Southern France houses everything from Europe’s tallest mountain to the deepest canyon. The land where lavender grows and fragrant concoctions prepared, and if you drive further south – you’ll hit the beautiful French Riviera, or Cote d’Azur! Driving through lyrical landscapes – getting there is half the journey!
Day 1: We set out from Paris to Lyon by train, arriving there in the evening. Lyon has a dynamic cultural life, and the streets were lively long after the summer sun had set. We walked by the river, amidst the singing, dancing crowds and just soaked it all in.
Day 2: Early the next morning, we went to the Notre Dame, or Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière. If you look hard, the basilica does look like an inverted elephant 🙂 It is located atop a hill and offers a spectacular panorama of the city.
We walked down through narrow alleys from the church to Vieux Lyon – the old part of town. We strolled through Saint Jean quarter, trying out little things at different stores – taking in the flavors of Lyon. It was here that we stumbled upon La Praluline, the praline bread at Pralus bakery, or more accurately François Pralus Maitre Chocolatier. This buttery bread filled with rose pralines is divine! We checked out the famous Traboules – tiny passages through buildings that allowed silk merchants to get to the river quickly. You can grab a map from any of the gift shops, and check out multiple traboules. We walked over to La Place Bellecour to witness the equestrian statue of Louis XIV – the centerpiece of a large square. Late afternoon, we drove our rental car to Chamonix, passing by tempting exits to the Italian city of Turin and the Swiss city of Geneva. The picturesque Chamonix is the gateway to Europe’s tallest mountain – Mont Blanc! So close to the Swiss border – we had to try the fondue!
Day 3: We were in the breathtaking Chamonix valley! As far as the eyes could see, snow-capped mountains were lined with cable cars. They carry skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer. Unfortunately, the most famous cable car route – to Aiguille du Midi, was undergoing construction and was closed. We headed for the second most famous trail – the hike to Lac Blanc – one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in the French Alps. We took the FlĂ©gère gondola in Les Praz to La FlĂ©gère. The trail is marked very clearly and requires one to walk through snow as you get closer to the lake. Later that day, we strolled the streets of the breathtaking Chamonix and recovered from our hike.
Day 4: The next day started with a paragliding adventure. Flying next to the Alps with the Chamonix valley beneath you is beyond words. We followed this by a visit to Mer de Glace. Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is the largest glacier in France. We were headed to see the glacier and the ice caves. We boarded the Gare du Montenvers (train) from the downtown train station. A cable car takes you closer to the cave, and you finish up the rest by walking down the staircase, straight to the entrance of the man made ice caves. As you walk down the stairs, you see signs of where the glacier was in the last few decades. It’s sad and disheartening to think that there are those out there who still don’t believe in climate change! A glacier is a climate indicator. It is also the memory of the planet and life on Earth. The caves are dug out every year, since the glacier moves about 70 m annually.
After a late lunch, we headed out to Annecy. Annecy is a beautiful medieval town, located by Europe’s cleanest lake, by the same name, bordered by mountains. The town is laced with canals. We walked along the lake to Pont des Amours (Lovers’ Bridge) and enjoyed the breathtaking views.
Day 5: We started out in search of Lavender fields, guided by the internet, in search of these exact GPS coordinates: 43.84672N, 6.15327E. Lo and behold, through narrow winding streets, we arrived at vast fields of lavender – as far as the eyes could see. This was truly a hidden gem!
Content with our morning discovery, we drove toward Moustiers Sainte Marie. The charming Moustiers St. Marie crowns towering limestone cliffs, marking the end of the Alps and the beginning of Haute-Provence’s rolling prairies. One of the most beautiful villages in France, it offers spectacular views. Local stores and restaurants line the streets with gurgling fountains. Driving south from there we could see the emerald-green waters of Lac de Ste-Croix. Our drive for the day culminated at a jaw-dropping view of Gorges du Verdon. We stayed at Altitude 823 in the village of Aiguines. The room was basic but clean, but the views were unparalleled! The hotel is just a few rooms atop a restaurant, overlooking the magnificent Lac de Ste- Croix. The village itself was quaint, like a lost paradise in the modern world. There weren’t many tourists there, no other hotels – just the local folks and great food!
Day 6: Gorges du Verdon is Europe’s deepest canyon, and a sight to behold! It is 25km long with cliffs that are up to 900m high. Millions of years of being carved by the Verdon river – is a delight whether you witness it from above or below. We chose to kayak in the gorge on a beautiful summer morning. We also enjoyed evening views from several overlooks.
We didn’t think a trip to France would be complete without visiting a perfumerie. We drove to Grasse to enjoy a tour of the Molinard perfumerie, and pick up a few scents (I still get complemented on those :)) Having satisfied our olfactory senses, we were ready to hit the coast! Our first stop was the magical Eze, where we first set eyes on spellbinding views of the Mediterranean Sea from the Jardin de Exotique! We cruised on the high hills along the beach on our drive to the queen of the Riviera – Nice.
Day 7: The evening before and on this last day, we strolled in Vieux Nice and browsed the market stalls of cours Saleya for the culinary excellence offered here. The waters of the Med were cold and inviting on a hot summer day, and reveling in it was a befitting end to this discovery of a small but unrivaled region of France!
We took an evening train to Paris, enthralled by the adventures of the past week.