By Jessie Festa. Follow our journey here. Sipping coffee and munching on fig-coated baguette, nothing but horses and countryside in my vision, I feel excited to explore nature in Southern France. The video showcases our trip road tripping from Nice to Marseille, with lots of fun in between!
This itinerary is perfect for both those exploring in a group and those enjoying solo travel in France. After reading up on Verdon Gorge we deem Moustiers-Sainte-Marie at the western end of the gorge to be the place to go. Laure agrees, noting that the two sides of the gorge look completely different. It peeks through open patches of tree, until the road and my view are completely unobstructed. From the bridge we easily drive down to a huge beach, tour operators renting a range of non-motorized sporting equipment though we also see small motorized boats on the water.
Being enveloped in the gorge, its verdant waters providing us both a transport medium and a place to cool off, is a unique experience. But while there are many people enjoying the river I also feel we have plenty of opportunities to steal some alone time.
The edge of town is lined with flower-adorned fences, while the backdrop is terraced olive trees and limestone cliffside with the Romanesque Notre Dame de Beauvoir — which you can hike up to in about 15 minutes from town via stone steps — standing strikingly above the scenery.
We wander in and out of shops selling natural lavender soaps, rose perfumes, calisson sweets an Aix-en-Provence delicacy and local pottery — the specialty of the commune — until we find Atelier des Fontaines, where we stop for a budget-friendly lunch. We end the day as we do every day of our South of France road trip, with wine.
