Sainte-Agnès circular via Borrigo Waterfall

A beautiful hike combining sightseeing, physical exercise and the discovery of Sainte-Agnès, the highest coastal village in Europe. The Borrigo Waterfall, this alpine trail and the duty to remember with a visit to the Maginot Line fort will round off a wonderful day.

Details

20811072
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.92 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 524 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 525 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 749 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 252 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the top of the village in front of the Maginot Line fort, at Square Sainte-Agnès.

(S/E) This hike begins with a visit to the highest point of the village. There is an information map of the site in the car park. Take the staircase called Montée du Souvenir, towards the cemetery, which leads, after some 200 steps, to the ruins of the 12th-century castle. This castle overlooks Sainte-Agnès and offers a magnificent 360° panorama. After consulting the orientation tables, turn around and return to the starting point.

(S/E) Turn right at the bottom of the steps and walk down the beautiful old Rue des Sarrazins, which is the main street in Sainte-Agnès. Walk past the church and town hall, then take Rue du Four and Rue des Comtes de Léotardi towards Avenue de Verdun. At this point, first turn right then left and take the paved slanting street called Promenade Saint-Sébastien, which leads down to the chapel of the same name. Continue to marker 440.

(1) Turn right onto theGR®51, towards Castellar - La Virette, and walk alongside the water treatment plant. This beautiful path becomes a paved slanting street a few hundred metres further on. You will reach the ruins of the hamlet of La Virette.

(2) Turn right between the two ruined houses (marker 476). Follow this unmarked, wooded path downhill, winding in short loops towards the south.

(3) At this point, you will come to a clearing. The path arrives at a small cirque where the Borrigo waterfall flows, and a stop at this site is a must. Continue on the path that starts on the south side of this cirque with a cairn. Continue on this path lined with tall vegetation, which turns into a carriage road after 200 m. Go through the forest gate and continue on an asphalted section. Reach a road junction (unmarked on the ground - number 490 on the map).

(4) Turn right onto Chemin du Vivaron. Pass marker 489 and continue along the asphalt road until the next bend. At this point, go straight ahead onto a path lined with properties.

(5) Walk along the back of a house, then turn right for about 30 metres, then go up the tarmac road on the left to marker 463.

(6) Turn right and follow the signs for "Village de Sainte-Agnès". From this point, the path climbs to the end point. There are magnificent views of Menton and the coastline throughout. Marker 462 is missing; ignore any trail junctions and continue straight ahead to reach the end of the trail, which is located below the terrace of the panoramic restaurant.

(7) In the last few metres, it is tempting to choose another route. Continue towards the restaurant where marker 461 is located. A glance down below reveals the path at the bottom that you took during this beautiful climb. A few metres further on is the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 672 m - Fort Maginot car park
  2. 1 : km 1.16 - alt. 605 m - Marker 440, junction with GR°°®°°
  3. 2 : km 2.82 - alt. 457 m - Ruins of La Virette
  4. 3 : km 3.36 - alt. 325 m - Borrigo Waterfall - Borrigo (fleuve)
  5. 4 : km 4.19 - alt. 252 m - Marker 490
  6. 5 : km 4.94 - alt. 296 m - House
  7. 6 : km 5.08 - alt. 302 m - Marker 463
  8. 7 : km 6.78 - alt. 661 m - Marker 461
  9. S/E : km 6.92 - alt. 671 m - Fort Maginot car park

Notes

Hiking boots and walking sticks recommended.
No water available on the route.
Avoid rainy days, as the first part of the trail is paved slanting street and slippery.

Worth a visit

During this hike:

Visit the ruins of the 12th-century castle (free).
Borrigo Waterfall (free access).
Maginot Line fort (€6 admission): very interesting guided tour.

 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.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you for your review, User 10484545
Best regards, B.

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bernard bb
bernard bb
• Edited:

Thank you for your review, User 10484545
A beautiful hike indeed
Best regards, B.

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User 10484545

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike!
However, I had some difficulty finding the starting point from Sainte Agnès, so it would be helpful to provide some additional details.
After that, the route was well described.
The waterfall is magnificent.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Hello Domenico0310

Thank you for your review
Unfortunately, the flow of the waterfall is not consistent
Best regards, B.

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JJBOUR
JJBOUR
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route under glorious sunshine!!!!...Everything is fine. Just one hiccup between points 4 and 5 (in Vivaron Street, near the houses), where it was impossible to follow the suggested route. At one point, we saw and followed the sign for St Agnès and took a path on the right that led away from Bernard bb's original route. But no worries, after straying quite far from the route, we found it again further on. Thanks to Bernard.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, User 26018879, for this review.
The backup battery has become indispensable
for every hike (don't forget to recharge it)
best regards, Bernard BB

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User 26018879

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a pleasant hike with two phases, one purely downhill and one purely uphill. The walk through the village at the start is very picturesque. Fortunately, thanks to Visorando, it was possible to find the entrance and navigate the forks in the road, otherwise this walk would have been completely impossible without getting lost. It is indeed a moderate hike, not easy... It is recommended that you have a mobile phone with you so that you can get directions along the way. Personally, I have a spare battery...

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thanks LtJack for this review
In summer, the waterfall is indeed smaller
best regards, B.

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LtJack
LtJack

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We completed the loop starting from the first marker, at Saint Sébastien Chapel. There is plenty of parking available.
This way, you end up at the castle and can visit the town of Sainte Agnès, which is a nice way to finish this lovely walk.
There is a fountain in the village, but no water sources along the way.
The waterfall isn't dry, but it's not far away...

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you, User 25455317, for your review
A beautiful itinerary indeed
best regards, B.

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User 25455317
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike! The trail is sometimes challenging but very pleasant.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

Thank you visiorando26 for your review
a steep climb, but what a beautiful view of the coastline!
best regards, rando, b

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visiorando26
visiorando26

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A challenging but enjoyable climb. A pretty village and beautiful views.

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bernard bb
bernard bb

An interesting route,
especially when the waterfall is fed by water, as is the case in winter,
magnificent views of the coastal countryside at the end of the hike
best regards,

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Fafa06340
Fafa06340

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant route without too much difficulty, except for the final climb, which I think requires a good level of fitness to reach St Agnes Fort. (Is all the elevation gain on the final climb?
Other than that, the scenery is magnificent and St Agnes Castle is also worth a visit if you still have the energy 🤣.

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