Six weeks ago, we finished our walk down the most celebrated stretch of the French Riviera in the place where the Promenade des Anglais, while continuing down the Bay of Nice, becomes the Quai des Etats Unis. “To the casual observer,” I finished the post, “this is a mere change of name: a barely perceptible…
If you are travelling to hike in the Calanques National Park, there is a good chance that you will sooner or later pass through Marseille. Marseille is France’s oldest and second largest city, with a history that includes the Holy Grail and Jesus Christ’s love child (according to the “Da Vinci Code”, at least), La…
If you have the time to spend an entire weekend exploring the Calanques National Park near the southern French port city of Marseilles, we recommend you take the Three Calanques Hike that we described last week. This is without a doubt one of the most glorious and rewarding walks anywhere on the coast of the…
A few months ago, I was mulling over a Guide-Michelin-type of system for hikes and the criteria that such a system might apply to distinguish between one-star, two-star and three-star trails. At the time, I was exploring the idea of finding beauty and joy in (relatively) routine experiences. But the truth of the matter is…
Every season in the hiking calendar has its special rewards, but also its specific problems. On the northern Mediterranean rim, at around this time of the year, winter with its forbiddingly short days is coming to a close and the mimosas – those harbingers of spring – brighten up the hillsides with their sparkling yellows….
Having walked into Monaco two weeks ago, today we will take you on another legendary French Riviera Walk: a stroll in Nice down the Promenade des Anglais from where it starts, once around the Baie des Anges past fancy bars and hotels, rows of palm trees and some of the best Mediterranean seascapes of the…
The Gorges du Loup are one of the outstanding nature reserves in the southeast of France. Unfortunately, they are also far away from the coast and difficult to reach. Which is why we have long ago placed them on the list of Things We Intend To Do One Day In The Future, somewhere between visiting…
Having a holiday in the diary adds to the promise and excitement of the new year, with thoughts on grey January days of sinking your toes into warm sand or sipping wine as the sun plunges behind a jagged mountain. In this spirit, why not make your 2019 getaway a slow one? As well as…
Why Walk from Menton to Monaco? 1. You see a lot of stuff you don’t see from the bus From the bus, all you see is a blur. You get the general idea of the French Riviera: the sea, the sun (if there is any), the palm trees, but are you bound to miss all…
When I tell you that we visited a park last weekend to get away from midwinter blues, you will still have no idea of the type of thing that we saw and the type of experience that we had. Whether we had a pleasant but essentially low-octane stroll between flowerbeds, well-tendered lawns and playgrounds for…