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Travel guide
The Verdon Gorge
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September
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Welcome
The Verdon Gorge, in a few days
The Verdon has cut a canyon 25 kilometres long and up to 700 metres deep into the limestone of Provence, and its water runs an unmistakable turquoise green. See it first from above, from the Route des Crêtes viewpoints with vultures gliding below, then from the bottom.
- 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 · Route des Crêtes free · about 2 hA 24-kilometre loop from La Palud-sur-Verdon past some fourteen clifftop viewpoints, where griffon vultures skim the rock faces and climbers hang on long routes.
- Afternoon · The Blanc-Martel trail · a full dayA 15-kilometre hike on the canyon floor from Chalet de la Maline to Point Sublime, with metal ladders and a 670-metre tunnel; bring a torch.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel du Grand Canyon€140 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Point Sublime free · about 1 hA viewpoint ten minutes' walk from the car park near Rougon, looking down into the narrow Couloir Samson where the canyon opens up.
- Afternoon · Balcons de la Mescla free · about 1 hThe high point of the Corniche Sublime on the Var side, 250 metres straight above the tight bend where the Artuby meets the Verdon.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel les Restanques de Moustiers€130 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lake Sainte-Croix · half a dayA reservoir created in the 1970s; hire a pedalo, canoe or electric boat at the Galetas bridge and paddle into the mouth of the gorge.
- Afternoon · Moustiers-Sainte-Marie free · about 1 h 30A village famous for its blue and white faience, below two cliffs linked by a chain hung with a golden star.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Auberge du Point Sublime€110 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Valensole plateau free · about 1 h 30Twenty minutes from Moustiers, rows of lavandin stretching to the Alps, in full colour from mid-June to mid-July along the D6 and D8.
- Afternoon · Quinson Museum of Prehistory · 2 to 3 hA Norman Foster building covering a million years of human life in the Verdon, with finds from nearby caves and a reconstructed prehistoric village outside.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Le Vieil Amandier€120 a night
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
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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 €105 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and 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/verdon-gorge
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.