A Day in Les Baux-de-Provence: Monet, Medieval Streets & Alpine Trails

The road to Les Baux-de-Provence winds around the mountain, going up, up, up through the rocky outcrop. Hugging the narrow road, a drop on one side and slates of white stone on the other. Rounding another bend, the commune of Baux rises above, its ruined castle a crowning jewel. Having explored the charming historical village before, I knew my travel companion would love it.

Our plan was threefold. First, we'd enjoy a morning at Carrières de Lumières with its spectacular projected light show – this time, Monet. We'd then enter the upper village, meandering around it and finding lunch in one of the many bistros that adorned its streets. Lastly, we'd take a slow drive back, stopping somewhere nearby along the Alpilles mountains for a gentle walk.

Morning of Monet

The day began underground – or almost. Inside the cool cavern where Provence's Carrières de Lumières is built. While I haven't been to other Carrières, the severe stone and cool dark chambers enhance the softness of the projections, adding to the magical atmosphere in a way that other Carrières can only replicate artificially. (I could be very wrong about this and one day, I'll update this post with an educated opinion.)

Monet’s world unfolded around us: lilies, bridges, the slow shimmer of painted light moving across ancient stone. Entering the cool chamber, we beelined for the cafe and picked up hot mochas. We slowly sipped them, warming our cold hands as we let the show washed over us, absorbing the reds, blues, greens, and whites that splashed across the walls and transformed from one scene to another before our eyes. For a while, there was nothing to say. Just brushstrokes, music, and silence, all mingling in the dark.

The Village

We left the world of Monet behind and entered the village. We wandered through the walled town, narrow streets twisting upward, each turn revealing a new view. We checked each bistrots menu, deciding if it made the cut or not. We popped into a couple of churches, taking in what they offered – from nativity displays to preserved relics. While we didn't stop into any of the tourist shops selling Provencal lavender soaps, purple tea-towels and other nicknacks, we did pause inside a delicious confectionary shop where we savoured the samples.

Having reached the plateau under the castle's watchful eye, the valley view stretching out below us, we decide it was time to follow the grumbles of our bellies and find some food. We strolled through the village, completing our route and narrowing down our options to two bistros. A terrace view-facing bistrot that we'd pasted when we first entered or a quirky pizza spot tucked into the heart of the village.

We ended up in neither, deciding on a second view-facing-terrace that had pizza and several other options that called to us. We sat inside Les Minots, ordered a carafe of water, a warm goats cheese salad and a pizza to share. The food was delicious and the portions generous. We ate, unhurried, the delicious flavours taking us by surprise.

The Trail

After lunch, we drove back down the winding roads, keep an eye out for parking near of the trails that dot the roadside. After a few false starts, we'd found one, less popular than the others. We followed the treelined path, enjoying the chill of the shade and the warmth of the sun whenever it broke through the branches. We didn’t walk far, just enough to feel the rhythm of the land and enjoying different views from the other side of the mountain. If we'd had longer, we'd have wandered further, seeing where the path would take us.