Though Gréoux-les-Bains is the 3rd hot springs resort in France, it only counts 2,597 inhabitants which are called ‘Gryséliens’. The municipality is situated at an altitude of 365 m and covers a surface area of 6,970 hectares. It is between the Luberon mountain range and the Verdon River at the crossroads of 4 departments: Var, Vaucluse, the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Alpes de Haute-Provence.

Gréoux-les-Bains is steeped in history which is reflected through its castle, chapels, ramparts, church & bell-tower, wash-houses and fountains, not to mention the troglodytic hot springs which have been in use since the Gallo-Roman period and have forged the village’s reputation.

The Tourist Office offers guided tours of the village from March through to December. Rate: 4 euros. You will find the dates of the guided tours in the monthly programme of events.

Everything seems to indicate that the first stones were first laid in the 12th century, which now represent the so-called ‘Templars Castle’. The castle belonged to the Count of Provence, Charles II, in the 14th century before moving into the hands of the Knights Hospitaller and then Arnaud de Trian.

A number of laymen-lords owned the castle one after the other from the end of the 14th century up to the Revolution. Abandoned during the Revolution and then bought by Arnoux Guibert as ‘national property’, the castle was then classified as a historical monument in 1840.

During the summer, the castle is transformed into a magical place to host the arts: its inner courtyard acts as backdrop for open-air concerts and shows, while the vaulted Guard room hosts a number of exhibitions from March through to December.

Discover the castle’s history during one of our dramatized tours organised by the Tourist Office and Madame Antoine’s theatre company.