Les Baux-de-Provence FRANCE 🇫🇷 A Guided Walk 🤩 Village and Castle [4k]

📌 Location: Les Baux-de-Provence, South of France

🇬🇧 Bonjour! Welcome to our latest video, where we take you on a late afternoon tour of Les Baux-de-Provence, a perched village in the Bouches-du-Rhône département towered by a formidable medieval castle.
Nestled in the heart of the Alpilles, Les Baux-de-Provence is a picturesque emblem of medieval heritage and natural beauty.
This enchanting village, perched atop a rugged limestone outcrop, offers breathtaking views of the Alpilles mountain range and a journey through a rich tapestry of history.
Once home to a thriving community of over 6,000 people in the Middle Ages, today Les Baux-de-Provence captivates with its serene atmosphere, housing just a handful of permanent residents within its ancient bounds.
Its cobbled streets, lined with Renaissance mansions and shadowed by the majestic ruins of its castle, whisper tales of lords and legends, including the audacious lords of Les Baux who claimed descent from one of the Magi, Balthasar.
The Château des Baux, with its medieval siege engines and troglodyte dwellings carved into the rock, stands as a testament to the village’s glorious past, inviting visitors to step back in time.
Awarded the title of “Most Beautiful Village of France,” Les Baux-de-Provence is not just a destination but an experience, offering a stunning panorama that has inspired artists and bewitched visitors for centuries.
Join me as we explore the allure of Les Baux-de-Provence, a jewel in the crown of Provence’s illustrious history.
Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more travel inspiration and explorations in France.
Let us know in the comments below what you loved most about Les Baux-de-Provence!

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🎦 Filmed in high-quality 4K in Les Baux-de-Provence, 24 October 2023.
Turn on optional [CC] English (United Kingdom) captions to follow the commentaries.

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🌐 Learn more about LES BAUX-DE-PROVENCE on the blog!
– Les Baux-de-Provence: A Discovery Guide

Les Baux-de-Provence: Best Things to See

– Discover the Alpilles in Provence

The Alpilles in Provence: A Discovery Guide

– Chasing Autumn in Provence: A Traveller’s Tale: https://frenchmoments.eu/autumn-in-provence/

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✅ Chapter Markers
00:00 Intro
00:29 Porte Mage and Maison du Roy
01:20 Place Louis Jou
02:08 Grand-Rue Frédéric Mistral
04:30 Rue du Four and Place de l’Église
06:35 Rue de la Calade and Rue de la Lauze
07:42 On the way to the Castle
10:34 Castle of Les Baux
13:43 Sarrasine Tower
19:40 Keep
24:16 Paravelle Tower
29:27 Troglodyte Houses
31:56 Esplanade du Château
37:18 Descent of the village
40:38 Final words

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@FrenchMoments

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📝 Follow along using the transcript!
My commentary during the visit is delivered in English, accented with a touch of my French accent 😉.
To ensure you can easily follow the names of the places we explore and understand the historical dates, I recommend turning on the subtitles!
Click on the TRANSCRIPT button below ⬇️

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Les Baux-de-Provence FRANCE 🇫🇷 A Guided Walk 🤩 Village and Castle [4k] : “https://youtu.be/efZWWnw8Gow ”

