Gorges du Verdon and Lake Saint Croix; Shutterstock ID 60201205

Shutterstock / Florian Augustin

Gorges du Verdon

For sheer, jaw-dropping drama, few sights in France can match the epic Gorges du Verdon. The ‘Grand Canyon of Europe’ slices a 25km swath through Haute-Provence’s limestone plateau all the way to the foothills of the Alps. Etched out over millions of years by the Verdon River, the gorges have formed the centrepiece of the Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon since 1997. With their sheer, plunging cliffs – in some places 700m high, twice the height of the Eiffel Tower – the gorges are a haven for birds, including a colony of reintroduced vautours fauves (griffon vultures).

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Chapelle Notre Dame de Beauvoir

    Chapelle Notre Dame de Beauvoir

    Gorges du Verdon

    High above the village, Moustiers' 14th-century church clings to a cliff ledge like an eagle’s nest. A steep trail climbs beside a waterfall to the chapel…

  • Chapelle Notre Dame du Roc

    Chapelle Notre Dame du Roc

    Gorges du Verdon

    This hillside chapel sits high above Castellane at an altitude of 903m, wedged into a cleft between the mountains and offering a panoramic view across the…

  • Musée de la Faïence

    Musée de la Faïence

    Gorges du Verdon

    Moustiers’ decorative faience (glazed earthenware) once graced the dining tables of Europe’s most aristocratic houses. Today each of Moustiers’ 15…

  • Musée Sirènes et Fossiles

    Musée Sirènes et Fossiles

    Gorges du Verdon

    Mermaids and fossils feature at this worthwhile paleontology museum, which explores the geological past of the Alps – hard to believe this whole mountain…

  • Château d’Allemagne

    Château d’Allemagne

    Gorges du Verdon

    A fairytale castle in the village of Allemagne-en-Provence, an easy drive from Lac de Quinson. It's about 24km west of Moustiers St-Marie.

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