The most spectacular natural landscapes in France (esp. in winter)?
January 18, 2007 9:16 PM Subscribe
Where are the most awe-inspiring, hauntingly beautiful natural landscapes in France, especially in winter (or that amaze regardless of season)?
The Millau Viaduct is totally amazing.
The little town of Limeuil climbs a hill above the meeting of the Dordogne and the Vezere rivers, where they are crossed by two spans of one bridge - very pretty.
The castle of Chenonceau spans the Cher river; if you walk the unpaved road along the river from the nearby town of Bléré you round a bend and there it is, just as it must have appeared since 1577.
posted by nicwolff at 11:35 PM on January 18, 2007
The little town of Limeuil climbs a hill above the meeting of the Dordogne and the Vezere rivers, where they are crossed by two spans of one bridge - very pretty.
The castle of Chenonceau spans the Cher river; if you walk the unpaved road along the river from the nearby town of Bléré you round a bend and there it is, just as it must have appeared since 1577.
posted by nicwolff at 11:35 PM on January 18, 2007
Oh! "Natural" landscapes, meaning not man-made! I mis-read, sorry.
posted by nicwolff at 11:36 PM on January 18, 2007
posted by nicwolff at 11:36 PM on January 18, 2007
No less a visionary than Paul Cézanne considered La Montagne Sainte Victoire near Aix-de-Provence iconic.
posted by paulsc at 11:43 PM on January 18, 2007
posted by paulsc at 11:43 PM on January 18, 2007
A trip up the Aiguille du Midi on a clear day takes some beating.
posted by jontyjago at 12:44 AM on January 19, 2007
posted by jontyjago at 12:44 AM on January 19, 2007
A trip up the Aiguille du Midi on a clear day takes some beating.
It's just staggering...
posted by dmt at 4:40 AM on January 19, 2007
It's just staggering...
posted by dmt at 4:40 AM on January 19, 2007
I love the Pont du Gard. When I was there it was February, but it was unusually sunny and warm. I'm not sure if that's normal for that region in February.
posted by srah at 5:42 AM on January 19, 2007
posted by srah at 5:42 AM on January 19, 2007
There are some amazing rock formations at Fontainbleau. They're a collection of beautiful boulders of nearly infinite variety, some have tunnels and other cool features. There will be lots of rock climbers around the area -- mostly south(?) of the city of Fontainbleau, which has the castle and stuff.
posted by zpousman at 5:59 AM on January 19, 2007
posted by zpousman at 5:59 AM on January 19, 2007
I've been amazed by the beauty of the city of Annecy, in the Rhône-Alpes region. Spend a day or two in the city and then take the scenic train to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and then to Chamonix for some breathtaking mountain landscapes.
posted by racingjs at 7:46 AM on January 19, 2007
posted by racingjs at 7:46 AM on January 19, 2007
If you can hack the mountain roads, I'd suggest Dordogne and Aveyron departments (I believe this region is sometimes called Perigord.)
The medieval village Conques in Dordogne is especially nice. You can continue east from there, heading into some alpine scenery in the French alps (a bit of a distance, though).
Great places if you're a mountain person.
posted by Gordion Knott at 8:35 AM on January 19, 2007
The medieval village Conques in Dordogne is especially nice. You can continue east from there, heading into some alpine scenery in the French alps (a bit of a distance, though).
Great places if you're a mountain person.
posted by Gordion Knott at 8:35 AM on January 19, 2007
My personal favorites:
Ile d'Ouessant. A wild, rocky island in the middle of the Atlantic off the coast of Finistère. Probably difficult to find a boat and a hotel in winter, but when a storm comes in it's spectacular. Best in May or June.
Parc de la Vanoise. In winter you can hike or snowshoe or cross-country ski up into the park from Bonneval-sur-Arc, which still has a beautiful old-style Alpine farming village in the center (unfortunately there's a small, ugly ski resort next to the village). You can also ski down through the park (off-piste with a guide) from the spring skiing area of Val d'Isère. If it snows a lot, you'll see chamois and bouquetins come down from the mountains. If the snow is melting, you can watch the marmottes come out of hibernation and wrestle with each other. In summer, you can hike the tour of the refuges or just drive through the park via the Col de l'Iseran.
Dune de Pyla. A 120m-high sand dune on the Atlantic coast. From the top you have Sahara-like sands, with pine trees out to the horizon on one side and the sea on the other. There's more than 100km of wide sandy beach and dunes going south from there. In the forest behind the dunes, they've converted a network of narrow supply trails, built by the Nazis to defend the coast, into bike trails. It's all completely empty from end-September to mid-May.
Bonus: Starting in the spring, they offer parapente lessons on the dune. The steady sea wind blows up the dune and you can float in the air for as long as you like, high above the beach. Closest thing imaginable to actually being a seagull.
Things I've never seen, but that are on my list: the volcanos of Auvergne, hiking the Gorges du Tarn, skiing down the Glacier d'Argentières and the Mer de Glace.
posted by fuzz at 9:21 AM on January 19, 2007
Ile d'Ouessant. A wild, rocky island in the middle of the Atlantic off the coast of Finistère. Probably difficult to find a boat and a hotel in winter, but when a storm comes in it's spectacular. Best in May or June.
Parc de la Vanoise. In winter you can hike or snowshoe or cross-country ski up into the park from Bonneval-sur-Arc, which still has a beautiful old-style Alpine farming village in the center (unfortunately there's a small, ugly ski resort next to the village). You can also ski down through the park (off-piste with a guide) from the spring skiing area of Val d'Isère. If it snows a lot, you'll see chamois and bouquetins come down from the mountains. If the snow is melting, you can watch the marmottes come out of hibernation and wrestle with each other. In summer, you can hike the tour of the refuges or just drive through the park via the Col de l'Iseran.
Dune de Pyla. A 120m-high sand dune on the Atlantic coast. From the top you have Sahara-like sands, with pine trees out to the horizon on one side and the sea on the other. There's more than 100km of wide sandy beach and dunes going south from there. In the forest behind the dunes, they've converted a network of narrow supply trails, built by the Nazis to defend the coast, into bike trails. It's all completely empty from end-September to mid-May.
Bonus: Starting in the spring, they offer parapente lessons on the dune. The steady sea wind blows up the dune and you can float in the air for as long as you like, high above the beach. Closest thing imaginable to actually being a seagull.
Things I've never seen, but that are on my list: the volcanos of Auvergne, hiking the Gorges du Tarn, skiing down the Glacier d'Argentières and the Mer de Glace.
posted by fuzz at 9:21 AM on January 19, 2007
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The outskirts of Nantes, though, are exactly like what you'd expect the wine valleys of France to look like. I was there in April when a heavy fog covered most everything, and it seemed very old world.
posted by Brittanie at 10:43 PM on January 18, 2007