An itinerary for those who love France and want to go on the road in the Maritime Alps, from Nice to Briançon by car. Recommended for nature, sport and relaxation, not recommended for those in a hurry.
Sea or mountain? This is the dilemma! Maritime Alps, in France as in Italy, it is the linguistic oxymoron that geography offers us.
To be honest, along the way on the road that I propose below, the sea can only be seen at the start, in Nice, while the mountain setting accompanies us from the first meter, but the nuance of the landscape, as well as the atmosphere you breathe, is progressive and not as clear as It may seem.
We were talking about the departure, from Nice, the French Riviera, and now we introduce the arrival, located in the city of arcelloriançon, the second highest in Europe. Two cities a stone's throw from the Italian border, like all the chosen route, which runs for long stretches close to the old frontier of the times of the “Italian” Savoy.
Well then, navigator, departure Nice, arrival Briançon, and go! No, for heaven's sake! Do we really want to take the whole Provence-Côte d'Azur motorway almost to Marseille and then up, again on the motorway, dodging mountains, parks, valleys, rivers and all that good things in between? I tell you a clear no, trust me and follow me.
So, let's go. In Nice we say that you have already done everything you wanted to us, but now we are leaving. We head north, following back the course of the Var river, which also gives its name to the Department. We move away from the French Riviera, leaving it in the rearview mirror, to reach the first stop, the millenary medieval town of Entrevaux, fortified, set between the mountains and the river, reachable by crossing a suggestive stone bridge and dominated from above by the fort designed by the military architect Vauban.
Reluctantly abandoning this oasis of peace, we gradually ascend to altitude heading towards the Mercantour national park, crossing the amazing Daluis gorges, deep gorges carved by the Var and characterized by the contrast between the red rocks and the green of the surrounding vegetation.
Without ever leaving our accompanying river, we reach its sources and then climb the last challenging hairpin bends to reach the Col de la Cayolle, one of the most popular French Alpine passes for cyclists. Above, the atmosphere and the air you breathe are unique and don't be afraid to quench your thirst directly from the rivulets of water that flow between the meadows.
Then it's all a long descent to the Ubaye valley, where you meet the city of Barcellonette, fully equipped for both winter and summer mountain tourism, in the name of sport and relaxation, which here you can savor to the fullest.
Descending the Ubaye, we arrive at the lake of Serre-Ponçon, into which the Durance river also flows, which will then accompany us towards the destination, the city of Briançon, which ideally allows us to close the circle of our journey, re-proposing the theme of the Italian-French borderland, the Vauban fortifications, the explosive nature of the French Maritime Alps and the historic destinations of cycling. A journey of a scarce day, but a great pleasure for all the senses.
Recommended for nature, history, sport, relaxation.
Not recommended for: those in a hurry.
