Briga is the Italian mountain village from central casting …
… that somehow got lost and wound up on the other (French) side of the border where it was subsequently renamed La Brigue.
Whatever nomenclature you prefer: this is a pleasant little place, much more charming than gloomy Tende a few kilometres to the north, and well worth a stopover if you are in the area.
For hikers, however, who want to explore France’s high-Alpine Parc National du Mercantour, Briga is much more than that: the perfect gateway to the National Park and a unique opportunity of discovering some of its wonders on a day trip by bus or train from the Riviera coast.
There are many trails in the area, but by far the most popular route is the 6 km hike to the chapel of Notre Dame des Fontaines.
This route has pretty much everything that you can possibly expect from a hike at the foothills of Europe’s foremost mountain range: pastoral idylls …
… and scenes of a quiet lyrical beauty, …
… dark, seemingly impenetrable forests …
… and panoramic mountain views, …
… an impressive historical monument to mark the half-way stage of your walk (Briga’s old lime kiln) …
… and another one to mark its end: the 14th century chapel of Notre Dame des Fontaines, …
… famous mainly for its spectacular interior murals painted by Giovanni Canavesio (the passion of Christ) and Giovanni Baleison (scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary) in the late 15th century,
… which have earned the Notre Dame des Fontaines the nickname of the “Sistine Chapel of the Alps“.
Hiking La Brigue – a mountain village from central casting
The best way to start your walk is to take bus no. 905 from Menton (from either the central coach station in town or one of the stops on the beach road to the frontier), descending at the stop Place de Nice in La Brigue’s town centre.
If you are based in Nice, you can also take the train to La Brigue station, but from there, you will have to walk an additional 1 km to the trailhead on Place de Nice.
From the bus stop, turn right into Rue Louis Bourguet (the river Levenza on your left) and continue (the road changes its name into Avenue de Provence) until you come across the municipal tennis courts.
Cut right here, on the near side of the tennis courts, and follow the signs – directing you to the left behind the tennis courts – in the direction of the Notre Dame Chapel.
This is where the Sentier Interpretation begins, an educational nature trail with panels about the types of tree and wildlife that you may expect to find in this part of the world.
The trail – marked in yellow throughout – will lead you all the way to the Chapel.
Count about two hours for the hike from La Brigue to the Notre Dame Chapel.
For your return to La Brigue, we recommend to take the D43, a very quiet country road with barely any traffic at all.
This is a much shorter, more direct route (you will be back in La Brigue in less than one hour) and which will also provide you with views that you do not get from the walk on the Sentier Interpretation.
This way, you get to see the 15th century Pont de Coq (which owes its strange, kinky shape to the necessity of connecting two river banks of different heights) …
… and for another, you get much better views of the distant mountains.
La Brigue already has an altitude of nearly 800 metres, so some of the peaks that tower over you are well over 2000 metres high, and in the far distance you can even make out some ice-covered summits of the High Alps.
Finally, some logistics: The chapel of Notre Dame des Fontaines is open for visitors only in the summer months (15 April to 15 October), every day from 10h00 to 12h30 and on most days (except for Tuesdays and Thursdays) also from 14h00 to 17h30. There is an entrance fee of €4 p.p.
The bus no. 905 from Menton to Tende (via La Brigue) leaves only three times a day, so for all practical purposes, you will need to rely on the early morning bus (at 08h00 from the central bus station).
The highly scenic journey up the banks of the Roya river takes an hour and a half (it crosses Italian territory, so bring an ID or passport to be on the safe side), and the bus fare is (an incredibly low) € 1.50 p.p. one way.
The “standard” morning train from Nice leaves at 09h17 (there are two earlier departures) and arrives at La Brigue exactly 2 hours later, which means that you will not make it to the Chapel before 12h30.
The train fare is also considerably more expensive (between July and September: €16 roundtrip for one person plus €10 for every additional passenger).
We recommend to leave early and set out on the trail immediately to get to the Chapel before noon. After your return to La Brigue, you will then be able to lunch at leisure in one of the town’s restaurants (on Place Saint Martin).
Leave any further exploration of the town or its immediate surroundings for the afternoon – or your next visit. Which is what we have done.
We will certainly come back to La Brigue, truly a mountain village from central casting.
