Au pied de la Montagne Sainte-Victoire

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La meilleure manière d'apprécier la Montagne Sainte-Victoire n'est pas nécessairement de monter au sommet mais peut être bien de rester à son pied. La boucle décrite ici, à l'aplomb de la Croix de Provence, vous fera découvrir la Face Sud sous tous les angles, de près et avec du recul. L'itinéraire est varié, vallonné avec de superbes vues.

Details

n°44259783
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.42 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 320 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 321 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 583 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 317 m
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Photos

Sainte-Victoire Mountain
Sainte-Victoire Mountain
Sainte-Victoire Mountain
Sainte-Victoire Mountain

Description of the walk

Car park at the Maison de Sainte-Victoire (Écomusée), well signposted.

(S/E) Head towards the Maison Sainte-Victoire, walk along the front of the straight building, then continue past it until you come to an alleyway on the right. Cross the small road and turn left; you will pick up a yellow signpost that you will follow for the whole of the first part of the route.

(1) Leave the road and take a path on the right, continuing until you reach a track. On the way down, note the superb ochre colours of the south face.

(2) Follow it in the same direction for around 300 m.

(3) Follow the track to the right, which is always marked in yellow and takes you past an oratory. Arrive above the main hiking car park (which you can see below).

(4) Leave the yellow markings by taking a track to the right (yellow cross) which, after about 30 metres, leads to a track that you should take to the right (red markings), until it bends.

(5) Take a path on the right as you leave the track. The route then follows a set of steps. Reach a Y-shaped junction.

(6) Leave the red markings and turn right, staying on the main track, until you reach an intersection.

(7) At this junction, you'll find a brown path and a GR®® that you'll follow to the right for the entire section of the route at the foot of the south face. All the views are spectacular. After a long climb to the highest point of the route, you come to a crossroads.

(8) Ignore the paths to the right towards the Oppidum d'Untinos and continue straight downhill. Ignore the side paths and stay on the path with the double Marron + GR®® markings. Come to a small pass.

(9) Leave the Brown markings that go up to the left and ignore the wide straight track that goes down to the right. Cross the pass and follow a narrow path down through the vegetation. This leads to a track that you follow to the right until you reach the road at a small car park.

(10) Cross the road carefully to pick up a GR®® to the right. Beautiful views of the South Face. Reach a third large car park.

(11) Go down to the bottom on the left; a discreet path begins on the right to reach the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 432 m - Maison Sainte-Victoire car park. Close to - Bayon (torrent) Affluent de l'Arc
  2. 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 421 m - Path departure
  3. 2 : km 1.13 - alt. 352 m - Runway, left
  4. 3 : km 1.44 - alt. 322 m - Path on the right
  5. 4 : km 1.77 - alt. 322 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 2.03 - alt. 357 m - Leave the track, turn right
  7. 6 : km 2.31 - alt. 404 m - Y junction
  8. 7 : km 2.69 - alt. 439 m - GR® junction
  9. 8 : km 3.77 - alt. 581 m - Crossroads - oppidum Untinos
  10. 9 : km 5.26 - alt. 556 m - Crossing, straight on
  11. 10 : km 6.38 - alt. 465 m - Car park
  12. 11 : km 7.14 - alt. 436 m - Bottom of the car park
  13. S/E : km 7.42 - alt. 432 m - Maison Sainte-Victoire car park

Worth a visit

This circuit can be extended at various points:

(6) Continue to follow the red markings on the left as far as the Refuge Cézanne, then descend following the brown/GR®® path and return to the circuit in(7).

(8) Turn right for a looping visit to the Oppidum d'Untinos, a protohistoric site with a magnificent view over the massif that probably inspired the Celts. Return to the circuit at(8).

(9) Follow the brown path on the left towards La Marbrière, where the remains of a fine polychrome marble quarry can still be seen, then return to the route at(9).

Allow around 1 hour 30 minutes more for these three variations. Find the route of the variants on trail no. 76097921

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 13 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Alain83140
Alain83140

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike – please take care once you reach the summit and during the descent, which can be tricky in places due to the loose stones

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk at the foot of the magnificent Sainte Victoire mountain. There are many opportunities to extend the route.
It's always a pleasure to discover Provence.
PP and MM

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annemarie.de.boisson
annemarie.de.boisson

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walk with beautiful panoramic views
Hike done in winter, no one else on the trails
Beautiful winter colours

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Thomas H5.
Thomas H5.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike: beautiful scenery! I recommend it!
Reliable directions, but be careful on the descent (at point 9). Keep going straight even if there is a lot of vegetation.

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phildaix
phildaix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views of the lower slopes of Mont Sainte-Victoire.
You can visit the Untinos oppidum and then shorten the hike, as a yellow trail marker starts from the oppidum and descends towards the GR, heading straight for the road.

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isnel
isnel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike.

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juana
juana

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Some of the directions weren't easy to find.

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Celine35
Celine35

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with beautiful views. Don't forget trousers because of the narrow paths surrounded by scratching bushes!
The walk can be shortened or extended as you wish.
Little frequented at this time of year

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marmotte33
marmotte33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At the start, the path behind the barriers separating the route from the road was no longer very visible, and the previous day's rain had made the ground slippery. But these are just details and I had a great time following this route (I use the track more than the description). You just can't get enough of the view of the nearby mountains. It's not very difficult, but you need good shoes (well, is it worth saying). If I'm ever in the area again, I'll go back.

