With its vast, sun-drenched landscapes and dramatic geography, Provence is a paradise for outdoor activities. From deep limestone canyons to rolling vineyards and rugged mountains, the inland region offers endless opportunities for adventure under its famous blue skies.
The Luberon and Vaucluse are prime hiking and cycling territory, with scenic trails weaving through lavender fields, ochre cliffs, and medieval hilltop villages. For climbers, the legendary limestone crags of Buoux and Mont Ventoux offer world-class routes. The Gorges du Verdon, Europe’s answer to the Grand Canyon, is a hotspot for kayaking, rafting, and canyoning, with turquoise waters cutting through towering cliffs.
Further north, the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Hautes-Alpes provide year-round thrills, from skiing and snowboarding in winter to mountain biking, paragliding, and whitewater rafting in summer. Whether scaling cliffs, conquering mountain trails, or paddling through wild rivers, Provence is the ultimate playground for thrill-seekers.
Alpes-Maritimes – Top Things to do
Where the Alpes meet the Med, the Alpes-Maritimes region is a Mecca for outdoor sports enthusiasts. Rock climbing, paragliding, mountain biking, wingfoiling, kitesurfing, canyoning, rafting, skiing, you name it, the Alpes Maritimes has it all.
1. Hike the spectacular Cap d’Antibes
Known to some as Millionaire’s Bay, Cap d’Antibes conjures up images of luxurious villas rather than hiking country, but the limestone cliffs, deep blue sea, olive trees and meandering streams make a wild landscape which may surprise you when trekking here.
The coastal path is quite narrow and uneven and with the mistral wind, you need to have your wits about you. Follow the coast for most of the trek, but cut back to Plage de la Garoupe through the narrow streets for a refreshing swim.
2. Rafting & Canyoning in Breil-sur-Roya
Breil-sur-Roya is a centre for adventure sports including rafting, kayaking, canyoning, mountain biking, rock climbing and via ferrata.
Just under an hour from Nice, Breil is located on the edge of the Vallée des Merveilles, inside the Mercantour National Park, making it a superb base for a multi-activity holiday in the Alpes-Maritimes.
3. Hiking in Èze
The ancient village of Èze, with its stunning views over St Jean-Cap Ferrat, is a must-visit if you’re driving the legendary Grande Corniche. Perched on a rocky peak at an altitude of 427m overlooking the Mediterranean sea, the village is centered around the ruins of a 12th century castle.
Hike the Nietzsche trail down to the sea, or paraglide from Mont Bastide down to Eze beach, where sailing, diving and sea kayaking are all popular.
4. Rock Climbing in Saint-jeannet
Rising to 800 meters above sea level, Saint-Jeannet’s cliffs dominate this lively medieval village. There are more than 460 climbing routes covering the ‘Baou’ an imposing limestone cliff-face jutting skywards from the village.
Hike the Nietzsche trail down to the sea, or paraglide from Mont Bastide down to Eze beach, where sailing, diving and sea kayaking are all popular.
5. Explore the Mercantour National Park
Mercantour National Park, Parc national du Mercantour in French, covers a vast 685 square km area of mountainous south-eastern France including Mont Gélas, which at 3143 m is the highest peak in the Maritime Alps.
Explore 600 km of way-marked hiking and biking trails, or head to the activity centres of Colmiane, Breil and the Vallée des Merveilles for rafting, via ferrata, canyoning, paragliding and rock climbing.
6. Canyoning in the Gorges du Loup
Just 27 km from Cannes, the wild beauty of the Gorges du Loup is like a different world to the bustling coast. The canyon has one of the most popular whitewater scrambles (randonnée aquatique) in the Alpes Maritimes.
It’s a bit of a choose your own adventure in that there’s always an escape route if the jump or slide feels a bit too extreme. However, if you’re keen, there are some challenging features, including getting harnessed up and abseiling down 10 metre waterfalls.
7. Paragliding in Gréolières
Gréolières, located in the Southern French Alps just an hour inland from Cannes, is an internationally renowned paragliding site. Gréolières’ highest mountain, Montagne du Cheiron (1,778 m) stretches 20 km east to west and has characteristically favourable winds, making flying possible almost every day of the year.
Some of paragliding’s greats have lived in Gréolières, such as 2007 World Champion, Bruce Goldsmith and two-times World Champion, Rob Whittal.
8. Discover Nice by Bike
Take a guided electric bike tour of Nice and visit the city’s most iconic landmarks and breathtaking viewpoints. Starting on the Promenade des Anglais, you’ll follow the Mediterranean coastline before ascending Castle Hill (Colline du Château), for sweeping panoramic views over the Old Town and the Baie des Anges.
From the Old Port of Nice, where fishing boats and luxury yachts line the waterfront, the tour continues up to Mont Boron, a spectacular hilltop vantage point offering panoramic views of the city, the sea, and the surrounding hills.
9. Mountain Biking in Sospel
Just 45 minutes from Nice, deep in the Bévéra Valley, Sospel is a mountain biking paradise on the edge of Provence. Known for its technical singletrack, the area offers a mix of dry, rocky descents, fast-flowing forest trails, and exposed ridgelines with stunning alpine-meets-Mediterranean scenery.
