offwegooo.com
Travel guide
The Mercantour
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
The Mercantour, in a few days
The Mercantour mixes peaks above 3,000 metres, glacial lakes and hilltop villages already bathed in Mediterranean light. Walk to the prehistoric rock carvings of the Vallée des Merveilles, look for wolves at Le Boréon, hike to Lac d'Allos and cross valleys still recovering from Storm Alex.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Vallée des Merveilles free · a full dayAround Mont Bégo, above 2,000 metres, some 36,000 engravings from the late Neolithic and Bronze Age show horned cattle, ploughs, daggers and human figures.
- Afternoon · Alpha wolf park · 2 to 3 hAt Le Boréon, wolf packs live in large wooded enclosures that you watch quietly from hides, best early or late in the day.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in The MercantourBooking
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Saint-Martin-Vésubie free · about 1 hThe last village up the Vésubie valley, at nearly 1,000 metres, main gateway to the national park and a summer resort since the 1860s.
- Afternoon · Cians Gorges free · about 1 hThe Cians drops 1,600 metres in 25 km to the Var, cutting gorges through red schist and then limestone.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in The MercantourBooking
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lac d'Allos free · about 1 hA glacial lake at 2,230 metres below Mont Pelat, up to 50 metres deep, often described as the largest natural high-altitude lake in Europe.
- Afternoon · Cime de la Bonette free · about 1 hFrance's highest paved road loops the summit at 2,802 metres; a short path climbs to the 2,860-metre top, with views over the Southern Alps.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in The MercantourBooking
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Musée des Merveilles, Tende free · about 1 h 30Opposite Tende station, original engraved rocks and casts explain the Bégo carvings and stand in for the hike when snow closes the trails.
- Afternoon · Saorge free · about 1 hStone houses stacked on the slope above the Roya gorges, linked by stepped lanes and vaulted passages.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range hotels in The MercantourBooking
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €85 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/mercantour
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.