fille26

Has anyone been to see this area, in south of France? My husband and I are going in May, and wanted to visit a beautiful part of france (similar to Switzerland?) Someone mentioned we should try this area. If anyone has been, would you say its worth the daytrip? What was there a lot of 'water sports' to do?

Patrick

I had often seen some beautiful pictures of the area and thought maybe we'd like to spend a few days there. So last year when we got our car in Nice we did a day trip up to the area to check it out for future trips. It was pretty, but somehow not as "spectacular" as the pictures made it look. We enjoyed our day and liked the scenery, and in all fairness we would have probably enjoyed a couple days there to explore in greater detail and to do a canoe trip. But at the end of the day we kind of passed on the idea of ever returning for a couple days stay. We didn't get that "turned on" by it.

fille26

Thanks Patrick. That was exactly what I was looking for..

Did you guys find any area that really made you go "WOW..I'm so glad we came here?"

OReilly

I drove around it in 2002 and was impressed. I drove from Aix, so it made for a rather long day, but I think it was worth it.

Here's a link to my photos.

http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.js...njv38&Ux=0

regards Ger

grandmere

The grand canyon of VerdOn is a pretty area, but you must go farther north to see the higher Alpes. I would recommend the Briancon area for the type of mountains we associate with Switzerland. Also great area for water sports on the Guisane River.

Nearer the Gorge de Verdon is a very picturesque village, Moustiers Ste Marie, which makes a good day trip from the Vaucluse, Luberon area.

Where are you spending most of your time in the south of France?

GregY2

We spent on night in a hotel, rather spectacularly located right on the edge of the canyon. We spent just the one night there and I would have liked a couple more days to do some walks etc. There were several groups people canoeing and rafting, down the river - which looked like a lot of fun. There was also parasailing over the lake and bungee jumping off one the bridge over the canyon - the latter not for me! Lots of cyclists doing the round trip. I would certainly recommend a visit but it is not 'switzerland' type scenery. If that is what you want you could consider a few days in Annecy with daytrips to places like Chamonix. Annecy is a lovely town, and if you get a fine day, the trip up to the Aiguille du Midi from Chamonix is genuinely spectacular

PalQ

The Grand Canyon de Verdun, though not nearly as huge as our Grand Canyon is nevertheless very impressive - the roads along it are sinuous. I stopped with my son and did some canoeing - several places rent - we tipped over but it was fun. A great drive from Aix area to Cannes, the inland route via Moustiers and thence along the Route Napoleon - made by Napoelon for military reasons that ends in Grasse i think anyway much more prettier than coastal route, though much slower going. Lavender fields for miles at some points, quite a sight in spring i would think.

mermaid_

My husband and I have not driven any of the other gorges in the south of France (Gorges de Nesque, Tarn, and Ardeche come to mind) so I cannot compare, but we thought the drive around the Gorge du Verdon was amazing! We did the most hair-raising part of it in which the traffic is one way only, the Route des Cretes on the D23. It was frightening in parts as there are no guard rails and the road is narrow. But we wouldn't have missed it for anything! The scenery was something that will stick in your head for a long time. We ponied the trip through the Gorge with an afternoon spent in the charming village of Moustiers. If you have a liking for French pottery, this is an excellent place to visit. BTW, it's a very long daytrip. We drove it from a village not far from Peyrolles and we didn't get back to our B&B until nightfall. The roads wind around quite a bit.

cigalechanta

How can I say in words, how beautiful the Verdon as a whole is? Riding through the Canyon, the hidden athlete in you would wish you were there below with those rafters, canoes, and the other hikers as you sip a drink in an above look-out spot. As a naturalist who loves the flora, it is a treat to be there. We stayed once at the Bastide de Moustiers(a birthday/christmas treat)
but had more fun another year at the simple chalet like La Provence at La Palud de Verdon. We may visit again at the end of summer.

Underhill

what us go wow was the ardèche gorge and the nearby huge cavery, the aven d'orgnac. it's an easy day trip from the drôme or even from upper provence--road with great views above the gorge, and you can go canoeing on the river.

LarryJ

The Gorge de Verdon gets little mention here but it is spectacular. I can't imagine anyone not being totally impressed with it if they made the trip up both sides of the gorge. The gorge is over 3000' deep in places and the lake at the west end of the gorge is very beautiful. The river through the gorge is a very turquoise green and you can rent boats of all types (elect.power and paddle)to go up the river through the gorge and throughout the lake. I've traveled 23 countries in Europe including most of Switzerland and this area is as beautiful as any I've seen.

Note about the lavender fields in the area: You will see no lavender blooming in May. It is harvested usually from late July to mid-September and is the most beautiful just before harvesting.

If you want to spend a day or two the Hotel Sainte Anne in the small village of Les Salles sur Verdon is very nice, affordable and sits on the lake only about 3 miles from where the gorge river empties into the lake. Hotels at the village of Moustiers are very expensive.

If you go to the gorge you won't be disappointed.

Larry J

cigalechanta

And Larry, the Lac St Croix that is a great place to see and stop for lunch. We have friends in nearby Quinson where there is a museum of the gorges but we never got to it.

comedian

bookmarking, thanks

BTilke

You can watch online a segment about the canyon (focus on rock climbers but good views) in the French mountain TV magazine, Chroniques d'en haut
One of my favorite programs.

The first segment is about a French mountain climber and the Alps, but I believe the second segment is the area you're interested in.

http://jt.france3.fr/regions/popup.p...video_number=0

BTilke

Oops, sorry, that links to a different episode.

Fishmonger

This is one of my 4 favorite drives outside the US, along with the Amalfi Coast, the Road to Hana, and Cornwall.
Enjoy is you get a chance. Fishmonger

Michael

Fishmonger,

better late than never?