TOURIST GEOGRAPHY

The low Gorges of Verdon

The Verdon, on the southern border of the Alpes de Haute-Provence, is a magical river.
This is where its waters acquire their beautiful emerald colouring. Several million years ago, this river scoured its way through several hundred metres of limestone to form the famous gorges, carrying along vast quantities of alluviums, which as they were deposited gradually formed the vast Valensole plateau to the west.
The Verdon Natural Park contains highly contrasting landscapes. The river flows from the alpine foothills of Sain- André-les-Alpes to the Provençal valley of Gréoux-les-Bains. The impressive verticality of the great gorges contrasts with the calm horizontality of the Valensole plateau. The broad lakes of Esparron, Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon and Castillon are a dramatic change from the dry hills of Castellane or Entrevaux.

The Verdon Regional Park offers you a wide variety of different landscapes – just choose your favourite village.
Gréoux-les-Bains is a typical Provençal village that has become a spa resort. At the gates to the great Verdon canyon and close to Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon lake is Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, a village famed for its chinaware. Above it rise two vertiginous cliffs linked by a chain decorated with a star. Moustiers itself is a beautiful architectural ensemble, with its houses built from calcareous stone and topped by pink tile roofs and its remarkable Romanesque churches. In Valensole the lavender grown on the plateau gives the summer air a special fragrance. A few kilometres from the famous gorges, La Palud-sur-Verdon is paradise for climbers from every corner of the world. Annot is surrounded by gigantic blocks of sandstone in the midst of a chestnut tree forest. Castellane is beautifully located, overlooked by Notre-Dame-du-Roc. Entrevaux is a medieval village where the ramparts and citadel built by Vauban have been preserved to this day.

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There are 13 Tourist Offices and "Syndicats d'Initiative" in the area to give you advice and information during your stay. They are located around the Esparron and Sainte-Croix lakes and in villages and towns with a particularly noteworthy cultural heritage : Annot, Entrevaux, Gréoux-les-Bains, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, Quinson, Riez...

>> list of the Tourism Information Offices

The Verdon river is an impetuous torrent, now tamed by Man and perfect for white water sports : canyoning, rafting, canoe-kayak. Its large lakes are given over to bathing, sailing and windsurfing.
The vertical limestone cliffs 300 m high overhanging the river are known to climbers world-wide. There are 933 climbing routes in the Verdon Gorges, with very varied characteristics.

The Soleilhas-Vauplane resort near Annot was the first place to provide cross-country facilities in the Alpes de Haute-Provence, but nowadays the resort also caters for downhill skiers. A superb stadium has been built where children can learn to ski and there is also a free ski tow.
ANNOT-ALLOS, a major cross-country resort, is close by.

Gréoux les Bains
Riez
Moustiers Sainte Marie
Lac de Sainte Croix
Grand Canyon
Point Sublime
Castellane
Saint Julien du Verdon
Saint André les Alpes
Entrevaux