es Baux de Provence is situated in the heart of the Alpilles on a rocky plateau 750 feet high. The views from it's look-out points is spectacular. It is worth the visit just to enjoy the view of the valley floor or of Arles, the Camargue and the Alpilles. Les Baux is a superb stone fortress.

Les Baux with 500 permanent residents hosts more than one-and-a-half-million tourists a year. The village can only be visited by foot. It has ancient houses that have been carefully restored, Renaissance facades and several magnificent "hôtels particuliers" which today serve as art galleries or museums.

There are a lot of craft shops selling Provencal products and souvenirs. As with all tourist attractions it is important to be careful of both quality and price.

We took a tour of the "Citadelle des Baux" at the summit of the village. Among the main ruins are: the keep, Saracen towers, chapel, replicas of siege engines. It is interesting to see how they managed water and other items that protected them from attack.

On the way up to the Citadelle this dog was taking a nap. We spent about 3 hours on the tour - it is self guided and very interesting. On our way back this dog had not moved except for turning his head in the opposite direction.

On our first stop at this town, Peg and Cliff toured the Citadelle and the rest of us roamed through the shops. The second trip was just Doris and Jerry so we took the tour.

We ate lunch in Les Baux. They claim to have outstanding restaurants, but the food was unremarkable. Then, it is a major tourist spot and they are generally not a great place for quality restaurants.

We think that Les Baux is a "must see". There is a lot of history and a lot of information that permits you to peek into the nature of life in the middle ages. Take the tour and accept the fact that it will be full of tourists like yourself.

One final tip, there is a parking lot right at the main entrance. The fee is nominal. It is not necessary to park half way down the hill and climb to the entrance.

The valley below Les Baux is beautiful.

Les Baux clings to the side of the cliff.

Just imagine building this back in the 14th century.

It had to be hard work.

Next is the mother of all garage sales.

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