PROVENCE - EAST | Cicerone hiking guide

hiking guide

Provence’s sunshine and Mediterranean charm attract many visitors to its coast, yet the area also has much more to offer the walker. The countryside inland boasts a range of scenery from remote mountaintops to spectacular gorges. History is everywhere, in medieval villages, arcaded streets, abbeys, churches and castles. 

This guide covers the eastern regions, with its companion volume, Walking in Provence: West, covering the rest of this fascinating and historic landscape. The walking is incredibly diverse, and explores the country that hugs the Côte d'Azur and Italian border. The Alpes Maritimes rise craggy and wild above towns as unique as Grasse, Cannes and Monaco. The Mercantour National Park in contrast is a partially uninhabited area of high mountains, alpine lakes and red rock gorges known for its wildlife. Further north in the Alpes de Haute-Provence is a largely unspoilt geological playground, including such spectacles as the Verdon Gorge with villages and ancient sites throughout.

Suitable for all walkers of average fitness levels, the walks range from 4 to 21 kilometres in length, and are graded for difficulty from short, easy routes to more challenging walks that can include precipitous sections, but no special equipment is needed.

• 30 day walks in the Alpes Maritimes, Alpes de Haute-Provence and Mercantour in the sunny south-east corner of France
• walks illustrated with clear sketch maps and height profiles, as well as inspiring photographs
• all the practical information required for a perfect trip from public transport to maps and market days