Tour description – Hike la Tête de Chien
Many walks along the Côte-d’Azur offer great views, but la Tête de Chien at La Turbie still takes first place.
La Tête de Chien means “the dog’s head” in French, and when viewed from the sea, you can, with a little imagination, tell that it looks like a profile of a dog’s head.
What makes this hike special is that its lookout point is located on a protruding cliff that provides views to both sides of Monaco: on the east, up to Menton and the Italian border, and, on to the west, all the way to the Estérel mountains at Théoule-sur-Mer.
Bring a good picnic basket on this hike, settle down at the viewpoint and give yourself a unique nature experience.
Watch the drone video at the end of the article.
The tour can be hiked in several different lengths depending on which route you choose. Here you will find maps of a shorter and less strenuous trip of 2 kms that goes directly to the viewpoint, and a slightly longer walk of 6 kms that goes along the ridge and reaches the viewpoint at the end of the trip.
Whichever one you choose; you won’t regret going to La Turbie and walking this hike.
- Length: 2 eller 6 km (roundtrip)
- Difficulty: Easy / Moderat
- Time: 45 min / 2,5 hours
- Elevation: +/- 48 / 352 m
2 kms trip
Follow the road from the car park and continue to Fort la tête de chien. From here, the path goes to the right of the fort – see map below – and on to the viewpoint.
6 kms trip
Follow the road from the parking lot and, after about 450 meters, the path starts on the left side, where a sign shows the way (beacon number 604). From here, you walk towards a small radar station, where the path continues on its left side.
NOTE! Follow the path and markings until beacon number 612 (sign with direction). Here you should go straight ahead and not follow the path to the left as the marking shows.
If you follow the signage, you get an approximately 1 km longer walk, come all the way down to the main road in a residential neighborhood, and then, you must go up to the path again. See the map below showing the way.
This tour goes along the ridge between La Turbie, Monaco and Cap-d’Ail. The first part of the route provides a fantastic view of the whole of Monaco. Here, you can clearly see how the city’s neighborhoods are located and, not least, a nice view of Le Rocher, the rock with the old town.
Then, head towards Cap-d’Ail and, again, the route offers extraordinary views of the French Riviera. Finally, walk up to the viewpoint and then return to the parking lot.
Tour start – Hike la Tête de Chien
The tour begins from a small parking lot just outside La Turbie. From the center of La Turbie, take avenue Cap-d’Ail toward south and, after 400 meters, turn to the left onto route de la Tête de Chien. Then, continue for about 1 km to the car park, on the right side of the road (there are actually two parking lots right after each other).
You can also use the GPS route to the parking lot in the Google map at the end of the article.
Since La Turbie is only a few kilometers from Monaco and Cap-d’Ail, it is obvious to visit these cities as well.
Read more about Monaco and Cap-d’Ail and what to experience in these two cities.
By Tommy Sverre – 2024
