We thought we’d tracked down almost all of France’s beaux villages but in Autumn 2025 we stumbled across many more in the the Luberon region of Provence and the Cote d’Azur. Here’s a summary of the towns and sites that charmed us.
Radiant Roussillon
We have been to Roussillon before – once almost 30 years ago and almost once in 2024 when I booked a Home Exchange apartment in what I thought was the Roussillon in the Luberon but turned out to be the Roussillon just south of Lyon which is an industrial town servicing the largest chemical platform in France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Same names but worlds apart. We had to compensate by going to the real one this time!
This Roussillon in the Luberon region, is my favourite of all towns in France as it literally glows gold, orange and red from the ochre cliffs upon which it is perched. The town is part of the designated Ocres du Luberon – a 25 km site that stretches from Roussillon to Viens. The ochre cliffs were created around 100 million years ago when the sea covered the area and the sand at the bottom of the sea became clay containing iron glauconite. You can see the famous-coloured cliffs on the Sentier des Ocres loop walk which takes you 30 mins around the jagged cliffs of ochre. Or you could relax in the dining room at the wonderful Omma Hotel like we did and just stare at the superb ochre cliff as you enjoy their delicious food. Other highlights of this glorious town is a walk up the cobbletone streets to the Belvedere Basso for sensational views over the luberon landscape. Along to way pop into Bals’Art to sample and buy beautiful artisan vinegar and Maison Bremand to taste local Provencal delights
Tantalising towns near Roussillon: Ménerbes, Apt, Ansouis and Lourmarin
We enjoyed exploring all the charming towns in the Luberon region of haute Provence -this area is ruch in colour and crafts – here are some highlights from four of our fav towns.
Hidden delights in Apt
Apt is a working town that services the Luberon and at first glance her charms are not obvious but if you wander into the old town you’ll find well preserved fountains, squares and of course the ubiquitous cathedral. On summer Saturdays’ the main square hosts the biggest market in the Luberon.
Lovely Lourmarin
With its Chateau de Lourmarin perched up on the hill to the cafes nestled down in the valley, this town is a real delight. It is beautifully preserved and presented with pretty flower pots, artsy signs, street sculptures and fountains vying for attention amongst the narrow winding streets. Theres a big café culture here with outdoor restaurants on terraces and many super cute cafes and bars for the favourite French pastime of people watching.
Marvellous Ménerbes
Menerbes has been a tourist fav ever since the Peter Mayle book Toujours Provence came out in the 90’s. The town stretches along more of a ridge than a hill and there’s a good amount of climbing stairds to discover Menerbe’s delights. You park at the bottom and walk up – and up – and up if you want the best views from the Place de l’Horlage. There’s lots of pretty chapels, crumbling stone walls, museums and belvederes – and its not too touristy or busy. There’s some cute cafes wedged into the old stone walls as you walk up to the top and hidden bars down stone steps that descend under archways.
Amazing Ansouis
Ansouis, which is about 30 km from Aix-en-Provence in the Luberon region of Provence has earnt the badge of one of the most beautiful villages of France. It has an impressive 1,000 year old chateau and we walked up the wide steps to the ramparts for commanding views and perhaps the teeniest tiniest passageways we have come across that connect the small winding pedestrian streets. Lots of pretty pastel green and blue shutters light up the cream stone houses reflecting the lavender and olive groves that spread out in the valley below. Ansouis was pretty quiet in September and does not have a lot of shops or cafes but that makes it feel a little more like an authentic village where people live.
The Queen of Provence: Aix en Provence
We had 5 nights at a little apartment a ten-minute walk from the centre of Aix en Provence and spent our days exploring the town and surrounding countryside. We found a one star Michelin restaurant called Ama Terrace close by and had the most decadent night sitting in an old glass conservatory eating delicious morsels served off silver trays washed down with champagne (of course) and dabbing our mouths with the finest linen. Tres chic indeed!
We also enjoyed a Cezanne retrospective that was showing at the Musee Grenat and were treated to over 100 paintings drawings and watercolours from Paul Cezanne. We were given a glimpse into his private life via his close connection with his family home Jas de Bouffan in Aix and we enjoyed his landscapes of Sainte-Victoire so much we decided we’d better see the impressive mountain in person!
