Welcome to Balazuc, a quaint medieval village distinguished with the classification « Most beautiful Villages of France » and « Village of Character ». If you look upwards from the banks of the Ardèche river, the village appears to be climbing to a rock. Its name comes from the Celtic words Bal(« rock ») and dun (« fortified high »). It is actually from the opposite bank, when in late afternoon, where the bend turns into the valley, the village appears suddently fully bathed in sunshine.

Balazuc’s architecture is composed of elements from the 10th to the 18th century. Protected in earlier times by ramparts(first in the 11th centyury, and then rebuilt in the 13th century), the houses were grouped around the castle, whose oldest section over looks the Ardèche and dates from the 11th century. No far away stands the Romanesque church bell tower, whose arches are topped by a steeple. From up there, you have a magnificent view over the rooftops of the village. To find it, just follow the small steep and winding pathways – the cobblestone streets – strewn in places by old craftsmen’s shopps. A delighful pathway wich features suspended buttresses, vaulted passages, remnants of timeworn staircases…