September 10, 2025, 4:57 am | Read time: 4 minutes
A gorge reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, yet evoking Caribbean associations–and all in the middle of Europe? If you don’t believe it, head to Verdon in the French Provence.
The Verdon, which originates in the French Maritime Alps at about 2,500 meters, flows more than 160 kilometers to join the Durance. On its journey between Castellane and the Lac de Sainte-Croix, the wild Alpine river has carved not only one of Europe’s most massive gorges over about 21 kilometers but also a landscape that was designated a national park in 1997. The Verdon Gorge is considered the Grand Canyon of France. Over millennia, the river has cut up to 700 meters deep into the mountain massif.
Deep Below Runs a Hiking Trail
The view into the gorge from Belvédère Maugué–the name means something like “bad ford”–is dizzying. It’s hard to imagine that a hiking trail runs so far below. Yet the beauty of the gorge attracted some adventurers at the beginning of the 20th century, including the French hydrogeologist Édouard-Alfred Martel. He first descended into the depths in the summer of 1905. The multi-day expedition was reportedly difficult and dangerous.
The approximately 14-kilometer-long Sentier Martel hiking trail, with its climbing passages and steep steps, is still full of challenges today. Once deep in the gorge, there is no intermediate exit. Good shoes, sufficient provisions, and a flashlight are indispensable. The hike takes six hours. In 2005, the trail was renamed Sentier Blanc-Martel–in homage to Isidore Blanc, who accompanied Martel on his Verdon exploration.
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Lac de Sainte-Croix–the Most Beautiful Lake in Provence
The Verdon is now tamed. Five dams were needed to subdue the river’s whims. Alongside the Lac de Castillon at the upper course of the Verdon, the Lac de Sainte-Croix–France’s second-largest reservoir–is among the most attractive of the artificial water bodies. It lies at the exit of the Verdon Gorge. The best view of the lake is from the Sainte-Croix Bridge, which spans the Verdon on 45-meter-high pillars, from which the lake is fed.
The Lac de Sainte-Croix offers a cinematic backdrop. Turquoise water, reminiscent of the South Seas or the Caribbean, and an incomparable location between the hills of Haut-Var and the lavender fields of Valensole.
The most beautiful lake in Provence: For this title, with which the Lac de Sainte-Croix adorns itself, great sacrifices had to be made. More than 2,000 hectares of fertile land were flooded, and an entire village was destroyed. Les Salles-sur-Verdon was rebuilt about 400 meters away at a higher location–in the style of earlier times. The bells that ring for the Angelus prayer in the current church come from the old house of worship.
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The Idyllic Village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie Near the Verdon Gorge
About four kilometers above the lake lies Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. The village is one of the picture-perfect places in Provence. Narrow alleys, stone houses, a mountain stream that divides the village, and romantic squares. With its predominantly Romanesque church, the village, which originated from a monastery in the fifth century, clings like an eagle’s nest to the foot of a gigantic rock. Above the village rises its landmark, to which a steep pilgrimage path leads: the Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir chapel.
Red tile roofs, cypresses, pines, and gnarled olive trees: The view from the 12th-century stone chapel over the village and the quintessential Provençal landscape is fantastic. For those starting the gorge route from Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, the view is a promising preview. For everyone else, whose canyon dizziness ends in the roughly 700-soul village, the panorama is the fitting conclusion to an exhilarating excursion through the depths of Provence.
The Verdon Gorge on the Map
