Cascade de Gairaut walks

This is the first stage of the Nice hills tour. This semi-urban hike starts at the Libération tram stop in the heart of Nice. It runs alongside the Gare du Sud railway station and then the Chemins de Fer de Provence railway station and railway line with its blue trains. After crossing the Mantega district, below the Palais du Righi, the hike climbs up a somewhat forgotten path on Pessicart hill. After circling Pessicart hill to admire the greenhouses and the Baou de Saint-Jeannet, the hike descends back to Nice. It then crosses the La Clua municipal nature park and passes by the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Saint-Sylvestre neighbourhood, finally arriving at the Comte de Falicon tram stop.

This third stage of the tour of the hills of Nice starts at the Saint-Charles tram stop on line 1 and climbs through the Saint-Charles district on the western flank of Mont Vinaigrier. From Mont Vinaigrier, it descends due south to the Col de Villefranche before climbing back up to Mont Alban and, after a loop around the Fort de Mont Boron, descends again to the port of Nice and finally reaches the Place Garibaldi tram stop via the Port district. The walk follows a beautiful ridge line and is certainly the most ‘natural’ stage of the Tour des Collines de Nice. The views over the bay of Villefranche and Cap Ferrat are magnificent.

This walk takes you along the entire length of the promenade in Nice, between the harbour and Parc Phoenix next to the airport. You will also explore Castle Hill Park (Parc de la Colline du Château), a 19 hectare maze of greenery perched high up above Nice old town, with many areas to be discovered including an impressive waterfall.

A magnificent walk offering numerous views of the sea, the Var valley, and the coast with its various towns, headlands and islands (with a bit of luck, you might spot Corsica, Sainte-Victoire and the Mercantour peaks). However, this walk is challenging due to its length and elevation gain, and is therefore only suitable for fit walkers. Moderator update on 6 April 2021: Please note! There is a private property issue between (11) and (12). See the suggestion in the description and in the reviews dated 24 April 2021.

An easy hike in spring or autumn. At the top of the Baou, there is a magnificent view of the French Riviera with a very accurate orientation table to identify the points along the coast and the surrounding peaks.

This unique one-way hike (allow for two vehicles) takes you up Mont Arpasse via the little-used south-eastern route. The final stretch is a path nearly 3 km long, sometimes carved into the cliff face, steep and vertiginous, clinging to the mountainous western flank of Mont Arpasse. It was built by the constructors of the Vésubie Canal in the 1870s and offers views of the Var throughout. The section between marker 296 and the finish is reserved for experienced walkers.

This twenty-first stage, once you have crossed the Vésubie, takes place in the Nice Pre-Alps and brings the GTA (Grande Traversée des Alpes) to a close by the sea. From the Place de la Fontaine in Utelle, the GR®5 heads west, then south, crossing a few small valleys to reach the hamlet of Cros d’Utelle. It crosses the Vésubie valley, climbs the opposite slope after the town of Levens, ascends through woodland to Colla Partida, passes beneath Mont Cima and descends to the beautiful circular fortified village of Aspremont. The path climbs the western flank of Mont Chauve d’Aspremont without reaching the summit. It descends the Crête de Graus until it reaches Château Renard and then La Bauma. The path enters a valley, which it follows eastwards, then due south towards La Fontaine Sainte, and crosses the bridge over the Autoroute de la Provençale. It enters the city of Nice, which it crosses from north to south to reach Nice Ville railway station.