A Day to Lac de Sainte Croix

While in Provence, even if you may not always be close to make a day trip to Greece to see the gorgeous waters, there are plenty of places to spend a day aside of the water and gasp at how blue they are. One place to this is to take a day trip to the Gorges Du Verdon. Pack a picnic basket, a hat, and be ready to get your toes wet to fully enjoy the gorges.

The whole day starting at the gorges was planned via Georges! While living in Aix-en-Provence for almost two months, I luckily got plenty of opportunities if I wanted to take weekend day trips with a local guide who hosted bus trips, Georges.

Throughout the summer weeks he made sure to offer trips from local to as far away as Monte Carlo for those to enjoy, trip usually also accompanied by information on the bus, usually spoken in French, so brush up on those French words if you are still learning as I am!

For about twenty euro the entire trip of seeing the gorges, Moustiers, and the lavender fields was taken care of. The bus left outside the Grand Hotel Roi Rene in the early morning. From Aix-en-Provence to the Lac de Sainte Croix, the trip is approximately two hours though it definitely felt shorter.

Though that may have been my excitement talking.

The Gorges du Verdon is a canyon that stretches over fifteen miles and about 2,000 feet deep. Set in south east France, north of Nice, the Verdon River flows through the gorge and into our beautiful and relaxing setting of the Lac de Sainte Croix.

Though the Gorges du Verdon is the deepest gorge in France, land the lake itself is the second largest, let's be honest and say that all these grand facts are not the exact reason to visit.

Crossing the bridge over the stunning aquamarine water that flows from the man made lake of Sainte-Croix, I am pretty sure that I have only seen such a color before in a Crayola box.

Settling by the lake itself, which is free to get into, it was perfect for a relaxing day trip to see more of France. I rolled out my blanket previously shoved in my backpack for me and my fellow day travel companion, and immediately set to sunning my legs and dipping ripped edges of baguette into a triangle of brie we picked up along the way to the gorges in a small town nearby.

Do not fret for those looking for less relaxation and a more strenuous day to work off all the fabulous food, wine, and gelato found in the south of France. So many activities are available throughout the river and at the lake itself. 

Rafting, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, biking, aqua trekking (which is basically floating down the river for you extra thrill seekers), and paddle boating which many on the bus I was traveling with took part in.

This gorgeous spot was a great afternoon spot to stumble across during my day trip that would ultimately end up in my most anticipated spot within Provence, the lavender fields. The afternoon with a picnic and wading under the sun in blue waters was definitely a great plan for taking a day from intense travel while cooling off from the summer heat.

Then I was off for to the next stop of the day. To Moustiers-Sainte-Marie!