Verdon Gorge
It was formed by the Verdon River, which is named for its turquoise-green colour, one of the location’s distinguishing characteristics. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. The gorge is very popular with tourists, who can drive around its rim, rent kayaks to travel on the river, or hike.
Basic information
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In between the towns of Castellane (map) and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (map), the river has cut a ravine to a depth of 700 meters through the limestone mass. At the end of the canyon, the Verdon flows into the artificial Lake of Sainte-Croix (map).
For some distance the Verdon Gorge forms the border between the départements of Var to the south and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to the north in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur région.
⇒ Verdon Natural Regional Park (parcduverdon.fr)
This region between Castellane and the Lac de Sainte-Croix is called the Gorges du Verdon, or Verdon Gorge. It is split into three distinct parts:
- “Prégorges” (‘pre-gorge’), from Castellane to Pont de Soleils,
- the deepest part of the Gorge, from Pont de Soleils to l’Imbut, and
- the Canyon from l’Imbut to the Pont de Galetas.
It is easily accessible on its right bank from the north (via route D952 from Castellane to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie), and on its left bank from the south (via routes D71, D90 and D955 from Aiguines to Castellane).
⇒ Tips To Visit Verdon Gorges (verdonsecret.com)
Sentier de L’Imbut. The 4.3-km Path of Imbut (Sentier de L’Imbut) is one of the most beautiful paths through the Canyon du Verdon. The pleasantly shady trail leads through the deep and narrow part of the canyon to the Imbut (funnel). There the Verdon disappears into three tunnels. Along the way there are several wonderful bathing spots. The hike leads to a dead end, so you must walk back to where you started from (either road D23 or D71).
⇒ HIKING IN THE GORGES DU VERDON | ultimatefrance.com
Sentier Martel. The 23-km-long Sentier Martel is the classic Canyon du Verdon walk. It accompanies the Verdon through the deep canyon. Along the way, there are breathtaking views of the cliffs, the boxwoods and the turquoise river. Highlights are the Mescla where the Artuby flows into the Verdon, the steep stairs Breche Imbert and the two tunnels with a total length of 800 m (toch light required).
Sentier Blanc-Martel / Cadières de Brandis / Sentier des Siréniens.
+ More info: Wikipedia • Wikivoyage
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Transport
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The coach companies compete with rail on price, which means they usually are somewhat cheaper than trains, sometimes much cheaper, especially if booked in advance. Trains will be more comfortable and sometimes much faster.
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For long distances, use the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, or High-speed train) on which reservations are obligatory. TGV • Thello • Ouigo. + RailEurope • Eurostar • Thalys • izy (Paris-Brussels) • TGV Lyria (Switzerland) • DB (Germany) • RENFE (Barcelona) >> *Rail travel in France
Several weekends throughout the year in France are known as ‘Black Saturday’ (Samedi noir) because of the start or end of school holidays and the coinciding traffic jams on French roads caused by thousands of tourists travelling to and from their holiday destinations. When possible it is wise to avoid these days. For traffic reports, see the website of the French traffic service.
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