To access the mountain we drove out to the little town of Puyloubier which has great views of Sainte-Victoire and followed one of the many sentiers around the base of the striking limestone mound that rises 1001 above the flat vine strewn plains. We got quite lost in the vines and had to brace against a very strong northerly mistral but it was a lovely way to connect the artwork we’d seen to the real thing!
Aix is a great town to walk around in as the busy shopping streets are broken up regularly by large squares and there’s fountains everywhere. The town was settled by the Romans because of its thermal springs – hence the name Aix (which comes from the latin word Aquae – water), the en-Provence was added later to denote its location.
Divine views along the Gorges de Verdon
The aqua sky almost clashes with the azure waters of Lake Castillon as you wind along this incredible mountain high road that follows the Verdon River valley. The drive is hairy but breathtaking with lots of pull out points to gawke at the river that slashes through the limestone cliffs like a blue ribbon.
The canyon is 25 km long and 700m deep but it feels longer and higher. We drove the Routes des Cretes along D592 from Castellane via the sublime Moustierres les alpilles and and this part has the highest cliffs with breathtaking, exceptional views. It takes around 1h30 – 3 hours depending on traffic to cover the gorges from east to west. In summer it would be great to stop for a swim in the lake too.
Magnificent Moustieres -Sainte-Marie
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a truly beautiful town in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. The village is tucked into the cliffs at the entrance to the Gorges du Verdon, jand close to the stunning Lake Sainte-Croix. An ideal location combining nature, culture and heritage.
After Roussillon this is my favourite Provencal town. It is so packed with beauty from the pretty flowerpots on the old acquaduct to the gemstone and potterry stores and belvederes looking out of the Verdon valley. One of the highlights here is to take the 262 step Way of the cross up to the Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir chapel which is a 12th-century Romanesque-Gothic chapel that rises 100m high on a limelstone cliff that towers over the valley.
Venerable Vence
Vence is not as touristy as some of the other towns nearby and it was fairly quiet when we visited on a cool wet day and so we decided to head in to the Mussee de Chateau Villeneuve to see an exhibition of Chagall’s work from when he lived in Vence in 1949-1950 .
The exhibition was to mark the 40th anniversary of his death and his time in Vence. We loved the light in his Cote d/Azur landscapes which are said to have inspired Matisse and Picasso and also caught an exhibiotn of Matisse’s work in the The Chapelle du Rosarie painted during his Vence period 1943 – 1949. Theres some lovely gardens around Vence and as soon as you step through the Porte du Peyra into the old town the first thing you’ll see is the wonderful Peyra Fountain – ell worth a visit too.
Picturesque St Paul de Vence
Despite sharing part of the same name, St Paul de Vence is a lot busier, mostly due to its high end galleries, artists and village of choice of the stars! St Paul de Vence was established as a fortified town to protect the larger town of Vance where the bishop lived and it’s now often referred to as St Paul (to avoid confusion). As soon as you walk through the ancient portes of this medieval hilltop town you can stroll in peace as the streets are pedestrian only. Theres lots to gawk at from stunning sculptures, peekaboos out to the valley below and art everywhere including on the post boxes.
This town is a favourite for movie stars, and many famous artists have called this town home. This adds an air of grace and charm to the streets which even have names that are grand! Rue Grande is the main walking street that goes from the north gate (Porte de Vence) to the southern gate just beyond the cemetery. There’s so many charming galleries, shops, restaurants, art studios and a very impressive fountain in the Place de la Grande Fontaine.
Dreamy Tourettes sur Loup
This is another gem of a fortified, medieval town and before the revolution was also apended as Vence with its name originally being Tourettes-sur-Vence. Its a dreamy town made from creamy bricks, with super clean cobbled curvy streets, pretty painted shutters and lots of pretty window-boxes full of the violets the town is famous for.
They cultivate the violet variety called Victoria year round and the violet festival in the first week of March each year brings the town alive with scents and colour. The town has a romantic tone to it set by the sculpture of Venus and Mars by Swedish artist Lena Dettervik, in the Jardin Tajasque, situated on the Place de la Libération in the heart of the village.
