The village of Les Baux is largely 15th and 16th century, built from the same pale limestone as the ridge it stands on. Most of the buildings are occupied by galleries, craft shops, and restaurants catering to the considerable visitor trade, but the architecture itself is genuinely remarkable — buildings carved directly from the rock, narrow lanes that end at vertiginous views, and the general impression of a settlement that grew organically from the cliff face.
The Hôtel de Manville (now the town hall) and the Hôtel de la Tour de Brau (now the Fondation Louis Jou) are the most architecturally distinguished buildings in the lower village. The Fondation Louis Jou houses a collection of engravings and manuscripts and is open for occasional visits. Even without entering any building, the texture of the village on a weekday morning is worth an hour of slow walking.