Like the Sainte-Victoire near Aix-en-Provence, about sixty kilometers to the south-east, or the Luberon, which is an extension of them to the north of the Durance, the Alpilles is a limestone massif with an elongated shape, which stretches for 25 km from west to east, between Avignon and Arles. Culminating at an altitude of just under 500 m at the Tour des Opies, a summit accessible from the village of Aureille, it marks a natural border between the market garden valley of the Durance, a veritable open-air garden of Provence, and the Rhone delta, the "rice granary" of France.
The emblematic Baux rock
Covered with scrubland, oak and pine forests on its heights, the Alpilles, on both sides, have their feet in the olive groves. The olive is one of the symbols of the area. Endowed with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), the oil produced there, top of the range, will inevitably be part of the memories of your escapade in these places. We can't recommend the local wines enough: there is also an AOP Baux-de-Provence in the three colors, on 350 ha of vineyards, for which, once again, quality is preferred to quantity.
If the name of Baux-de-Provence seems to be an authority when it comes to highlighting local products, it is because the tiny village of less than 400 souls at the last census occupies a central place both geographically and historically. Tourist pearl of the Alpilles, the fortress sees more than one and a half million visitors passing through the maze of its steep streets each year. From the beginning of spring to the middle of autumn, it is a continuous parade. It must be said that it is pleasant to stroll in the shops and to see the exceptional panorama offered by the citadel, at the top of the rock. In the summer, historical re-enactments with assaults and catapult shooting are part of the daily routine. And if the heat can sometimes be difficult to bear in this region which benefits from the greatest number of hours of sunshine in France, the Carrières de lumières, below the village, on the road to Maillane, offer their coolness as well as the grandiose character of the sound and light shows they normally host.
Except for a few addresses, Les Baux does not offer a sufficiently large hotel capacity. 5 km to the north, on the other side of the massif, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a bit like the capital of the Alpilles. The only real town (more than 10,000 inhabitants) in the heart of the massif, it was the birthplace of Nostradamus in 1503 and the inspiration for Van Gogh, who stayed there in the spring of 1890, a few weeks before his death. Nowadays, during the summer season, that is to say at least seven months of the year, people come here especially on Wednesday mornings, when its huge weekly Provencal market is held, fragrant and colorful. Agoraphobes, abstain! If you prefer old stones to garlic braids, the archeological site of Glanum, a vestige of a Celto-Ligurian oppidum from the 6th century B.C., which became a Roman colony, bears witness to the rich historical past of the city. At the Musée des Alpilles, place Favier, ethnology and arts of the region are exposed. Saint-Rémy is also invaded by tourists and by sheep on Whit Monday, when more than 4,000 animals parade three times along the course that surrounds the old center to celebrate the transhumance.
Discover the majestic village of Les Baux-de-Provence as well as other villages in the PACA region by consulting our Top 15 of the most beautiful villages in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region!
The spectacle of bullfighting
The other emblematic animal of the Alpilles, as in the whole country of Arles, is the bull of Camargue. Small and fast, it is the undisputed star of many festivities. It is thus frequent to release them in the streets on the occasion of encierros, as in Spain, or abrivados, where the manadiers on horseback frame them. All the villages of the Alpilles, except for Les Baux, also have municipal arenas in which the Camargue races, the bouvino, take place every weekend and on public holidays.
The principle? The raseteurs, dressed in white, try to remove with a kind of long comb attributes (tassels and cockade) hung between the horns of black bulls. The exercise, adventurous, gives rise to breathless races and spectacular jumps!
There is no better way to get into the spirit of the place. As they enter the ring, the raseteurs sing the Coupo Santo, the Provencal hymn written by Frédéric Mistral. The author of Mireille, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904, was born and died in Maillane, near Saint-Rémy. In Fontvieille, on the southern side of the Alpilles, towards Arles, there is a mill associated with the name of another great writer: Alphonse Daudet. A native of Nîmes, the man wrote his " Lettres de mon moulin" there. The monument is the curiosity of the village as well as the aqueduct and the mill of Barbegal, witnesses of the Roman genius in terms of industrial and transport infrastructures.
As you head towards the Baux valley, past the village of Paradou, Maussane-les-Alpilles also offers a postcard image. On the Place Laugier-de-Monblan, next to the church, one can stop for lunch in the shade of the plane trees, listening to the water flowing from the Four Seasons fountain. All the attraction of life in Provence could be summed up in this scene.
A small natural paradise
As you can see, the Alpilles is a little paradise that is much sought after. Notably by foreigners, mainly English, Dutch and Belgian, who are numerous to have found their happiness here. Among them, restaurant owners have tables whose reputation is well established, gastronomic establishments that are impatiently waiting to reopen their doors. And so are we, just to prolong the pleasure of a long walk on the GR 6, for example. This long-distance hiking trail, without any real difficulty, connects Les Baux to Eyguières, in the eastern foothills of the Alpilles, by the ridges of the massif. Sometimes on the north side, sometimes on the south side, its route, forbidden to access between June1st and September 30th, offers breathtaking views of the Mont Ventoux and the Cévennes on one side, the Crau plain, the Camargue and the Sainte-Victoire on the other. The natural treasures of Provence also make the reputation of the two major cities in the area: Arles and its ancient monuments, and Avignon and its Palace of the Popes.
Useful information
When is the season? From March onwards, the generous climate allows you to explore the massif on its paths. Summer is a bit of a tourist rush and the back season, until the end of October, is generally very pleasant.
How to get there. By plane, you have to land at Marignane, the airport of Marseille (75 km away). By train, direction Avignon. The Alpilles are 20 minutes away by car. If you prefer to start your journey from Arles, a TER (regional train) runs from Avignon Center. By road: from the north, A6 and A7, exit n° 24 Avignon Sud. Coming from the east, A8 then A7, exit n° 24 Avignon Sud. From the west and southwest, A62 and 61, A75, then A9 and A54, exit n° 7 Arles.
Useful information. To best prepare your trip.
PARC NATUREL RÉGIONAL DES ALPILLES - More information on the site
TOURIST OFFICE OF SAINT-RÉMY-DE-PROVENCE - More information on the site
OFFICE DE TOURISME DES BAUX-DE-PROVENCE - More information on the site
