Chapelle Saint-Michel (Roccasparviera) walks

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.

This is the last stage ofthe GR® 52. It is certainly not the highest in altitude, but it is difficult due to its distance and the passage of certain passes with steep ascents and descents. The Mediterranean views are splendid, especially those from the Col du Razet and Col du Berceau, which rises to 1,100 metres above the town of Menton, the end point of theGR®. You walk along the Italian border throughout the route. Be warned, in summer this stage is very challenging due to the heat, especially the descent from the Col du Berceau.

This route leaves theGR® 52 to head for Grammondo and cross over to the Italian side. On the descent, there are almost constant views of the sea, ending in the very pretty town of Grimaldi.

The sixth stage ofthe GR®52, where the landscapes change dramatically. Due to its length and significant descent of nearly 2,000 metres, the stage is very difficult. The descent to Sospel, which makes up two-thirds of the route, puts a real strain on the knees and ankles. Please note, it gets very hot in summer on this section.

This walk is a variation on the second stage of the four-stage tour of the hills of Nice. It allows you to shorten this second stage slightly and admire the Jardin des Arènes de Cimiez and the Monastery of Cimiez. Starting from the Comte de Falicon tram stop, you first walk along the Place de la Fontaine du Temple and cross the Maurice Mouchan Garden and the new Parc du Ray. After crossing Avenue du Ray, you reach Parc Chambrun from the south and, via the Saint-Maurice district, the Vieux Chemin de Gairaut and theGRP® Les Collines de Nice, which climb northwards. Much of the walk then follows the Canal de Gairaut eastwards and descends due south towards Nice through the Quatre Chemins district. Finally, you cross the Jardin des Arènes to reach the Monastery of Cimiez and head down to the Pasteur University Hospital to catch the tram either at Pasteur or Saint-Charles.

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.

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.