Massif de la Sainte-Baume

The Sainte-Baume massif forms a long limestone ridge stretching more than ten kilometres between the Var and Bouches-du-Rhône départements. Its almost vertical north face contrasts with a gentler south side, in a typically Provençal landscape of garrigue and forest.

At the foot of the cliff, a cave has made the massif a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages: tradition places there the retreat of Mary Magdalene, and a sanctuary still welcomes pilgrims from all over Provence. The forest on the plateau, spared from felling for centuries because of its sacred character, holds remarkable species such as beech, rare at such low altitude in this Mediterranean climate.

Many hiking paths criss-cross the massif, including the one from the village of Plan-d'Aups-Sainte-Baume to the cave and then to the summit of the Saint-Pilon. Spring and autumn, milder than the Provençal summer, are the most pleasant seasons for exploring this sun-exposed massif.

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