France Provence road trip - Must see towns Antibes and Aiguines
Over the span of a few days, we road-tripped through the France Provence region, covering town like these - Antibes and Aiguines.
Nothing beats the steep slopes and hairpin turns when driving over the Gorge du Verdon.
We stayed in an Airbnb in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie which proved to be a nice central point for exploring to various other towns in and around the area.
Note: Siestas is a thing too here! (places close lank early)
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Bargeme Aiguines Gorges du Verdon
Visite de Bargeme, plus beau village de France dans le Var; visite des gorges du Verdon, la corniche sublime et visite d'Aiguines surplombant le lac de Ste Croix
Hiking Les Gorges du Verdon
5 Day Hike from Castellane to Moustier-Sainte Marie via Rougon, le sentier blanc martel, le sentier vidal, le grand marges and Aiguines.
Gourdon - a small mountain village close to French Rivie
Gourdon on pieni vuoristokylä Etelä-Ranskassa.
From the A8 motorway take the Cagnes sur Mer, exit on the RD 2085, then the D3. 31 km from Cannes and 14 km from Grasse.
Gourdon village. Just getting to Gourdon is an adventure in itself.
Take the road through the vertiginous Gorges du Loup, with 700 m high cliffs towering above you, and take the time to stop at the Saut du Loup waterfall for a refreshing breather in the summer. Then you'll passing through the hamlet of Pont du Loup, with its climate ideal for growing orange trees, olive trees and perfume plants, which is part of the Gourdon municipality.
From there you might choose to walk up to Gourdon, taking the old Chemin du Paradis which used to be a mule track. Beware, it's a climb of more than 500 metres, but at the end of the road is paradise!
Alternatively the less energetic visitor may prefer to stay in their car and simply drive up to one of the most beautiful villages in the whole of France... which certainly also attracts more visitors than most villages on the Riviera.
Gourdon is the archetype of a perched village, sitting like an eagle's nest at the end of a rocky spur, enjoying a truly exceptional panoramic view over more than 80 kilometres of coastline from Theoule sur mer and Nice.
It also forms a remarkably harmonious ensemble of white stone-built medieval houses, nestling around the feudal castle, all of which are beautifully restored and maintained.
Without a doubt, Gourdon has been the fortunate recipient of attentions from all the good fairies of Creation! The good fairies of commerce have been at work too, to judge by the number of craft shops that await the tourists: perfumes and soaps, honey, nougat, gingerbread, craft glassware and painting on silk, etc !
But the highlight of your visit to Gourdon will be castle. Originally owned by the Counts of Provence until the 13th century, the castle was then passed on to the Grasse-Bar, the Villeneuve-Flayosc and the Borriglione families in succession, almost all of whom where great noble families. Traces of each are still to be seen in this wonderfully preserved building.
You'll admire its imposing round and square towers, its arrow slits and Renaissance entrance gate, its cobbled inner courtyard and well, its gargoyles and vaulted hallways, not forgetting its monumental 14th century fireplace.
Inside, you can visit superb gardens laid out by Le Nôtre, Versailles' landscape gardener. The gardensare a true Eden, with their main terraces shaded by centuries' old limetrees. You will admire an Italian style garden and rock garden, as well as the apothecary's garden with its intermingling fragrances of angelicas, columbine, balsam and comfrey, lemon balm, old mints and roses, sage and tansy … medicinal plants used in the Middle Ages.
After this wonderful journey into the past, you'll enjoy a return to reality, having lunch on the terrace with a breath-taking view of the entire Riviera. Then you'll understand why Gourdon is one of the villages that attracts the most visitors on the whole of the Riviera!
Pieni nyanssi Porvoolaisille on se, että tuolta löytyy samanlainen merkki monesta parfyymipannusta kuin löytyy Porvoon vaakunasta. Liekö joskus ollut jotain kaupallista yhteyttä?
Driving around the Verdon Gorge, France - Eastbound on the D71 - April 2018
Starting on the D957 heading East towards the Verdon Gorge in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
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Before crossing the Pont du Galetas near where the Verdon flows into the Lac de Sainte-Croix
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Then headed into Aiguines on the D19, where it became the D71
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Col d'Illoire - 967m Elevation
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Belvédère Du Plan
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Tunnel du Fayet
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Canyon de l'Artuby
Pont de l'Artuby
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Finishing on the D955 past the village of Commune de Comps Sur Artuby