Most Beautiful Villages In France

Lourmarin has the honour of having been officially designated as one of the the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’.
Only 144 villages in the whole country have received this distinction, which is awarded by the independent and respected «Plus Beaux Villages de France» Association; This independent body regularly reassesses the awards and publishes a guide book. You can see their web site at
www.villagesdefrance.free.fr/page_paca.htm







Not surprisingly, eighteen of the ‘most beautiful villages’ are located in the Provence-Cote d’Azur region. Seven are right here in the Vaucluse, a ‘département’ or administrative area stretching from the Rhone valley and the historic town of Avignon in the west to lovely villages of the Luberon to the east, including, of course, Lourmarin.

Our guests at Les Olivettes always find that visiting these villages is a great pleasure. As a complement to the great sight-seeing attractions of Aix, Avignon and Arles, this kind of ‘slow travel’ only adds to the Provençal experience. And Lourmarin is so centrally placed that the journey itself becomes part of the pleasure.
 
Our Favorite villages and towns
 
Here is a list of our particular favorites amongst "Most beautiful villages in Provence" All are within easy reach of Lourmarin and Les Olivettes. We have also included the names of some very well-known restaurants located in these villages.

Ansouis : This is a lovely perched village with a 10th-century château only 8 kilometres from Lourmarin between the Durance river and the Luberon mountains. The village is very picturesque and very calm. The Château d'Ansouis, at the top of the village, was build as a hilltop fortification sometime before the year 961, and has been extended and renovated over the years since then. The Château belongs to the de Sabran family who have been its owners for many centuries. It is open to the public and is definitely worth a visit.

For more information see : www.ansouis.fr



Les Baux-de-Provence : Les Baux, a very picturesque fortified village with a royal history, is situated in the beautiful Alpilles mountains south of Avignon. It features panoramic views over Arles, the Camargue and the olive groves of the Alpilles. This impressive stone fortress is clearly one of the "must-sees" for visitors to Provence. Several other buildings in the village are classified as "Historic Monuments" The village has been painstakingly restored and is now one of the most popular attractions in the region. It can be very busy in summer.

For more information see : www.lesbauxdeprovence.com/us/index.html


Fine dining : Les Baux is home to two exceptionel restaurants: Michelin two-star L'Oustau de Baumaniere as well as the one-star Le Cabro D'or

For more information see : www.oustaudebaumaniere.com

Cassis : This is our favorite coastal village. It’s small and picturesque and is a typical Mediterranean fishing village which hasn’t as yet been spoiled by its popularity with tourists and weekend visitors. Close to Marseille and Aix en Provence, it’s a year-round favorite for discerning people who want to get away from it all. There are lots of sea food restaurants and beautiful fjord-like creeks called ‘calanques’ nearby. There are a few small but pretty beaches too.

For more information see : www.ot-cassis.com

Gordes : Spectacular from afar, this beautiful hilltop medieval village on the north side of the Luberon is the favorite summer retreat of Parisians and the former, unofficial, summer residence of Francois Mitterand’s socailist government. Several luminaries of the 1980 still have holiday houses here.

For more information see : www.gordes-village.com

Lourmarin : Our favorite village ! A strikingly pretty medieval village with a fine renaissance Château which now houses a cultural foundation and conference center. Home to great writers and painters this village has recently become a center of fine dining with its thirteen restaurants.

Fine dining : famous hotel and restaurant Le Moulin (see : www.moulindelourmarin.com) as well as Reine Sammuts one-starred restaurant "La Fenière" (see : www.reinesammut.com)

For more information see : www.lourmarin.com





Ménerbes :  Know internationally as the setting for Peter Mayle’ A Year in Provence’ (though he now chooses to live in Lourmarin !) Ménerbes, along with Lacoste and Bonnieux, is one of the prettier villages overlooking the Calavon river valley on the south side of the Avignon-Apt plain. It is perched on a high ridge above vineyards and agricultural land dotted with farmhouses and hamlets, with the green bulk of the Luberon to the south.

For more information see : www.tourisme-en-luberon.com

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie : Moustiers-Ste-Marie sits below a narrow notch at the base of rocky cliffs. Above the village, the Notre-Dame de Beauvoir chapel sits high in the notch, behind the ruins of the ancient defensive walls, and hidden in the shadows for most of the day. It is a lovely village, in a gorgeous setting. It's there for tourists, though, so don't expect a "natural" Provencal village. A small "train" provides guided tours of the village and surrounding points of interest. There are very few normal shops, and no terrace cafés for relaxing. The purpose of Moustiers is to sell the, admittedly beautiful, "faïence" ceramics, and the village is packed full of Faïenceries shops.




Fine dining : Home to the well-known Michelin starred eating establishment 'La Bastide de Moustiers', owned and supervised by world famous chef Alain Ducasse.

For more information see : www.bastide-moustiers.com


Roussillon : The fabulous red and gold of its cliffs make this village truly spectacular. Only half an hour or so from Les Olivettes, Roussillon is a real favorite of Germans and other Northern European tourists. The village, with its russet and orange hues, is perched high above breath-takingly beautiful ochre cliffs, and there is an easy and very enjoyable signposted walk around the old quarries It’s usually bustling in summer, but in winter, Roussillon possesses a special atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

For more information see : www.provenceweb.fr/e/vaucluse/roussill/roussill.htm