Map of Fontvieille

Half a day is enough to see the essentials

Allow between 2 and 4 hours to visit Fontvieille at your own pace. A 30-minute family walk takes you from the tourist office to the Château de Montauban. The mill trail is a family walk of about 1 hour.

The climb up to Daudet's mill is along a steep stone path. Be sure to wear good walking shoes. The mill is open every day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to November, and from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. in July and August. Admission is €2.50 per person.

If you also want to visit the Château de Montauban and stroll around the village, half a day is ideal. For a full visit with a lunch break in a Provençal restaurant, allow a whole day.

Download the village map for free

Looking for a map of Fontvieille in PDF format? You can find it right here on this page. Click on the “Download map” button above, just below our interactive map.

This map will help you plan your visit before you leave. You can locate the main monuments, the streets in the center, and the parking lots. The map also shows the hiking trails around the village.

You can save it on your phone to consult it even without an internet connection. This is handy so you don't get lost in the village's narrow streets.

The tourist office welcomes you on Avenue des Moulins

The Fontvieille Tourist Information Office is located at Avenue des Moulins, 13990 Fontvieille. You can contact them on +33 (0)4 90 54 67 49. The office is ideally located to start your visit.

You will find brochures on hiking trails and places to visit. The staff will give you advice on restaurants in the village and activities in the Alpilles. On Monday and Friday mornings, the Provençal market takes place on Avenue des Moulins.

It is also the starting point for marked walking trails. The team will explain how to get to Daudet's mill and Montauban Castle.

Parking requires planning during the high season

Parking in Fontvieille can be difficult during the summer. All the village's car parks are clearly marked on our interactive map on this page. Check it before you arrive to choose the best option.

The Moulin car park is located near the Daudet mill, 500 m from the village center. It is a pay-and-display car park and welcomes motorhomes. Parking at the Château de Montauban park is free for cars, minibuses, and motorhomes.

The town center has blue zone parking spaces with a European parking disc. Parking is limited to 1 hour from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., except on public holidays and Saturday afternoons. On market days (Mondays and Fridays), parking becomes difficult in front of the tourist office. In this case, the mill parking lot remains the best solution.

The must-see sights of this Provençal village

Daudet's mill, whose real name is Moulin Saint-Pierre or Moulin Ribet, was built in 1814. It is the most visited site in Fontvieille. Alphonse Daudet never lived there, but this mill is said to have inspired him to write “Le secret de Maître Cornille” (The Secret of Master Cornille).

The tour takes you to the first floor to discover the period machinery. In the lower room, there is a museum dedicated to Alphonse Daudet and his book Lettres de mon moulin (Letters from My Mill). The view from the terrace takes in the Alpilles and the Crau plain.

The mill trail passes by the village's four mills: Sourdon, Ribet, Ramet, and Tissot-Avon. The Tissot-Avon mill was completely restored in 2016. This one-hour walk immerses you in the atmosphere that inspired Daudet. The Château de Montauban houses the Alphonse Daudet Museum from April to September.

The Planet district is a unique curiosity: former stone quarries where houses nestle in the excavations. Stone cutting lasted from the 15th century to 1914. This stone was used to build the arenas of Arles and Nîmes. The Fontvieille hypogea are megalithic funerary monuments dating from the Neolithic period.

Getting to Fontvieille from major cities

Fontvieille is located 10 km northeast of Arles on the D17. The drive from Arles takes about 12 minutes. From Arles, follow the signs for Les Baux and Maussane.

Avignon is 32 km from Fontvieille. Take the A7, exit at Cavaillon, then follow signs for Saint-Rémy, Maussane, and Fontvieille. The nearest highway is the A54.

From Montpellier or Nîmes, take the A8 and A9, exit at Arles n°7. Head towards Tarascon for the first three roundabouts, then at the fourth roundabout, head towards Fontvieille. Marseille is 90 km away. Allow approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes by car.

Charming accommodation for your stay

La Regalido is a 4-star hotel housed in a former 17th-century oil mill, located in the heart of the village. The hotel has 23 spacious, contemporary rooms, a heated outdoor pool in an enclosed garden, and a spa. The Mistral Blanc gourmet restaurant offers country-style cuisine in a vaulted dining room. This hotel charms guests with its refined atmosphere and location just a few minutes from Arles and Les Baux-de-Provence. The rooms are tastefully decorated, combining Provençal furniture with modern amenities. The attentive staff help to create a memorable stay in this characterful residence nestled in the village of Alphonse Daudet.

Also worth reading to help you plan your stay in Fontvieille:

• the village of Fontvieille