Taxi Nice — Castellane

Castellane is a small town of character nestled at the foot of an immense 184-metre-high limestone rock, topped by the chapel of Notre-Dame du Roc, which dominates the landscape in spectacular fashion. Sub-prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Castellane is best known as the southern gateway to the Verdon Gorges, a grandiose canyon carved through limestone for over 25 km, considered the largest canyon in Europe. The village retains a charming historic centre with cobbled lanes, fountains, a pentagonal Clock Tower and medieval ramparts. The Place Marcel Sauvaire, lined with cafes and plane trees, is the living heart of the town where the market is held twice a week. Lake Castillon, an artificial reservoir on the Verdon downstream of Castellane, offers a spectacular turquoise expanse perfect for swimming, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. Castellane is also a mecca for white-water sports: rafting, canyoning and aqua-hiking in the Verdon Gorges attract thousands of visitors every summer. The climb to the Rock (45 minutes on foot from the village) rewards walkers with a 360-degree panorama over the Digne Pre-Alps, the Verdon valley and the distant snow-capped peaks of the Mercantour. The journey from Nice follows the Var valley before turning west along the Route Napoléon, the historic route that Bonaparte followed in March 1815 on his return from the island of Elba.