Vence half-day hike to millennial oak tree, French Riviera

Milennial Oak. Hiking around Vence, French Riviera

Fabrice, a UIMLA Mountain Leader, takes you on this great half-day hike around Vence, in the south of France. A millennial oak tree and interesting archaeological remains are some of the highlights of the tour.

Alps

1/2 Day

Jan - May, Sep - Dec

High

Intermediate

Highlights

* Discover the amazing landscapes of the South of France in the off-season.

* Reach a unique millennial oak tree and ancient archeological remains.

* Enjoy an easy half-day hike, or ask about a full day extended option.

Description

I invite you to join me on a half-day hike around Vence, close to the French Riviera. On this trip, you will get to see a millennial oak tree, a very nice medieval village perched above the French Riviera, great views from the hilltops, and many surprising pieces of evidence of 4000 years of human presence, from the Copper Age period to the more recent shepherds and farming life.

Baous is the local name for the small hills and cliffs in Provence and in the southern French Alps near Nice, Cannes, and the very famous village of Saint Paul de Vence on the French Riviera. These small mountains are renowned among the locals as they are easy to climb and offer fantastic views.

Located about 40 minutes from Nice, this is a great nature getaway, especially in the off-season, during the spring and autumn months. We usually avoid the summer time as it is too hot.

Broad views of the Mediterranean coastline and on the high alpine peaks of the large Mercantour National Park in the north make this trip extra enjoyable. Landscapes are quite diverse with an oak tree forest, Provencal limestone hills covered with rosemary, thyme, and sage, and ancient terraced fields. The highlight of this hike is getting to the millennial oak tree that stands tall as the objective of our adventure, and also discovering the archeological remains of the first stone fortress made by humans, perched on top of the hill.

The hike lasts around 3,5 hours and includes a 450 meters ascent. You have to be a bit fit to keep the pace, as the trail is a little steep, but anyone is welcome to join.

Send me a request if you want to join me on this half-day hike in Vence. Book your trip and enjoy a great hiking tour. If you wish to spend a full day on this hike, taking more time and visiting the two Baous of La Gaude and Saint Jeannet, you can book the full-day trip that I also guide.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

Price details

A small snack is included in the price. A picnic can be provided at 10 EUR p/person // Hiking tour price per person for Group of 9 to 10 people: 23 EUR; Price per person for Group of 11 to 12: 20 EUR

Details

More info

-Picnic can be provided for 10 € per person. -Transportation may be proposed from Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo or any other French Riviera cities (Please contact us for prices and more informations).

-Check List: Walking shoes or boots. Breathable Jacket Micro fleece and mountain t-shirts, if possible avoid cotton t-shirts. Cap. Water bottle (1 liter/pers). Sun protection cream, sunglasses

Meeting point

Saint Jeannet Village parking, 30 minuts from Nice, 1 hour from Cannes or Monte Carlo

About the guide

Fabrice

4.90

(39)

Mountain Leader

I am a hiking guide (International Mountain Leader) who has been working all over France (including Provence and the Alps), Italy and Portugal since 2001. I speak fluent English due to my frequent trips to Taos Ski Valley (in New Mexico, USA where my family runs a great hotel and ski school), and my hiking trips in the American Southwest.

I live mainly in Nice (French Riviera), but I also move all over the Alps working in different alpine valleys. I often visit Martinique (French Caribbean island), where I enjoy rainforest and tropical hikes.

When I´m not guiding, I also work as a photographer, and like to climb, ski, play tennis, or kitesurf in my spare time. Additionally, I really enjoy botany and history.

I can guide you for a half day or for as many days as you like. I´ll take you to discover my favourite French Riviera alpine region, and the wild and large Mercantour National Park (counting 8 different valleys) near Nice, Monte Carlo and Cannes.

In my region we can enjoy the Mediterranean landscape at sea level. As we move into higher altitudes, we will discover alpine lakes, larch or pine forests, orchids and alpine flowers, open meadows, spectacular medieval perched villages and old baroque chapels and churches, with great historic value.

We can also discover the hiking hotspots in Provence such as Calanques National Park, Verdon gorges, Sainte Victoire and the Var region, with Saint Tropez a particular highlight.

I also love to hike in Italy in the very famous world heritage Cinque Terre (the amazing national park of the "Five Lands"), or in Liguria near San Remo.

And finally, I always enjoy taking my guests to the northern Alps: to Chamonix and Mont Blanc´s amazingly large panoramas or to the great Vanoise National Park, the largest in the heart of French Alps.

Languages

French | English

Certificates

UIMLA

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What people are saying about Fabrice

Mark

5.00

Highly recommend hiring Fabrice as your guide for exploring southern France. As someone unfamiliar with the region, I wasn't up to the task of planning a hike on my own. Particularly a hike in the winter. Fabrice made it all easy. He is incredibly knowledgeable of the region's geography and weather and so was able to tailor a hike just based on the next day's weather forecast. A critical skill for hiking in December. I learned about the natural landscape, vegetation and even how to hike with less stress on my knees. He also taught me about Nordic hiking which is something I definitely want to try again. For sure, I'll be hiring Fabrice again on my next trip to France.

Sue

5.00

Fabrice is a first-class guide! Taking into account last-minute weather changes and after assessing our fitness, he quickly customised an exciting itinerary that led us from the Préalpes to the beautiful hilltop villages of Gourdon, Tourettes-sur-Loup and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. He pointed out great photo opportunities, so we managed to take plenty of nicely-framed photos on our smartphones. Fabrice also introduced us to the game of pétanque and thanks to him, we were able to understand and appreciate the games as they were being played by the locals during our trip.

Daniel

5.00

Fabrice was a wonderful guide with a wide knowledge of not only the history of the area but the flora and fauna of the French Mediterranean coast. The hike provided beautiful views of the cities along the coast as well as the mountains behind them. Highly recommend both the hike and the guide.

5.00

The trip was great! Fabrice was a wonderful guide and I’m contemplating further trips with him and explore share.

5.00

We spent a day hiking with guide Fabrice in Mecantaur Park. It was a great hike with different levels of difficulty. We rested at the lake at around 2000 meters and then made our way to the mountain pass high above. We were rewarded with a lot of wildlife sightings and even a patch of snow in August. Patrice was great and gave us a lot of information about the area and the flora and fauna. He was also great at pointing out historical events that took place in the area in the past.