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Mercantour travel guide

If you’ve got plans to visit the Cote d’Azur this year then why not try somewhere a little further inland as from ancient forests to over 600kms of well-marked mountain trails Mercantour National Park is anything but overpriced. Find out more in our Mercantour travel guide that features tips on the best time to go on a Mercantour holiday including an essential temperature and rainfall chart.

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Mercantour National Park travel guide

Just an hour from Nice await 685km² of Alpine terrain, sandstone gorges, turquoise lakes, ancient shepherds’ trails and a handful of hamlets. Bordering Italy, Mercantour National Park protects vast swathes of the Alpes-Maritimes and the Alpes de Haute-Provence regions. The highest peak is Cime du Gélas at 3,143m, with plenty of cols to conquer, vertiginous valleys to explore, gushing glacial rivers to paddle in and lakes to lull by. All accessible on 600km of waymarked footpaths including some of the famous long distance ‘Grande Randonees’ routes that traverse Europe.

Yes, Nice is chic. But just an hour by train takes you into the Mercantour National Park, an unknown gem within the Southern Alps. Lose your money in Nice. But lose yourself in the Mercantour.

Indeed this is a region to traverse in tranquility, in all four seasons, as it is still virtually unknown by travellers, even though it has been, rightly, earmarked for UNESCO World Heritage status. So, take this tiny trek away from the coast because Nice is nice. But the Mercantour is spectacular. Our Mercantour travel guide reveals why...

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Things to do in Mercantour National Park...

The Mercantour National Park is a haven for wildlife and wildflowers. With over 2,000 species of flowers, the meadows are a beautiful blanket of martagon lilies and striking blue gentian from late June, with rare glimpses of protected snow-white edelweiss. The hills are also alive with the sound of wildlife, if you keep your ears open. Chamois deer are common, and tune into the whistling sound of marmots too. The ultimate sound, however, is the wolf howl. Reintroduced to the wild in the 1990s, there is now a small population in the Mercantour and wolf tracking in winter, in particular, is a wonderful way to combine walking with wildlife. Check out Alpha Wolf Park in Le Boréon for more information and to see some of the wolves in their care.Discovering the Mercantour on horseback or with a donkey is the way to go. With a donkey to carry your bags from gîte to gîte, and peak to peak, is a family favourite and one of the most freeing ways to discover the Alps. Or see the park from a saddle, climbing up into high peaks following traditional transhumance routes on horseback. Snowshoeing and winter walking is sublime. It is hard to imagine Alpine slopes in winter that are free of swarms of skiers – but here they are. Winter tranquility is a big part of the Mercantour’s magic.

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Things not to do in Mercantour National Park...

You really don't need to drive around the Mercantour. There are over 600km of waymarked ways, and your hosts will often drop you at a trailhead and collect you when you have finished. And if you want to leave the car behind altogether, there are excellent train and bus services into the mountains from Nice, which take only an hour, and the Train des Pignes is a beautiful journey.Don’t think that it is going to be all blissfully blue skies in the Mercantour. You will get plenty of them, but this is serious mountain terrain, and temperatures can drop rapidly. Pack plenty of layers, waterproofs, and be prepared.Although it is one of France’s best kept secrets, accommodation is still limited so don’t leave booking until the last minute. If you want to spend a week of walking wanderlust in summer, you need to book well in advance. Don’t ignore the mountain terrain. This is not just a walk in the park, but serious Alpine terrain, so always be prepared, follow waymarked ways, bring maps, food, water, proper clothing, emergency kits and tell people where you are going. And don’t even think about going snowshoeing in winter without an expert guide. As a rule of thumb, don’t mess with the mountains, and this means keeping them clean and quiet too.