Bonjour, I’m Pierre from French Moments and 
in this video, I’ll take you for a walk in   the village of Les Baux-de-Provence. We’ll also 
explore the castle at the top of the village. If you enjoyed this video, 
please hit the like button!  It really supports the channel and helps 
us bring more amazing content to you. Also, if you haven’t already, click on 
the subscribe button and turn on the   notification bell so you never 
miss out on our latest videos. Let’s begin our tour of Les Baux-de-Provence 
from the north entrance of the village. Here we are on the Esplanade Charles 
de Gaulle, which leads to the main   entrance of the village from the car parks. The rampart against which the buildings were constructed was breached in the second 
half of the 19th century to allow for the opening of the current town entrance. This entrance is known as the Porte Mage. On the right is the Maison du Roy.
Until the French Revolution,   the town of Les Baux-de-Provence was the 
capital of a royal and feudal jurisdiction. The seat was long situated in this 
building, constructed in 1499. Justice was notably administered 
here in the name of the sovereign.  Today, the Maison du Roy 
houses the Tourist Office. We walk along the Rue Porte Mage.
Let’s turn right into this lane   to arrive at the Place Louis Jou. Here is the view over the valley   of the Vallon de la Fontaine.
And in front of us is the old guardhouse from the 17th century.
Let’s backtrack to the main street. The guardhouse now contains the Santons Museum.
There, you can admire Neapolitan figurines from the 17th and 18th centuries, 
church santons from the 19th,   and a traditional Provençal nativity scene. We walk along the Grand-Rue Frédéric Mistral, which is lined with many shops for tourists. Here is the Renaissance-style Hôtel Jean de Brion. This private mansion was completely restored by 
Louis Jou, a painter, engraver, and typographer of Spanish origin who decided to settle here in 1939.
After the death of Louis Jou, the mansion houses the Louis Jou Foundation.
In July 2021, the foundation set   up on the ground floor, “l’Atelier du Livre,” 
renowned for the quality of its manuscript, archive, and precious book restorations.
On the first floor is Louis Jou’s library, comprising 5000 volumes from 
the 16th to the 19th centuries,   including engravings by Dürer and Goya.
You see the flags on the left announcing the town hall building.
It is also the Hôtel de Manville,   the most beautiful Renaissance private 
mansion in Les Baux-de-Provence. The residence was built in 1571 by the 
Manvilles, a wealthy Protestant family. Let’s go inside to admire the old inner 
courtyard with Renaissance porticos. Alright, let’s continue the tour. In front of us are the ruins of a  significant residence from 1571: the “Logis 
de Brisson-Peyre,” of which only the remnants of a monumental Renaissance window remain.
This window bears the Calvinist inscription: “Post Tenebras Lux,” meaning 
“after the darkness, light.” Now, let’s take a right to the Rue des Fours. The building on the left is the Hôtel de Porcelet.  It’s a 16th-century residence with an 
original façade and elegant mullioned windows. It houses the Yves Brayer Museum, where paintings 
by the figurative artist dedicated to Spain, Italy, and Morocco are displayed. We’ve now arrived at the church square,
Place Saint-Vincent Here is the 17th-century
Chapel of the White Penitents. And there is a magnificent
view over the valley. In front of us, the Saint-Vincent 
church dates back to the 12th century.  If you can visit the interior, you’ll see that 
the church is partly carved into the rock. Let’s go back to the Rue des Fours. But instead of returning to the Grand-Rue, let’s go down the Rue de la Calade on the left. It’s getting late in the afternoon, and there are fewer visitors, especially on this picturesque 
street, which isn’t lined with souvenir shops. The street leads to the fortified 
gate of “Porte Eyguières” and to the   Place Louis Jou, where we were earlier. As for us, we’ll return to the Grand-Rue by taking the Rue de la Lauze on the right. It’s a small passageway that tourists heading to the castle from the lower part of the village 
don’t know well because it’s a bit out of the way. Here we are again in front of the town hall.
And the Renaissance windows of Post Tenebras Lux. Let’s take a left onto the Rue des Fours 
and then right onto the Rue du Château. To satisfy our curiosity, let’s 
follow this street for a few metres. It’s the Rue de l’Orme, a very 
picturesque narrow street. Let’s continue on the Rue du Trancat 
to reach the entrance of the castle. As you can see, the street has been carved into 
the rock. There, we’re not far from the castle. This is the old building that houses 
the castle’s bookshop and shop. On the left is the Saint-Blaise Chapel, an old 
Romanesque chapel raised by the corporation of weavers and wool carders in the 12th century. Now, I’ll take you to visit
the castle of Les Baux. Once past the ticket office, we begin our visit with the Gardens of Quiqueron.
This is a new garden, nestled within the walls of the village’s ancient arena and at the foot of 
