The Rough Guide to Provence & Cote d'Azur (Travel Guide eBook) by Rough Guides

Author:Rough Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, France
Publisher: Apa Publications
Published: 2019-11-01T04:57:54+00:00

Not surprisingly, Moustiers gets very crowded in summer, when visitors throng its winding lanes and pretty bridges, and fill the many shops and galleries that sell the traditional local speciality, glazed pottery.

Coming here out of season is more of an unalloyed pleasure, but you can escape the commercialism year-round by puffing your way up to the aptly named chapel of Notre Dame de Beauvoir, high above the village proper. It’s reached by a footpath along which the stone steps have been polished slippery-smooth by centuries of pilgrims’ feet. The most direct route, from the east side of the village, takes around fifteen minutes each way; a longer path loops up from the west. Both are best tackled in the shade of the morning.

Musée de la Faïence

Hôtel de Ville, rue du Seigneur de la Clue • Mid-March to June, Sept & Oct daily except Tues 10am–12.30pm & 2–6pm; July & Aug daily except Tues 10am–12.30pm & 2–7pm; Nov & Dec Sat & Sun 2–5pm • €3 • 04 92 74 61 64, moustiers.eu

Moustiers has been renowned for ceramics since the seventeenth century. Faïence (colourful tin-glazed earthenware) was first manufactured in Provence four hundred years earlier, but the art reached its apogee in Moustiers during the reign of Louis XIV. The story is told in the small but fascinating Musée de la Faïence, filled with spectacular examples, on the east side of the stream.

Lac de Ste-Croix

At the canyon’s western end, the river emerges abruptly into the enormous turquoise reservoir of the Lac de Ste-Croix. From the Pont de Galetas, where the D957 crosses the river, you can often see river rafts rounding the final bend of the gorge. At beaches immediately north and south, rowing boats and pedalos are available to rent; when no floodgates are open, the waters are placid enough to set off upstream between the cliffs. Swimming is also good here, though when the lake levels are low, things can get a bit muddy around the edges.

The north rim

The spectacular and tortuous D952 runs more or less parallel to the north bank of the Verdon river for 45km east from Moustiers to Castellane. For the best close-up views of the gorge, however, head south along the Route des Crêtes from the village of La Palud-sur-Verdon halfway along.

La Palud-sur-Verdon

Peace, tranquillity and breathtaking scenery reign supreme in the principal pit stop along the northern rim, LA PALUD-SUR-VERDON, 20km southeast of Moustiers. Even if you’re just passing through, take the time to wander around its narrow, rambling streets and pause for a meal or drink. Out of season, the village all but closes down.

Route des Crêtes

To admire the very best of the Gorges du Verdon, detour off the D952 onto the dramatic Route des Crêtes, which loops away both from the centre of La Palud, and from another intersection a short distance east. Along its 23km circuit, it offers a succession of stunning canyon viewpoints. There’s nothing to stop you driving straight off into the abyss on its highest stretches, and at some points you look down a sheer 800m drop to the sliver of water below.

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