Mediterranean - Cote d'Azur, France

INDEPENDENT WALKING HOLIDAYS

Panoramic Cote d'Azur

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6 nights - from £595 - 5 days independent walking between guest houses

Delightful trails through magnificent perched villages such as the picturesque Castellar and Saint Agnes with great panoramic views across rugged headlands with the Mediterranean Sea glittering below. A walking holiday in two parts - one in the hills, the other by the coast. An ideal out of season break.

Alps to Med Trail

9 Nights - £795 - 8 days independent walking between guest houses

Varied walking through a changing landscape from the Mercantour National Park in the Alps to the Mediterranean coast through beautiiful perched alpine villages, with a rich historic and cultural heritage. Two days pictureque walking along spectacular coastline to Nice.

See the full list of our independent walking holidays

Cote d'Azur or French Riviera

In the Eastern part of the French Cote d'Azur or French Riviera, the mountains of the Alps plunge directly into the Mediterranean Sea. Beyond thecoastal regions which have a reasonable amount of urbanisation, the undulating mountains beyond are rural and wild in character. The hill sides and tops are peppered with traditional villages which have resisted the pressure from tourism. Out of the high summer season this popular region becomes a beautiful and much calmer place to enjoy some warm sunshine and some great walking.

Our independent walking holiday: Panoramic Cote d'azur - starts with three days walking in the rugged foothills of the Alps through wild wooded valleys, scented with herbs such as thyme and lavender and visiting picturesque and historic perched villages including Castellar, Saint Agnes and Gorbio. The wild mountain scenery is covered in pines olive trees, and orange and citrus groves with panoramic views plunging towards the sea.

On the last two days of your self-guided walking holiday you'll get closer to the Mediterranean and discover the wild headlands and secluded bays cut off from development by huge pines. Take a dip in the sea or eat your packed lunch under a warm sun on a deserted secluded bay, out of season. This stretch of coast also has its historic gems such as the perched village of La Turbie and the old town of Nice. You'll also experience the opulence and splendour of Monaco and Monte Carlo.

The cote d'Azur enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild temperatures most of the year; rainfall is very moderate except for some winter atlantic weather systems and some summer storms. Ideal times for a walking holiday are the spring and autumn.

Autumn generally starts sunny in September and becomes more unsettled towards October, while temperatures usually remain above 20 °C until November where days start to cool down to around 17 °C. Winters are characterised by mild days (11 to 17 °C ), cooler nights and more variable weather. Days can be either sunny and dry, or damp and rainy. Frost and snow is very unusual. Spring becomes increasingly warm and sunny as it progresses For example, March average day time temperatues are 15°C, whilst those in May are 20°C and June 24°C.

We also offer a self-guided walking holiday which goes from the heart of the Mercantour National Park in the Alps to the Mediterranean coast. This is a journey through climate and vegetation zones as you progess south towards the Med passing a series of beautiful historic perched villages.

Discover our other walking holidays destainations in France.

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