the ruins of the 16th-century charity hospital. The garden draws inspiration from medieval 
garden principles, which are full of symbols and partitioned into different spaces, 
each offering a unique atmosphere. It features plants and shrubs 
typical of the Provençal garrigue:   thyme, rosemary, and orchard fruits. Reconstructions of medieval siege engines are displayed on the site.
Here is the trebuchet. On certain days, these machines perform 
shooting demonstrations with real projectiles. Here is the battering ram or “bélier” in French. Let’s look at the view over 
the Vallon d’Entreconque. The location of the Baux plateau,   naturally perched and secluded, has 
always provided its inhabitants with a dual advantage: first, the ability to observe the 
surroundings and second, to protect themselves. This likely explains why it has been 
occupied since the Ancient Times and   almost continuously to the present day. The earliest known texts from the 10th century speak of “Balcium 
Castrum” or the castle of Balcio. They mention a lord, Pons the Young, 
whose descendants adopted the name   of Les Baux as their surname. As one can easily see today, the 13th-century castle takes advantage 
of the natural rock formation and supports the other buildings of the castle. The extraordinary site of Les Baux-de-Provence is situated on a spur 700 meters long and 200 
metres wide, bordered by two steep ravines. The word ‘baux’ comes from the 
Provençal ‘bàus’, meaning a steep rock. The village gave its name to bauxite, an aluminium 
mineral first discovered and mined here in 1822. Its extraction ceased in 1990. Let’s go up to the Sarrasine Tower via the stairs. On one side, a view of the village of Les Baux, and on the other, the beautiful
Vallon d’Entreconque and the Alpilles. On the horizon, you can even see 
the Montagne Sainte-Victoire,   the famous mountain near Aix-en-Provence. Let’s climb a few more steps to reach
the top of the Sarrasine Tower. Look at the magnificent view. The site was governed by a family the poet 
Mistral called “a race of eagles, never vassals”. The lords of Les Baux claimed 
descent from the Magi Balthasar. From the 11th century, they were among the most 
powerful feudal lords in the south of France. From 1145 to 1162, they waged war 
against the House of Barcelona, disputing its rights over Provence.
However, their efforts were in vain, as they had to submit after being besieged in their fiefdom.
The lords of Les Baux became, for some, princes of Orange, viscounts of Marseille, and even 
counts of Avellino and dukes of Andria in Italy, having followed the expedition of the 
princes of Anjou to Southern Italy. Here are the remains of the castle chapel. Stories tell of ‘courts of love’ in Les Baux, with troubadours serenading the county’s 
most beautiful women with their poetry. We are now inside the keep. And we’re going to head towards
the staircase that leads to the top. So, the panel indicates that caution is   needed because access to the keep is difficult.
Indeed, even in dry weather, I’ve found the stones to be very slippery.
Well, I’m going to attempt   the climb, camera in hand. I advise against going up if you suffer from vertigo.
The steps are very steep. Now, we’re walking along the cliffside! Both romantics and visitors are drawn by accounts of the fierce actions of the lords of 
Les Baux, especially the 15th-century Raymond of Turenne, who acted like an outlaw.
This lord of the place was related to two Popes of Avignon.
He was nicknamed “le Fléau   de Provence” or the Scourge of Provence.
Raymond de Turenne’s favourite pastime was to force prisoners to leap into the void 
from the top of the castle of Les Baux.  Their hesitations and anguish amused him greatly.
Many were undoubtedly relieved by his death in 1413 at the age of 61.
No one knows where or how he died. And it’s also unknown where he was buried.
In 1481, the barony of Les Baux and Provence was annexed to the kingdom of France.
The barony revolted in 1483, and then King Louis XI of France ordered 
the fortress to be dismantled. And here we are at the top of the keep, 
from where we dominate the entire region.  It’s one of the most beautiful 
panoramas in Provence. Alright, it’s time to descend.
We still have one more castle   tower to climb: the Paravelle Tower. From 1528, the Constable Anne de Montmorency, who held Les Baux, undertook 
significant restorations, and the village again experienced a prosperous period.
However, Les Baux became a Protestant stronghold under the family of Mainville, who 
administered the barony for the crown of France. In 1631, the fortress was again 
in the hands of the rebels. The royal decision to abolish the 
Parliament of Provence the previous   year provoked a revolt in Aix-en-Provence.
Some rebels fled and took refuge in Les Baux. The town was besieged by the 
troops of Richelieu in 1632.  Following these battles, the fortress 
was again dismantled, but this time, the castle did not rise from its ruins.
Not only did the inhabitants see their fief reduced to ruins, but they also had 
to pay a heavy fine and demolition costs. In 1642, the lordship of Les Baux was given by 
Louis XIII to Hercule Grimaldi as a thank-you for his policy favouring the crown of France.
