Where are you going?
The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département offers pure air, an exceptional number of sunshine hours all year round and a remarkable natural and built heritage: on one hand, the impressive Verdon canyon, the magnificent Alps, the Haute-Provence geological reserve, Valensole plateau covered in lavender fields and the wonderful Verdon lakes and, on the other, beautiful villages, many of them fortified, with heaps of character, vernacular architecture and towns with a rich heritage such as Manosque, Digne-les-Bains, Barcelonnette and Sisteron. The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is also a paradise for outdoor activities, with hiking, mountain biking, skiing and white-water sports.
The Alpes-Maritimes offers a great choice of places of interest to discover, leisure activities, relaxation, culture and traditions. At the heart of the French Riviera, this département offers everything to charm visitors: an important architectural and cultural heritage, the sea for both water sports activities and relaxation, beaches of sand and pebbles, authentic and peaceful inland countryside, a multitude of mountains for sports activities, picturesque and idyllic villages, preserved Nice traditions and specialities, and an incredibly mild climate, especially in winter!
The Bouches-du-Rhône is a remarkable combination of historic remains, natural gems and Provence traditions. A large variety of landscapes is offered with the rocky creeks (Calanques) along the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, the Alpilles mountain range and its renowned village of Baux-de-Provence, the sea and its sandy beaches, the Sainte-Victoire mountain with its pretty colours, the wild and unspoiled Camargue Regional Nature Park, but also beautiful cities marked by an important architectural wealth such as Marseille, Arles and Aix-en-Provence.
With its 341,000 hectares of forest, the Var is the second most wooded département in France, after the Landes. Benefiting from many sunshine hours and a pleasant climate all year round, the Var also owns an exceptional coast: 432 kilometres of coasts going from fine sand beaches to rocky capes and wild creeks. It has lots to offer sporty types, relaxation addicts, nature lovers and fans of Provençal architecture, including authentic and peaceful inland countryside, charming hilltop villages to wander around, unspoiled islands, flavoursome Provençal cuisine, numerous seaside resorts on the French Riviera and remarkable natural sites such as the impressive Verdon canyon.
In the heart of Provence, the Vaucluse offers incredible treasures with its exceptional natural sites and an important cultural and architectural heritage. Featuring a landscape of hills and mountains, lavender fields, wild gorges and ochre cliffs, the département is also popular for its charming, picturesque villages, colourful markets, summery southern-French cuisine and Provençal traditions.
The highest mountainous département in France, located between Provence and Alpes du Nord, the Hautes-Alpes enjoys an exceptional number of sunshine hours throughout the year. Boasting a fantastic range of landscapes, from forests, mountain pastures and unspoiled valleys to high mountain peaks, glaciers and wild gorges, this vast territory also possesses a rich built heritage in its welcoming towns and typical villages where pastoral traditions in particular still survive. Its 6,800 km of hiking trails, renowned ski areas, climbing sites and many rivers and fast mountain streams make it an exclusive destination for nature with an infinite number of outdoor activities in both summer and winter.