Sights in Les Baux-de-Provence — 5 of Our Favourites

Massive restoration work carried out from 1991 to 1997, restoring one of the most beautiful Baux de Provence buildings to its original late XVIth century splendour.

The original façade, irregularly made of million windows, matches up ideally with the "Lantern of the Dead" of the nearby Saint Vincent Church. In the vaulted ground floor room, interesting XVIIth century frescos represent the Four Cardinal Virtues and the Four Seasons.

The Carrieres de Lumieres are open every day.

The quarry is quite cool on the inside so an extra layer is advised, there is a café on site for refreshments.

The white limestone rocks in the park stand out against the brilliant blue of the sky and vineyards and olive groves take advantage of the best-oriented hillsides. It is a living area of exceptional beauty. Home to author Alphonse Daudet, distances are short here and there is always a delightful destination for a walk, a cycle ride or even a trek on horseback.

The Park has been successful in focusing on the relations between Man and his environment, whether the term is taken in the sense of nature or heritage, or refers to economic and social environment.

Despite the current popularity of the Alpilles and the influx of tourists, history buffs and nature lovers, this part of Provence has not changed its everyday way of life and it has retained the strong values that give it its identity. Traditional festivals take place in the villages of Alpilles all through the year, often still linked to the agricultural calendar - celebrating the seasons and crops.

With its varied environments, flora and fauna and rare species, the Park is certainly of scientific interest. However, nature in the Alpilles is much more than that. Fashioned by its people over hundreds of years, it boasts an inherited culture that gives the mountain range much of its uniqueness.

The park has been designated a protected area since 2007 when it became the 5th regional parc in the PACA zone.

To this day, you can try out the full size siege machines and witness the firing of catapults (summer only).

The castle spreads out over the whole plateau, most of it is in ruins, but these are made very accessible with roped paths and ladders for access (although the nervous may find the battlements one step too far).

During the summer, there are plenty of activities for the whole family, with falconry, archery, re-enactments, a horse and dog show, and dancing bears (I kid you not). The château shelters the small village of Les Baux with its craftsmen, chapels and lordly residences. It's open every day, all year round and audio-guides and guided tours are available, or you can simply explore the castle yourself.

The nave, which has ribbed barrel vaulting, was extended eastwards in 1609 without breaking the Romanesque harmony of the building as a whole.

There is also the funeral chapel of the Manville family with Flamboyant Gothic vaulting and, in the chapel dug into the rock, the ceremonial cart used for the "pastrage" ceremony during Midnight Mass when the cart carries the newborn lamb offered to the Baby Jesus by the shepherds.

Outside, the West Front underwent extensive alteration during the 19th-century restoration work which, in particular, changed the flight of steps that used to run along the wall (there are traces of its removal).

Above the doorway and a rounded window, there is a superb sculpture of a lion. On the South side, the Lantern of the Deceased is an elegant circular turret topped by a cupola decorated with gargoyles. Tradition has it that a fire was lit in the turret whenever somebody from Les Baux passed away.