Les) Calade _ Ot Les Baux-de-provence.jpg")
The Villages
By geographic area
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Galerie photos
 Port Cote _ Dlebigot.jpg "Flotte (La) Port Cote _ Dlebigot.jpg")
