Les Baux-de-Provence

The Essential

Highly recommended

Perched on a rocky spur, this wonderful fortified village looks unassailable, which doesn't stop the incursion of hordes of tourists into the narrow cobbled streets and castle ruins as soon as summer arrives. To savour the charm of this little corner of paradise nestled at the edge of the Val d'Enfer, it is best to come in spring or autumn, when the old stone houses are once more shrouded in tranquillity and hint at their glorious past, minus the crowds.