The most beautiful villages
and places in the Alpilles

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Saint-Rémy is the capital village of the Alpilles—the most vibrant, the most cosmopolitan, the one that best embodies the contemporary Provençal way of life. Its Wednesday morning markets, art galleries, restaurants, and hotels are frequented by a discerning international clientele who have chosen it as their primary or secondary residence. Vincent van Gogh lived there at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, where he painted some of his most famous works—the Irises and the Starry Nights.

The old town center, with its narrow streets shaded by plane trees, its fountains, and its 18th-century mansions, creates a setting of rare elegance. Saint-Rémy is also the ideal starting point for exploring the entire mountain range.

Les Baux-de-Provence

Listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, Les Baux-de-Provence is one of the most spectacular sites in Provence. Perched on a limestone ridge overlooking the Crau plain, this ruined medieval village offers 360° panoramic views of the Alpilles mountains, the Camargue region, and even the sea on a clear day. The ruined citadel, the cobbled streets, and the houses carved from the rock itself create a unique landscape.

The Carrières de Lumières, carved into the limestone of the Alpilles mountains, offer monumental artistic projections that have made the site even more internationally famous. L'Oustau de Baumanière, a luxury hotel and two-Michelin-starred restaurant in the Val d'Enfer, is one of the finest gastronomic destinations in the south of France.

Eygalières

Eygalières is the most secluded and sought-after village in the Alpilles—a secret jealously guarded by those who have discovered it. Perched on a limestone promontory, its narrow streets, its Penitents' Chapel, and its stone farmhouses create the most authentic image of Provence. It regularly features among the most beautiful and desirable villages in France.

The Eygalières real estate market boasts some of the most sought-after farmhouses and country estates in the Alpilles—properties with olive groves, swimming pools, and mountain views that command very high prices, driven by demand that far exceeds supply. The Bistrot La Balthazar restaurant offers a remarkable culinary experience there.

The Antiquities of Glanum

Just outside Saint-Rémy, the Roman ruins of Glanum form one of the best-preserved Roman monumental complexes in France. A family mausoleum from the 1st century BC and a municipal arch stand alongside the remains of the Roman city of Glanum—founded in the 2nd century BC and abandoned in the 3rd century AD. This listed historical monument offers a direct immersion into Roman antiquity in the heart of Provence.

The Alpilles — The Regional Natural Park

The Alpilles Regional Natural Park protects the entire massif—its limestone ridges, its garrigue of thyme and rosemary, its ancient olive groves, and its white limestone cliffs. Marked hiking trails, cycling routes, and discovery paths allow visitors to explore a territory of remarkable ecological richness. Bonelli's eagles, Egyptian vultures, and wild orchids make it an exceptional destination for nature lovers.

The GR6 crosses the massif from east to west and offers spectacular views of the ridges and surrounding plains. The view from the heights above Les Baux, encompassing the entire Camargue and the Rhône delta, is one of the most beautiful in Provence.

Maussane-les-Alpilles

Maussane is the quintessential Provençal village—a square shaded by plane trees, a central fountain, a café, and a farmers' market. Renowned for its PDO olive oil—among the best in France—the village is home to several working mills where, in season, you can watch the olives being pressed. The atmosphere is authentic and unspoiled, away from the tourist crowds that sometimes overwhelm Saint-Rémy and Les Baux.

Paradou and Le Destet

Paradou is one of the most charming hamlets in the Alpilles—a few stone houses, a Romanesque church, and olive groves stretching to the foot of the white peaks. The even more secluded hamlet of Destet is home to a few exceptional properties surrounded by olive groves and garrigue scrubland. These areas boast some of the most beautiful and private farmhouses in the Alpilles, prized for their absolute tranquility and unspoiled surroundings.

The Antiques and Saint-Paul-de-Mausole

The Saint-Paul-de-Mausole monastery, where Van Gogh was confined from May 1889 to May 1890, is one of the most moving places in the Alpilles. The artist produced over 150 paintings and 100 drawings there—an exceptional output considering the asylum's garden and the Alpine landscapes visible from his cell windows. The site still houses a mental health institution, and part of it is open to the public to pay tribute to this intense period in Van Gogh's work.