Built in the 12th century to protect Le Barroux from Saracen invaders, Château du Barroux is one of Provence's few castles. Its fortunes rose and fell, but its last indignity was in WWII, when retreating Germans set it ablaze – it burned for 10 days. Only ghosts remain, but it's great fun to explore, especially for kids unaccustomed to such architectural drama.
Château du Barroux
Vaucluse
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.47 MILES
Orange's monumental, Unesco-protected Roman theatre is unquestionably one of France's most impressive Roman sights. It's one of only three intact Roman…
19.46 MILES
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19.4 MILES
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28.77 MILES
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15.08 MILES
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25.08 MILES
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28.12 MILES
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24.54 MILES
In the scrubby hills about 6km south of Bonnieux, a twisty back road slopes up to this wonderful cedar forest, whose spreading boughs provide welcome…
Nearby Vaucluse attractions
2.54 MILES
Two kilometres north of Le Barroux along thread-narrow lanes, this abbey hears Gregorian chants sung by Benedictine monks at 9.30am daily (10am Sundays…
6.21 MILES
Carpentras’ remarkable synagogue dates from 1367 and is the oldest still in use in France. Although Jews were initially welcomed into papal territory, by…
6.27 MILES
Hidden behind Cathédrale St-Siffrein, the Arc Romain was built under Augustus in the 1st century AD and is decorated with worn carvings of enslaved Gauls.
6.29 MILES
Carpentras’ cathedral was built between 1405 and 1519 in meridional Gothic style, but is crowned by a distinctive contemporary bell tower. Its Trésor d…
7.08 MILES
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6. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Nazareth
7.36 MILES
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7.4 MILES
The ruined remains of Vasio Vocontiorum, the Roman city that flourished here between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC, fill two central Vaison sites. Two…
9.95 MILES
Tucked behind the Romanesque church, this baptistry was built in the 6th century on the site of a Roman temple.