From St-Jean-du-Gard, the Col de l’Asclier road heads through the Gardon and Hérault valleys, to the foot of the Aigoual . Beyond Milliérines the landscape becomes wild; the road overlooks the little tributary valleys of the Gardon de St Jean before..

This imposing granite massif rises majestically between Florac, Mende, Génolhac and Villefort. The symbol of the département to which it gives its name, its highest point reaches 1 699m ( sommet de Finiels ). Its desolate landscape strewn with granit..

At 1 264m, the Col du Minier offers fine views of Mont Séranne and the Montdardier plateau. A monument commemorates General Huntziger and his companions, killed in an air crash in 1941. Towards Vigan lies the Puéchagut arboretum , established by Geo..

Dominating a vast horizon between the Gard and the Ardèche, the beak-like hight point of the Bouquet range is reached by a steep track, passing the ruins of Château du Bouquet. From the summit the view takes in the Cévennes plateaus, the jumble of pe..

The waters of the Aiguillon dry out in summer to the extent that its course may be walked along, but its power has carved a passageway through limestone. The Aiguillon Gorge acquired the name “Concluses” from the Occitan word conclusas meaning bow..

Start in place aux Herbes , the heart of the old town which is very lively on Wednesday mornings on account of its farmers’ market. Don’t miss the Duché , a proud medieval fortress with a Renaissance façade and take in the view from the top of the ..

This museum dedicated to Mediterranean archaeology houses objects from Egypt , from the beginning of the Old Kingdom (2700 BC) to the Coptic era (3C-4C AD), from the Near East Cyprus , Greece and Magna Græcia , Etruria and Rome , as well as..

This museum holds the richest collection of art from Africa , Oceania and the Americas outside of Paris. The well curated collection includes masks, sculptures, reliquaries and daily objects, principally from West Africa, Wayana masks (Brazil), ..

This little creek with turquoise waters is nicely sheltered by the surrounding high walls and has thus been adopted by naturists. Beware of falling stones, which often cause accidents, and do not enter the caves.

The museum presents its collection in chronological order. In so doing it brings to the forefront the work of early Renaissance painters along with, among others, Flemish painters of the 17C and 18C (Rubens, Rembrandt) and Italian painters. There are..

The foundation is located upon the hill of Jas de Bouffan, where Paul Cézanne’s house once stood. The resolutely contemporary architecture houses an overview of research done by the master of Op-Art, Victor Vasarely (1906-1997): linear deviations a..

Large statuary (the colossal statue of Auguste that adorned the stage of the theatre), models illustrating how the city and its monuments developed in imperial times, the daily life of the people of Arles in Ancient times, splendid mosaics and an a..

The Arles arenas which were transformed into a fortress in the 5th and 6th C (retaining their two, «Saracen towers» - medieval alterations) and then into a veritable «town within a town», have been extremely well conserved. Today the arenas are the s..

With its two impressively preserved columns standing in a landscape of rare elegance, the Théâtre Antique is one of the greatest Roman theatres from the end of the 1C BC. It served as quarry from the 5C, was transformed into a fortified reduit in the..

This handsome architectural ensemble designed by the Puget brothers and built between 1671 and 1745 is a former hospice. The buildings are organised about a fine Baroque chapel with an oval-shaped cupola. The three levels of arcaded galleries are a..

This wide avenue shaded by superb plane trees is one of Aix’s showpieces. Three fountains stand in its centre: the Fontaine des Neuf Canons, the"Fontaine Moussue" (with hot spring water) and Fontaine du Roi-René . Mansions with caryatids a..

The road is dominated by elegant late-19C villas. There are fine views of the coast and the islands from the Monument aux Morts de l'Armée d'Orient (army memorial). A viaduct runs across the picturesque vale of Auffes . You will see the disused M..

This calanque offers a wild setting with little sign of human presence: tiny creeks for swimming, clusters of cabanons at the bottom of the valley, restaurant, small port… idyllic.

It was a mere creek when the Phocaeans came ashore here and set in motion the history of Marseille. Although it no longer has a maritime role, the Vieux Port remains the place where all paths converge, where crowds gather for big events and the dep..

The plateau is composed of Glanum city , abandoned in the 15C following barbaric invasions, and two superb monuments, the mausoleim and the municipal arch which amidst a wood of pine trees paint one of the most romantic pictures imaginable.