The Gorges du Verdon, widely known as the Grand Canyon of Provence, with awe-inspiring views and vivid turquoise waters, are well worth a visit.
The Gorges du Verdon are easily accessible from most parts of the French Riviera and the Alpes de Haute-Provence. We set off from the Provencal towns of Moustiers Sainte-Marie after checking in overnight to sample some of the hotels and local cuisine in the narrow medieval streets and vaulted passages.
An equally good starting point for the tour is from Manosque where you’ll also find the famous L'Occitane factory.
The driving tour started early with the aim of reaching a viewpoint for a breakfast stop and back down to the lake for a leisurely lunch and a swim.
Heading towards Aiguines on the southern side of the Gorges, cruise up the D71, a small vertiginous road that overlooks the Verdon river and has a number of panoramas en route.
Driving past the Col d'Illoire, expect to see a great view back down onto the end of the Gorges du Verdon (at the Pont du Galetas) and also of the Lac de Sainte Croix. Continuing up the gorge, you can admire more views from the Cirque de Vaumale, Falaise de Baucher and the Falaise des Cavaliers.
Past the Fayet tunnel you will arrive at the Pont de l'Artuby (the bungee jump Mecca) so expect to see a few scared individuals approaching the edge.
Then come the Balconies of the Mescla, another prime viewpoint.
At this point we turned back to ensure sufficient lounge time on the beach of Lake of Sainte-Croix however you can carry on up towards Comps sur Artuby then loop back via the ridge road that passes through Trigance, Rougon and La Palud sur Verdon for full days drive.
