A natural cirque is a rocky amphitheatre shaped by glacial or karst erosion, often closed off by steep cliffs and waterfalls. From the Pyrenees, where the cirque of Gavarnie has inspired generations of mountaineers, to the causses of Gard and Hérault via the Vercors and the Alps, France has a remarkable diversity of such cirques.
This selection brings together ten of the most spectacular, from high-mountain giants to more discreet geological curiosities.
This exceptional mountain landscape, which spreads on both sides of the present national borders of France and Spain, is centred on the Mont Perdu peak, a limestone massif that peaks at 3,352 metres.
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A huge glacial cirque of the Giffre valley, ringed by cliffs over 500 metres high streaked with waterfalls.
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Upstream of the Héas gave valley, the Troumouse cirque is the largest glacial cirque in the Pyrenees.
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A discreet neighbour of the famous cirques of Gavarnie and Troumouse, the Estaubé cirque closes the valley of the same name on the Spanish border. Included in the Pyrénées – Mont Perdu UNESCO property, it appeals to hikers seeking tranquillity.
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Like other famous sites of the Grands Causses, the Cirque de Navacelles is visited every year by millions of tourists who come to admire the cut of the Vis canyon through the limestones and dolomites of the Causse de Blandas.
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This natural limestone formation, which gave its name to cliffs in the Alps of northern Italy, is found west of Clermont-l'Hérault.
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The Lescun cirque is a natural site shaped by glaciers and bounded by limestone peaks with legendary names such as the Table des Trois Rois or the Aiguilles d'Ansabère, the Camplong organ pipes...
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From the sumptuous cirque of Archiane, discover the largest nature reserve in France: the Hauts-Plateaux du Vercors with the Combeau valley, the Tête Chevalière, the Jardin du Roi and the Chamousset sheepfold.
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From its source, the Guiers Vif tumbles down a cliff in four successive waterfalls: the first is called "la Cascade de la source", the second "la Grande Cascade", then comes "la Cascade Isolée" and finally at the foot "la Pisse du Guiers".
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Among the great sites of the Doubs, the Cirque de Consolation is probably one of the finest landscapes of the département.
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