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denisnicoli
denisnicoli

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk at the foot of the Sainte Victoire. The sun was out, so hats were a welcome addition. You still need to be careful on the stony descent. The route is well described.

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Koduntu
Koduntu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A good walk at the foot of the Sainte Victoire with my two children, aged 5 and 7.

The start along the road wasn't great, but the rest of the route was very good, with some lovely viewpoints and enough signs to make sure we didn't get lost. Perfect for the little ones, even though they're used to hiking (for the D+).

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randobelix
randobelix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The walk was done after a rainy night and a rainy, cloudy day... - but the views of STE VICTOIRE were magnificent when it came out of the clouds... We'll do it again in the sunshine....
Beware hikers who are not sure-footed, this route is not recommended as the 1st part is a real skating rink on a descent full of clay and weathered stones...
In dry weather, the walk is easy/average... after a nice descent, a good climb...

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antoine ventoso
antoine ventoso

I didn't do the hike

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Fontenotte
Fontenotte

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A nice hike for those who can't or don't want to climb the cross. We did the hooks via the Cezanne refuge, the oppidum and the marble quarry.

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Other walks in the area

Walking Tour of the Untinos Oppidum and the Trou ridges

Visorando Member
Le tour de l'Oppidum Untinos et des crêtes du Trou
↔6.34 km ↗+292 m ↘-290 m ◔2h 40 ▲Easy
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This short hike runs along the steepest slopes of the mountain, where you will be dazzled by the mineral colours of the rock. You will discover the ruins of a medieval Celtic-Ligurian fortified settlement abandoned around the 10th century on the Untinos oppidum, and the return route offers magnificent views of the ochre ridges in the foreground of Sainte-Victoire.

Walking Under the Cross of Provence

Association / Club / Walk leader
Sous la Croix de Provence
↔8.32 km ↗+387 m ↘-381 m ◔3h 30 ▲Moderate
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A short hike, but with a decent bit of elevation gain nonetheless, beneath the Croix de Provence. It’s a good warm-up before tackling the Croix de Provence, which stands on the Sainte-Victoire ridge at an altitude of 948 m above the Priory, restored and maintained by the Friends of Sainte-Victoire since 1955.

Walking Tour of the Cengle plateau

Visorando Member
Tour du plateau du Cengle
↔15.37 km ↗+286 m ↘-286 m ◔5h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon (Bouches-du-Rhône)
The tour of the Cengle plateau is an easy circular hike around the Cengle plateau, a veritable balcony offering splendid and unusual views of the Sainte-Victoire Mountain. You can also start from Beaurecueil (car park at the start of the path) or from the Bouquet car park on the CD 17 before Saint Antonin. It should also be noted that this area is much less frequented than the rest of the Sainte Victoire massif.

Walking Sainte-Victoire mountain through the Clapier gap

Visorando Member
La Sainte-Victoire par la brèche du Clapier
↔9.73 km ↗+720 m ↘-715 m ◔4h 50 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon (Bouches-du-Rhône)
A loop hike on the south side of Sainte-Victoire Montagne allowing access to the ridge via the Marbrière and the Brèche du Clapier (gap). The walk along the ridge towards the Croix de Provence offers splendid views. Descent via the Priory, the Pas du Berger and the Cézanne Shelter.

Walking La Sainte-Victoire from the Deux Aiguilles car park

Visorando Member
↔15.77 km ↗+1,288 m ↘-1,285 m ◔6 hrs ▲Very difficult
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A magnificent and very challenging route in the Sainte-Victoire massif from the Deux Aiguilles car park, via La Marbrerie to access the Pas du Clapier, then on to the Pic des Mouches, descending via the La Tine trail and then climbing back up to the Baudino Refuge via the Chapelle de Saint-Ser.

Walking La Sainte-Victoire via Garagaï

Visorando Member
La Sainte-Victoire par le Garagaï
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⚑Departure from Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon (Bouches-du-Rhône)
Spectacular route on the southern slope of Sainte-Victoire, arriving on the ridge path via the Grotte des Hirondelles and descending via the Pas de l'Escalette and the Refuge de Cézanne.

Walking La Sainte-Victoire via the Sentier Forcioli and the Garagaï

Visorando Member
La Sainte-Victoire par le Sentier Forcioli et le Garagaï
↔4.32 km ↗+558 m ↘-555 m ◔2.5 hrs ▲Extremely difficult
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A circular loop in Sainte-Victoire. Ascent to Prieuré Sainte-Victoire / Croix de Provence via Écaille de Tortue and Gouffre de Garagaï, return via Gouffre de Garagaï and Deux Aiguilles.

Walking Triple ascent of the south-west face of Sainte-Victoire

Visorando Member
Triple ascension Sud-Ouest de la Sainte-Victoire
↔15.38 km ↗+1,614 m ↘-1,611 m ◔6 hrs ▲Extremely difficult
⚑Departure from Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon (Bouches-du-Rhône)
A challenging, athletic route that sometimes borders on hiking and light climbing. The route consists of a triple ascent of Sainte-Victoire via the three marked trails in the south-west of the massif: the Black, Green (Forcioli) and finally Yellow trails. Then continue along the ridges to the east, crossing the plateau's characteristic sharp limestone pavement, to the Brèche du Clapier. (__Caution: see important warning in the description__)

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.