Roussillon, Languedoc Roussillon

This ocre-red village is a tourist destination on the southern edge of the Plateau de Vaucluse. Roussillon is a beautiful village, with its red rocks, red stone buildings and red tile roofs, but it's such an apparently well-frequented tourist site that doesn't let a traveller stop without paying.

All roads in, around and near the village have pay parking only, with a person guarding every spot with a hand out for your money. And there are no signs anywhere indicating the "official" cost of parking, so you'll have to trust to the honesty of the person and the moment, along with your knowledge of currency rates and local economic conditions, to determine if you're paying a "fair" price to stop at this village and mingle with the other tourists.

The old village is, of course, well-kept and lovely, and the remains of the ancient château which is built into the buildings. The 19th-century clock and bell tower is topped by a 19th-century wrought-iron belfry (campanile).

Giants' Causeway
The Giants' Causeway is a natural park of jagged cliffs of ochre beside the village of Roussillon. A walking tour of the park should take well under an hour. (See our Reader's Comments, below.)

Name
Roman: Vicus russulus (from the red-ocre environs)
First record, 989: de Rossillione

History
Prehistoric: So many neolithic signs and artifacts have been discovered here that the site is now an important archeological reserve.
Roman: There are signs of the Roman occupation of Roussillon when they were mining ocre from the hills.
Medieval: Various Lords ruled here until the Revolution, including Agoult, Vins and Isle.