This publish is a part of a collection primarily based on my boyfriend and I’s two-week highway journey by way of the South of France. Observe our journey right here.
We awake early, the primary day of the journey we stand up earlier than 10:30am.
Regardless of staying up the evening earlier than till midnight getting tipsy on Provençal wine and stargazing on our cabin porch, Andy and I really feel refreshed.
Our AirBnB host Laure has ready an al fresco breakfast of bread, toast and 10+ completely different selfmade preserves.
Sipping espresso and munching on fig-coated baguette, nothing however horses and countryside in my imaginative and prescient, I really feel excited to discover nature in Southern France.
Desk of Contents
- France Journey Video
- Verdon Gorge
- By Land Or River?
- The Verdict On Verdon
- France’s Most Lovely Village
- A Buzz-Worthy Ending
- Bonus South Of France Journey Sources
France Journey Video
Earlier than we dive into visiting France’s Verdon Gorge, I’ve acquired a France journey video for you:
Watch it above!
The video showcases our journey highway tripping from Good to Marseille, with plenty of enjoyable in between!
Taking a break from life at a quiet horse farm
Verdon Gorge
The horse farm AirBnB is the proper start line, as right this moment we’re visiting Verdon Gorge, a 25-kilometer (16-mile) lengthy river canyon recognized for being being considered one of Europe’s most stunning pure sights.
It dates again to the Triassic Interval (250-200 million years in the past), and also you’ll see proof from limestone and coral deposits in addition to striated rock that this a part of France was below water.
Afterward, glaciers created an much more dramatic panorama by opening up deep gorges.
My babe and I within the Verdon Gorge
After studying up on Verdon Gorge we deem Moustiers-Sainte-Marie on the western finish of the gorge to be the place to go.
Laure agrees, noting that the 2 sides of the gorge look utterly completely different. We are saying “au revoir” and head off, taking Freeway D952 — a scenic winding cliffside freeway — towards our vacation spot.
Instantly a flash of brilliant nearly neon inexperienced seems out of the nook of my eye:
The Verdon River.
It peeks by way of open patches of tree, till the highway and my view are utterly unobstructed. Wow!
By Land Or River?
Instantly we come to a bridge stretching over the river and connecting two of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azuz Area’s (PACA) six departments, the Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
I can’t assist however really feel like we’ve diversified our itinerary by strolling over the bridge, including a number of locations to our journey in a matter of moments.
Furthermore, peeking over the bridge’s edge we’re rewarded with the postcard-worthy views we’d seen on-line, noticing the plethora of tourists boating on the waters.
It’s a serene scene that rapidly adjustments our exercise alternative from mountaineering to kayaking.
Kayaking the Verdon Gorge
From the bridge we simply drive right down to an enormous seashore, tour operators renting a variety of non-motorized sporting tools (although we additionally see small motorized boats on the water).
Our kayak prices 26 Euros (~$29 USD) whole to lease for 2 hours.
Being enveloped within the gorge, its verdant waters offering us each a transport medium and a spot to chill off, is a novel expertise.
We paddle below bridges, by way of caves, handed small areas for climbing and leaping, and alongside small seashores good for picnicking (so convey some bread, cheese, wine and possibly some Provençal nougat).
Persons are pleasant and share their goodies, which we study after we’re supplied photographs of whiskey from a passing canoe of Swiss vacationers.
Verdon Gorge finished proper! Making buddies over whiskey.
The Verdict On Verdon
Verdon Gorge has such an awesome vibe.
Is it touristy?
Sure.
However whereas there are a lot of individuals having fun with the river I additionally really feel we’ve got loads of alternatives to steal some alone time.
Word:
The sooner you go the higher likelihood you’ve at much less crowds.
Splashing my boyfriend within the gorge
France’s Most Lovely Village
We return our kayak and stroll to the seashore’s edge for a brief swim — chilly! — earlier than persevering with on to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.
Whereas we don’t see the quite a few canyon actions or the brilliant inexperienced waters there, we’re blown away by the great thing about the village and its out of doors eateries, Provençal speciality retailers and slender winding roads showcasing pastel buildings with tiled roofs.
This commune within the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence division dates again 30,000 years, although the village in its present state dates again to the fifth century when the Lérins abbey monks moved into the native caves and constructed a monastery.
The breathtaking Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Oh, and the views.
From our (free) parking spot we overlook a river and a waterfall.
The sting of city is lined with flower-adorned fences, whereas the backdrop is terraced olive bushes and limestone cliffside with the Romanesque Notre Dame de Beauvoir — which you’ll be able to hike as much as in about quarter-hour from city by way of 262 stone steps — standing strikingly above the surroundings.
We wander out and in of outlets promoting pure lavender soaps, rose perfumes, calisson sweets (an Aix-en-Provence delicacy) and native pottery — the specialty of the commune — till we discover Atelier des Fontaines, the place we cease for a budget-friendly lunch.
Two coffees, one La Chouffe beer, an enormous savory crepe with fries and salad, a chop steak with fries and salad, and a three-scoop ice cream bowl come to 30 Euros whole (~$34 USD). Yum!
A yummy and budget-friendly lunch in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
A Buzz-Worthy Ending
We finish the day as we do on daily basis of our South of France highway journey, with wine.
Particularly at Domaine Saint Jean de Villecroze in close by Villecroze within the Var division.
The sampling is 5 luscious native reds, some single varietal cabernet sauvignons, and blends of cab, grenache and syrah for tastes of tobacco and blackberries. It’s a deliciously dizzying expertise.
That is the South of France; beginning your day having fun with native flavors on a horse farm earlier than driving to who-knows-where and making epic discoveries alongside the way in which.
Once I awakened I merely knew I’d see a reasonably river; however by the tip of the day I’d skilled a lot extra.
Domaine Saint Jean de Villecroze
How To Plan An Epic South Of France Street Journey
How To Hike Calanques Nationwide Park In Marseille, France
How To Get pleasure from Wine, Mountain climbing & Skinny Dipping Close to Cannes, France
3 Epic Adventures You Didn’t Know You Might Have In Provence
3 Gorgeous Day Journeys From Good, France
5 Distinctive Lodging That Will Make You Crave A South Of France Getaway
Exploring Good Past The Promenade
Bonus: Try these passionate journey quotes to encourage thrill-seeking all over the world!
Airbnb: We stayed on an lovable horse farm in close by Moissac-Bellevue, a extremely advisable AirBnB lodging for a leaping off level to Verdon Gorge. Worth: $58 USD per evening.
- Good (with day journeys to Eze for a medieval village, Monaco for a VIP afternoon and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for the Villa & Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild)
- Cannes (with day journeys to St. Tropez/Ramatuelle for seashores, Gassin for wine tasting and La Croix Valmer for seashores and mountaineering)
- Moissac Bellevue (we stayed at a woodland set horse farm then have been about 20-minutes from Verdon Gorge)
- Hyeres (the cobbled commune itself is enjoyable to discover, and is close to stunning seashores and is accessible to the untouched Port Cros Island; definitely worth the journey for this cool fort keep alone!)
- Aix-en-Provence (my private favourite spot of the journey as a result of small quiet metropolis stuffed with facilities and accessibility to stunning Provence farmland; a cheesey rooftop lunch at La Fromagerie Du Passage and a day journey biking exterior town with Arthur of Secrets and techniques d’ici are musts!)
- Marseille (don’t miss mountaineering within the city Calanques Nationwide Park, which doesn’t really feel city in any respect and is accessible to stunning port cities and seashores)
Acadia Nationwide Park Dawn Hike: Otter Cliff To Ocean Path (Epic!)