With 160 km of graded trails, including 11 XC routes, a year-round downhill trail, and a dedicated bike park, Sospel is a top spot for both cross-country riders and downhill enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking for winter training or an adrenaline-fueled ride, this rugged terrain delivers some of the best MTB action in southern France.
10. Skiing in Isola 2000
Just 80 kms from Nice, Isola 2000 has 120 km of pistes and over 800 m of vertical drop. In Spring it’s possible to ski or snowboard in Isola and swim in, an albeit cool, Mediterranean all in one day.
Isola is a compact resort with well-connected pistes, a good lift system, decent snowpark and terrain varied enough to keep even advanced riders amused for a week.
Alpes de Haute Provence – Top Things to do
Where the Côte d’Azur and the Southern Alps meet, the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is an area of outstanding natural beauty and impressive geographic contrast. Explore the Gorges du Verdon, France’s grand canyon where you can rock climb the limestone cliffs, raft the whitewater and windsurf and swim in the lakes. Mountain bike the sweeping single-track of Val d’Allos or the Moab-style Terres Noires. Hike the mountain trails of Saint André les Alpes or tackle the Grande Fistoire Via Ferrata.
1. Gorges du Verdon
Nicknamed ‘Europe’s Grand Canyon’, the vertiginous Gorges du Verdon slice a 25 km fissure through Haute-Provence’s limestone plateau.
The Gorges du Verdon is a hot spot for thrill seekers who rock climb the 250 m limestone cliffs, paddle the emerald green Lac de Sainte-Croix, bike and hike the myriad of waymarked trails, and hurl themselves off the 180 m Pont de l’Artuby with only a bungee cord to save them.
2. Mountain Biking in Val d’Allos
Val d’Allos is where Enduro mountain biking was born. Ride 870 m of vertical drop on 24 graded trails from green to black, and enjoy chair-lift access in the summer months.
Freeriders will love the bikepark with its jumps, drops and berms, while XC and eMTB riders can enjoy the 50+ km of way-marked trails that criss-cross the Upper Verdon valley.
3. Paddle the Lac de Sainte Croix
The Lac de Sainte Croix in the heart of Verdon National Park is a beautiful turquoise lake nestled in a limestone valley and fringed with pine trees.
You can rent canoes, windsurfers and sailing boats at any number of sites around the lake. Explore the many inlets and swim in fresh water that can reach 27 degrees in summer. Stay in the picturesque village of Bauduen for a quintessential Provence experience with its restaurants overlooking the lake.
4. Whitewater Rafting on the Ubaye River
The Vallée de l’Ubaye is heaven for outdoor sports enthusiasts, and using Barcelonnette as a base you can mountain bike, rock climb, paraglide and go canyoning.
The Ubaye river with its class 4-5 whitewater is the main attraction though. Raft, canoe-raft, hydrospeed or kayak, there are loads of ways to have fun on the river and companies like Aqua Rider, Raft Ubaye and Crazy Water Rafting are there to make sure you have a great time.
5. La Grande Fistoire Via Ferrata
Located just above the hamlet of Le Caire, 25 km north-east of Sisteron, La Grande Fistoire via ferrata is one of the most challenging routes in France. Renowned for its high exposure and difficulty, La Grande Fistoire via ferrata includes the famous Nepali bridge and Great Wall.
The route can take from 2 to 4 hours depending on if you choose to miss some features. Finish off with three zip lines of 150, 135 and 220 meters long, which whisk you down from the summit in a few adrenalin-packed minutes.
Haute-Alpes – Top Things to do
Located squarely in the southern French Alps, the Hautes-Alpes department has an average elevation of over 1000 m, and the highest point is over 4000 m, making it a great area for a mountain sports holiday. Rivers, including the Durance, Guil and Guisane, great for whitewater rafting and kayaking cut through the mountains. The Durance has been dammed to create the largest artificial lake in Europe – the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, renowned among kitesurfers for having some of the most reliable wind in Europe. Mountain bikers looking to ride fast, dry trails will love the bikeparks in Les Orres and Vars. The Queyras National Park in the eastern part of the department is one of the last great wildernesses of the French Alps and popular for paragliding, hiking and climbing.
1. Kitesurfing the Lac de Serre-Ponçon
The Lac de Serre-Ponçon is a 40 km long man-made lake at Embrun near the Italian border. The lake is blessed with a wind so reliable you can set your watch by it. Add that to guaranteed flat, beautifully turquoise water and incredible mountain scenery and you have a top kitesurf destination.
If you have any energy left after kiting, Embrun is a Mecca for outdoor sports and you can wakeboard, raft, paraglide, mountain bike, or tackle the via ferrata.
2. Skiing in Montgenèvre
Located a stone’s throw from the Italian border, Montgenèvre blends the charm of a traditional alpine village with skiing that’s as good as the big resorts.
From the end of November to the end of April, you can ski and board over 400 km of pistes. The Montgenèvre resort rises from 1860 meters to 2700m, and is blessed with great snow quality and exceptional sunshine.
