Five Best: French viewpoints
No, not their political musings... Mick Webb rounds up the finest vistas from Paris to Provence
Published: 14 January 2006
Montmartre, Paris
The competition for best Parisian viewpoint is shaded, in my opinion, by the hill of Montmartre, and specifically the panorama from Le Sacré Coeur. The Arc de Triomphe gives a better birds'-eye view of the city-centre, the Eiffel Tower may be a bit higher, but the "metal asparagus", as it was called by snobbish Parisians at the time of its construction, does not provide such a satisfying overall experience.
The most enjoyable route to the view from Montmartre involves a gentle walk up the hill from the Métro station Abbesses (line 12) to the very busy Place du Tertre. This modest square is thronged with portrait painters who have little in common with notable former residents of the area such as Picasso, Braque, Van Gogh and Degas.
On the western edge of the Place du Tertre is the flamboyant Sacré Coeur itself from whose steps a magnificent panorama opens up over the city. The blocks and towers of La Défense are particularly striking and the Eiffel Tower looks like a Meccano model. If you're in a hurry, or feeling tired, get the Métro to Anvers (line 2) and take the funicular up the hill.
Lac de Gaube, The Pyrenees
For a quite unforgettable Pyrenean view, you need, first of all, to find your way to the car-park at Pont d'Espagne, a very popular spot just outside the spa-town of Cauterets. From there, a couple of hours' walk - or you could ride the Télésiège - will take you through a grassy valley to Lac de Gaube, which glacial water has coloured the most astonishing blue-green. At the end of the valley behind the lake is the massif of Vignemale, a semi-circle of snow-covered peaks which includes the peak of Mont Vignemale, the highest on the French side of the Pyrenees. A restaurant beside the lake makes a perfect vantage point from which to enjoy the scenery. If you fancy the challenge, another three hours walking and a half-hour scramble will take you to L'Horquette d'Ossoue, a 2,700m-high pass. The view back from here back down to le Lac de Gaube and out over a forest of peaks on the Spanish side is quite wonderful, but will almost certainly entail booking a night at the nearby refuge. From the refuge it's a very easy climb to the summit of Petit Vignemale, which just scrapes into the premier league of 3,000m Pyrenean peaks.
Gorges de Verdon, The Var and Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence
The most gorgeous of gorges in France are those carved out of the limestone plateau by the River Verdon on the border of the departments of the Var and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, 120km from Nice. The Grand Canyon du Verdon, as it is also known, is 21km long and 700m deep. Most conveniently, there are roads along both edges of the canyon with plenty of viewpoints from which to ponder this miracle of nature. The southern route starts just south of the village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie and continues towards Trizanne. On the northern bank of the canyon, equally dramatic views can be had from the viewpoints along the "route des crêtes" which starts at the village of Palud. For further information on how to get there, contact the tourist offices at Aiguines (00 33 4 94 70 21 64; verdon.accueil@wanadoo.fr).
Laon, Picardy
As unexpected as it is spectacular, the town of Laon dominates the dull, flat landscape of Picardy in northern France from its perch on a high ridge, providing great views not only as you approach it but also from the medieval ramparts of its upper town (la ville haute). What you first see, at a distance of many kilometres are the five towers of one of France's finest Gothic cathedrals, which have gained its site the name of "the crowned mountain". Arriving at the uninteresting lower town (la ville basse) is something of an anticlimax but a walk up the hill or a ride to the upper town on a little train will restore the spirits. The cathedral of Notre-Dame was built in the 12th century and served as a model for Chartres among other great French cathedrals. Its interior is vast and surprisingly light, while among its splendid gargoyles are two bulls, a tribute to the beasts that hauled the stone building blocks up the hill. You get a very good idea of the magnitude of their task when you look down across the plain, from the ramparts that encircle the old town.
Carcassonne, Aude
Of the many French cities with cheap flights from the UK, perhaps the most alluring destination for a quick and intriguing weekend away is Carcassonne. The city combines a beautiful setting and superb architecture with a deep and tangled history involving Romans, Moors and Cathars. After the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed between Spain and France in 1659, Carcassonne lost its strategic importance and became fossilised - which is why you can enjoy some amazing views.
The fortifications of the old city, high above the right bank of the Aure, have been preserved and embellished over the centuries to create a unique ambience, and to offer spectacular views: the Montagne Noire to the north, the Pyrenees to the south, plus close-ups of tottering towers and a cross-section of a couple of millennia of fortifications.
by Independent.co.uk