He passed on the title of Marquis des Baux to his descendants, of whom Prince Albert 
of Monaco is the current holder.  This explains why there is a Place 
Prince Rainier III on the site of the Post Tenebras Lux that we saw earlier. Now it’s time for the Paravelle Tower. It’s not as tall as the other towers, but its 
stairs are even steeper and more slippery. There’s a beautiful view of 
the village and, just below,   the parade ground for medieval demonstrations 
and the archery and crossbow shooting area. Here’s a superb overview of the castle.
And there, the Val d’Enfer, the valley of hell. Alright, let’s go down, being careful not to slip. The next stop on our tour is where the medieval siege engines are located. We pass under the Paravelle Tower. Here is the archery and crossbow shooting area. And here we are on the terrace of the medieval siege engines.
With a beautiful overview of the castle. The Castle of Les Baux-de-Provence 
is the only site in the South of   France with functioning siege machines.
These faithful reconstructions of full-size machines fire real projectiles, allowing us 
to relive the atmosphere of a medieval siege. We are almost at the end 
of our visit to the castle.  But before heading back to the exit, we’re going 
to discover the cave dwellings on the right. These houses bear witness to the ingenuity 
of the inhabitants of Les Baux, who used the stone to make their homes more functional.
You can take the time to look for clues like shelves moulded into the wall, fireplaces 
fitted into the thickness of the rock,   or handles for hanging equipment and drying ham. The inhabitants had a superb view of the village. The exit is at the end of the garden.
We’re walking along the site of the old   Quiqueran Hospital, built in the 16th 
century to house the poor and the sick. It was closed in 1787 and 
transferred to the Maussane   Hospital, which still houses its archives today. Here we are at the end of our visit to the castle. Let’s continue our exploration of Les 
Baux-de-Provence with a visit to the   castle esplanade, which is well worth the detour. I visited in the late afternoon, and as I reach the esplanade, the sun is setting on the horizon.
We’re going to have some superb views of the site and its surroundings. See this sloping paved area? It’s an impluvium, used to collect 
rainwater to supply the village. Let’s continue to the next stage 
of our discovery of the esplanade. Here is the old windmill,
dating back to 1652.  Three windmills operated on 
the prow of the rocky spur. Now, let’s head towards the 
front of the rocky spur. The sunset is magnificent to the naked eye, but 
the camera doesn’t capture its beauty as it is! Here is the view towards the west.
We can see the region of Arles and the Camargue. In the distance, the Plain of Crau, the Étang de 
Berre, and the mountains in front of Marseille. Here is the Charloun-Rieu monument in 
memory of the Provençal language poet. In front of us stand the ruins of the castle. Let’s walk towards the edge of the cliff on the right to admire the 
Alpilles mountain range better. We have a fantastic view of the Plain of Les Baux,   also called the Vallon d’Entreconque, a 
real garden with olive groves and vineyards. Ok, let’s head back to the village, passing 
once again in front of the castle entrance. In front of us stands the 
Hôtel de la Tour de Brau.  This private mansion is the former Hôtel de 
Glandevès, dating from the late 14th century. By donation from King René in the 
15th century, it became the property of the powerful de la Tour de Brau family.
Inside are two models showing the state of   the castle of Les Baux de Provence in the 
13th century and during the Renaissance. As you’ve understood, strolling through 
the streets of Les Baux constitutes a real   delight, at least when crowds and 
tourist shops do not overrun them. Les Baux is a leading tourist
destination in France, renowned for contributing to the romantic
allure of Provence. The village is visited annually
by 1.5 million tourists. This is considerable, especially knowing
that the commune has just under 300 inhabitants, with only 22 permanent
residents in the old perched village. Moreover, in the Middle Ages, 
it had up to 6,000 inhabitants,   making it one of the largest towns in the region. Les Baux-de-Provence has been awarded the title of “Most Beautiful Village of France.”
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is a French association and a certification 
mark established in 1982 that encompasses a network of more than 176 villages.
Les Baux-de-Provence is the only village in the Bouches-du-Rhône département 
enjoying the prestigious title.  Provence boasts 22 villages from the network, 
including Lourmarin, Roussillon, and Gordes. If you’re watching this on YouTube and you’ve 
been to Les Baux-de-Provence and the Alpilles,   I’d love to hear about your visit!
Drop a comment below and tell us what you loved about it. And here we are at the end
of our discovery tour. Thank you for watching this video.
It was a real pleasure to bring you   along on my discovery walk in the village 
and castle of Les Baux-de-Provence. I’ll see you soon for other adventures.
A bientôt!