Tour description
With a starting point in the center of the city, this fine and cozy walk begins. The trip goes through a cozy residential area and then a charming forest with beautiful views over Tourettes-sur-Loup, the entire coastline and to the characteristic cliff spring Baou des Blancs at Vence.
If you take the trip in the winter months, January-March, you can experience the terraces around Tourettes-Sur-Loup being flooded with purple violets, for which the city is so famous.
Hike Tourrettes-sur-Loup: Pié Martin Circuit
- Length: 7.4 km
- Difficulty: easy / moderate
- Time consumption: 2.5 – 3 hours excluding breaks
- Elevation +/- 400 m.
If you take the trip in the winter months, January-March, you can experience the terraces around Tourettes-Sur-Loup being flooded with purple violets, for which the city is so famous.
Start
Starting from the parking lot on Place Libération (see the mark on the google map at the bottom of the page), and the first small half hour (1.5 km.) following a very quiet paved road, Chemin de Saint Martin, located in a residential area filled with beautiful villas. Shortly after the start you pass the small Saint-Jean chapel with beautiful fresco paintings.
Then comes the beginning of a forest path, which consists mainly of evergreen oak trees, which after a good walk of 45 minutes leads to a gravel road, leading to the right to the descent towards Tourettes-sur-Loup and back to the starting point.
The descent then allows you to admire beautiful panoramic views of the coast including the characteristic buildings “Baie des Anges” at the port of Villeneuve-Loubet. and the mountain Baou des Blancs at Vence.
The Violet museum and the Medieval City
When you are back near the starting point in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, you can very conveniently visit the Violet Museum “La Bastide aux Violettes” which is located on rue Ferrage right by the Saint-Jean chapel.
In addition, it is of course recommended to visit the village (if you have not already done so), which is one of the most beautiful medieval towns in the region with many cozy art and souvenir shops. In the square there are plenty of opportunities for refreshments.
The 5 turning points are shown here:
First turning point (here the trail starts) - keep right
Second turning point - keep right
Third turning point - keep right
Fourth turning point - keep to the right
Follow the path back to where you started and enjoy the view
- All
- Aqueducts
- Castles and palaces
- Churches & chapels
- Food & Wine
- Hiking
- Museums
- Wash-houses
Domaine des Courmettes
Domaine des Courmettes is located at the foot of the Pic de Courmettes at an altitude of 850m and is a great starting point for both picnics and hiking.
The sundial in church Saint-Grégoire
The sundial is recognized as one of the very first instruments that men used to measure the passage of time because of its simplicity.
Wash-house on Route de Vence
The wash-house in Tourrettes-Sur-Loup is located very centrally, in the town just off the main road Route …
Domaine Saint Joseph
The pioneers of bio-dynamic wines and olive oil, from the Domaine Saint Joseph winery. Visit and tasting by appointment.
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The Church Saint-Grégoire
Cool in summer and warm in winter. Hospitable and peaceful. The parish church of the Provencal medieval village of Tourettes-sur-Loup always welcomes you…
The red olive mill wheel
The mills were powered by water from an aqueduct, which can still be seen today. It stretches in an arc over the old transport route to Vence, today rue de la Bourgade.
The Saint-Jean Chapel
The Saint-Jean chapel was built in 1674 and then destroyed by a hurricane in 1925. In 1959 the chapel was given new life thanks to …
Bastide aux Violettes
The museum allows you to discover the history of the Tourrettes, its terroir, all uses of the violet flower and to observe the cultivation methods and the flower in..
- All
- Churches & chapels
- Museums
- Viewpoints
Saint Elisabeth chapel
Saint Elisabeth chapel in Vence impresses with its rediscovered fresco paintings by Giovanni Canavesio, and its history dates back to the 14th century.
The Collegial Church
The 17th century marked the golden age of the church in Saint-Paul de Vence. Here, in 1666 the church was raised to the rank of Collegial Church by the bishop Antoine Godeau of Vence
The Cemetery of Saint-Paul de Vence
One of the most visited cemeteries on the Côte d’Azur – here rests several celebrities – including Chagall & Maeght
Célestin Freinet school
The famous schoolteacher and educator Célestin Freinet (1896-1966) taught in Saint-Paul de Vence between 1928 and 1933.
The Folon chapel – The White Penitents
Experience the admirable Folon Chapel, a design work of Jean-Michel Folon and learn more about an artist who had strong ties to Saint-Paul de Vence for over thirty years.
The Museum of Vence
The Musée de Vence / Fondation Émile Hugues is situated in the heart of the historic city center and is among the very popular sights on the Côte d’Azur.
Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité
Here in the middle of the old medieval town of Vence you will find France’s smallest cathedral. Usually one expects cathedrals to be large and impressive…
Viewpoint – F. Moutet
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Gombrowicz Museum
Dedicated to the Polish master writer Witold Gombrowitz and beautifully situated in Villa Alexandrine.
The Maeght Fondation art museum
The Maeght Fondation art museum welcomes more than 100,000 visitors in a unique architectural building designed by Josep Lluis Sert.
Chapel Pénitents Blancs
This chapel is the largest and most interesting chapel in Vence. Centrally located, just a few hundred meters from Place Grand Jardin, on the ancient Roman road to Castallane…
Rosary Chapel by Matisse
The Rosary Chapel by Matisse is together with the cathedral in the old town Vence’s biggest attraction and one of Henri Matisse’s greatest masterpieces.