Loop via the Bruguet and Brague trails to Valbonne

A circuit combining the discovery of historical heritage and biodiversity.
The circuit starts at the12th-century abbey and can end with a visit to the heritage museum and the15th-century village of Valbonne.
What's more, this route follows part of the Way of St James from Rome.
The biodiversity of Mediterranean flora is also visible throughout the route.

Details

2098890
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.64 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 132 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 131 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 217 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 115 m

Description of the walk

Park in one of the free car parks nearby (Mairie, Pierrefeu, Vignasse).

(S/E) Start in front of the abbey. Take Avenue de Pierrefeu eastwards. Continue until you reach the cemetery.

(1) On the right, take the Calanque trail that descends towards the Brague. Follow the trail until you see the bollards on the river.
Use the bollards to cross. Then follow the path for about a hundred metres until you reach a crossroads after crossing the Brague.

(2) Take the track that climbs to the right. Follow this Calanque track until you reach a junction of several tracks.

(3) At this point, take the path that climbs to the right, which is relatively steep for about a hundred metres.
The track crosses the Peïcal path, which you follow to the left for about 100 metres.

(4) Turn right onto the Sentier des Moulins, which descends. Note an old cork oak tree during the descent.
The path crosses a DFCI track, which you cross to take the path that continues on the other side to the edge of the Bruguet stream.

(5) Here, join the Saint-Jacques-de-CompostelleGR® 653 A trail, which is theGR®653A, and take it to begin the wildest part of the route. Further on, you will reach the confluence of the Brague.
Note: Please note that steps and safety rails have been installed on a small, slightly steep section.

(6) At the confluence of the Brague and Bruguet rivers, take the path on the left that runs alongside the Brague. You will rejoin the Calanque trail at the crossroads you passed on the way out.

(2) Follow the same route as on the way out to return to the car park at Valbonne church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 190 m - Valbonne church car park
  2. 1 : km 0.54 - alt. 200 m - Calanque trail
  3. 2 : km 0.96 - alt. 173 m - Crossroads of the loop. The - Brague (fleuve)
  4. 3 : km 1.78 - alt. 188 m - Steep firebreak track
  5. 4 : km 2.14 - alt. 216 m - Mill Trail
  6. 5 : km 2.55 - alt. 164 m - Section on the Way of St James - Braduet (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Brague
  7. 6 : km 3.63 - alt. 115 m - Confluence of the Bruguet and Brague rivers
  8. S/E : km 6.64 - alt. 191 m - Valbonne church car park

Worth a visit

(5) Here, there is a stark contrast with the wild nature surrounding the trail, considering that we are only 300 metres away from the Sophia Antipolis technology park.
(Between 5 and 6) At the Bruguet bridge over the Bruguet stream, don't forget to turn around and look at the small waterfall. It feels like you're in the jungle.

 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

4.3 / 5
Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
JpoL62
JpoL62

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

Park at the entrance to Valbonne and head towards the town hall and chapel.
The hike is good. I'm doing it for the second time. Most of it is shaded and you follow the Brague or Bruguet rivers.
However, I won't be returning along the pipe as one section is dangerous (and it stinks). Next time, I'll follow the yellow signs. My son confirmed the obstacles, particularly the fallen trees.
The only people we encountered were mountain bikers, joggers and walkers with dogs.

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danielaime06
danielaime06
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

We set off early on a Saturday and didn't meet many people. The route is really exotic, considering how close it is to the city. The section along the Bruguet is the most interesting and wild.
Thanks to the GPX track, there's no risk of getting lost, but the description sorely lacks landmarks and directions for the end of the route. This is particularly true of the difficult section near the pipes along the Brague, which isn't obvious to everyone.

Thank you for this route, which is enjoyable for 90% of the way.
PS: I recommend parking at the Pierrefeu car park, which is well located on the route.

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Daniel Fornili
Daniel Fornili

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant route. A few tricky spots following rainfall. Moderately busy.

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Emmanuel Nice
Emmanuel Nice

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

An easy and very pleasant walk through the woods. Ideal for sunny days.
We didn't see many people.
A slightly tricky section towards the end.

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philWEI
philWEI

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful loop along the water's edge, but the climb back up to Valbonne has one tricky section under a large pipe that is impassable if the water level rises even slightly.
It's also a shame about the smell of sewage in some places

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Pascale72
Pascale72

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike. Very beautiful scenery. Not busy at this time of year. Walking shoes required.

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alexkidj06
alexkidj06

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy and wet hike (!)
The app's GPS guidance ensures you won't get lost.

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Mario Simard
Mario Simard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, particularly interesting from the point where you join the Way of St James (point 5). Unfortunately, the Bruquet was dry when we visited in January! Another sign of climate change?

The Brague is very pretty and walking alongside it is a real pleasure. After crossing the concrete bridge (about two-thirds of the way between points 6 and 2), we turned right and followed the large pipe as indicated on the map (despite a yellow cross advising us not to). But when we reached the cave, the path seemed to disappear. We had to turn back and return via the marked path, zigzagging our way back to point 3. This added about two kilometres to our journey.

GPS and walking stick recommended.

Thank you for suggesting this lovely outing.

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jude06
jude06

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike with a few climbs that are not particularly difficult. We did this hike in July in very hot weather, but most of the trail is shaded and when we arrived at La Brague, we were able to dip our feet in the water. Le Bruguet, on the other hand, was dry. On the way back, we were unable to follow the marked route because a gate was blocking the way, so we had to take a slightly longer detour, unfortunately. Note that there is a water source at the cemetery where you can fill your water bottle on the way back.

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petite chose
petite chose

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, cool walk along two streams
We extended it with a return trip along the Brague to La Veirière and a visit to Valbonne (12 km in total)
The pipes have been replaced: there are no more unpleasant odours

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GordonB
GordonB

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy but very pleasant walk along the Brague and Bruguet rivers.
The last section of the return journey is partially closed, which forced us to take a detour via the outward route.
But overall, a lovely day.

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Appolonia
Appolonia

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well done, reliable and easy to access. The end of the route is a little vague as there are several paths, but overall it's a lovely walk, very pleasant.

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Lyliane de Valbonne
Lyliane de Valbonne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent, somewhat challenging walk for residents of Valbonne and other nearby towns.
Personally, while respecting social distancing measures, I go there regularly to walk my dog without the constraints of the distancing rules imposed by the pandemic (mask down, ready to put it back on as soon as I see another person approaching)
However, it is not recommended for people with reduced mobility.

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martin nelly
martin nelly

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike, but there was a clear gap in the route. We couldn't follow the entire route.
We are still satisfied with this hike

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Arbogast Weibel
Arbogast Weibel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Not recommended for those with knee or hip problems
You have to be realistic

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