Lakes · Alpes-Maritimes
1 Lacs de Vens
A string of five glacial lakes between 2,286 and 2,327 metres' altitude in the Mercantour, overlooked by the Vens refuge, in the commune of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée.
View full page →What to see in the Alpes-Maritimes in 3 days
The Alpes-Maritimes combine the Côte d'Azur, hilltop villages, gorges and the high mountains of the Mercantour. In a few kilometres you go from the sea to the peaks.
This itinerary spreads the best-rated sites in the catalogue over three days.
Our day-by-day itinerary
The map shows the numbered stops in visiting order, with one colour per day. The line follows the roads where available; otherwise it joins the stops as the crow flies. Distances and times are approximate (by car, without traffic).
Day 1 — Lacs de Vens to Gorges de la Vésubie
This day brings together 3 sites close to each other: waterfalls and lakes. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
2 Les Gorges du Cians
The Cians is a river that rises at the foot of Mont Mounier (alt. 2,817 m) on the slopes of Pierrous.
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Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
3 Gorges de la Vésubie
It is here, from the charming hamlet of Cros d'Utelle, that the route starts, where you will admire the skill of the Ancients while treading a wide path whose paving is still intact in places.
View full page →Day 2 — Eze to Gorges de Saorge
This day brings together 5 sites close to each other: villages, castles and waterfalls. It passes through Monaco. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Villages · Alpes-Maritimes
4 Eze
Located just after Nice, going towards Menton, Èze stretches along the sea from Cap Roux to the Pointe de Cabuel. Perched like an eagle's nest at the top of an imposing and superb cliff, you will see the village and its pale ochre church from afar.
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Castles · Monaco
5 Palais princier de Monaco
Official residence of the princes of Monaco since 1297, this palace perched on the Rock hosts the changing of the guard every noon, one of the most-watched attractions in the Principality.
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Villages · Alpes-Maritimes
6 Sainte-Agnès
You reach this village by the hairpins of a narrow road crossing a terraced landscape planted with olive trees and mimosas.
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Villages · Alpes-Maritimes
7 Saorge
Saorge, at 550 m altitude, impressively overlooks the Roya valley, with a concentration of houses huddled against each other, several storeys high, and tiered on several levels.
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Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
8 Gorges de Saorge
The Saorge gorges are carved by the Roya downstream of the hilltop village of Saorge, in the upper Roya valley.
View full page →Day 3 — Grotte de Baume Obscure to Saint-Paul-de-Vence
This day brings together 4 sites close to each other: caves, waterfalls and natural wonders. It passes through Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Caves · Alpes-Maritimes
9 Grotte de Baume Obscure
The Baume Obscure cave sinks 60 metres underground. Erosion from flowing water has sculpted magnificent stalactites and stalagmites and other forms coloured red due to the presence of iron oxide in the rock.
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Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
10 Cascade de Courmes
A magnificent little village on the left bank of the Loup, Courmes clings to the mountainside, at 620 metres' altitude, in the hollow of the Pic des Courmettes.
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Natural wonders · Alpes-Maritimes
11 Les Grandes marmites
The place called "Pont du Loup", on the road linking Grasse to Tourrettes-sur-Loup, marks the entrance to this defile. From there you must look up to the sky to see the village of Gourdon, perched above the cliffs.
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Villages · Saint-Paul-de-Vence
12 Saint-Paul-de-Vence
A fortified village become a high place of modern art, Saint-Paul-de-Vence has drawn artists and galleries for a century into its cobbled lanes perched above the Baie des Anges.
View full page →When to go
Spring and autumn are the most pleasant. Summer is hot and very busy on the coast. Winter lets you enjoy the towns and villages, with snow at altitude.
Getting around
A car is practical, but traffic is heavy on the coast. Trains link the coastal towns. Mountain roads are winding.
Our tips
- Start early for the hilltop villages before the crowds.
- Pack warm clothes in the mountains, even in summer.
- Follow the rules of the Mercantour national park.
- Book in advance in high season.
If you have more time
Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
Les Gorges de Daluis
The red gorges: the name Daluis comes from the name of a commune on the right bank of the Haut-Var, downstream of the magnificent gorges of red Permian schists that make this tourist circuit world-famous. Of the same nature as the Cians gorges, the Daluis gorges are...
Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
La Cascade du Saut du Loup
The Saut du Loup is a waterfall nestled in the heart of the Loup gorges, in the Alpes-Maritimes, between the villages of Gourdon and Pont-du-Loup.
Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
Cascade de Vens
Visible from the Col de la Bonette-Restefond road, the Vens waterfall gushes a few kilometres from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, in the Mercantour.
Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
La Clue de la Cerise
The Clue de la Cerise lies in the Estéron valley, cradled in a limestone setting, and will carry you along with the water through superb narrow passages that delight young and old.
Waterfalls · Alpes-Maritimes
Le Riou de la Bollène (Marmites)
The Bollène valley is in the Vésubie valley. The Bollène giant's kettles are well known to canyoning enthusiasts. There is a 15 m slide. The emerald-coloured water invites a swim.
Villages · Alpes-Maritimes
Coaraze
Amid olive trees, the cobbled lanes of Coaraze lead to the thirteenth-century church, adorned in the seventeenth century, under Italian Baroque influence, with 118 cherubs in a polychrome setting.
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