From the coast to the mountains – from Nice to La Palud-sur-Verdon
From the coast to the mountains: 100 km from Nice to La Palud-sur-Verdon. The journey is an incredible experience with breathtaking views and challenging terrain. Our destination: the “Camping municipal – le Grand Canyon” campsite, a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. France has completely won me over!
From the coast to the mountains – a roughly 100 km drive from Nice to La Palud-sur-Verdon, a small, sleepy village in the heart of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department – the foothills of the Alps. The journey here is already an incredible experience, with panoramic views, scenic viewpoints, and a few minor road-related challenges. We do feel a bit sorry for our campervan, as we feel like we're only going about 30 km/h uphill.
Our destination: The campsite “Camping municipal – le Grand Canyon”, a popular spot for outdoor sports enthusiasts, be they climbers, hikers or cyclists – this is a good place to spend the night.
The road takes us past small, sleepy villages nestled in the mountains. We take the opportunity to stop and fly the drone – what's already impressive from the road is even more breathtaking from the air. At this point, France completely won me over. I still find it absolutely incredible how many different regions this country has to offer – cities, culture, beaches, mountains – I definitely underestimated France, and this trip has made it a true highlight of recent years!
What I find most impressive, however, is that we drove up winding mountain roads for quite a while (it took us three hours to get to this campsite), only to then reach a vast plateau where the gradient becomes almost imperceptible. It really gives off prairie vibes, like Yosemite National Park, because we even see a wildlife enclosure with bison, enormous trees, and small villages here and there. "The world is still alright here," I'd probably say, if I didn't feel too young for such a phrase…
Why the foothills of the Alps? Quite simply, our main destination is the Verdon Gorge, also known as the "Grand Canyon" of France – unique in Europe! But let's take it one step at a time – this time we're focusing on our experiences at the "Camping municipal – le Grand Canyon" campsite.