Chapel of Saint-Sauveur in Tende

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike. Indeed, the last few metres are difficult to cross for those who are afraid of heights.
In Tende, I recommend the pizzeria "La Margueria" and "L'épicerie gourmande" (especially their very affordable croque-monsieur, made with excellent ingredients).
I didn't see any frescoes inside the chapel, just bare walls.
Please note that the Tende tunnel is currently closed for works (reopening currently scheduled for June 2024).

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Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short hike, mainly for the beautiful view from the chapel. The final ascent is quite dangerous but fortunately secured by cables. Must be done in dry weather with good footwear. Slippery rocks.

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Date of your route : Aug 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Looking for a short hike to do from Tende, we set off on the trail with some trepidation after reading certain comments, determined to turn back at the end if necessary.

Verdict: while you do need to be very careful, the last few metres of the trail before the chapel are not insurmountable for anyone who has already hiked along cliff sides on narrow trails or is not prone to vertigo. However, I would not recommend it in wet weather, as the rocks can be very slippery.

Overall, the slightly steep gradient makes this a short but intense hike, offering beautiful views below.

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

We did this hike on 17 August 2022.
Unfortunately, I hadn't read the reviews, and it was only when we were almost at the summit that we realised the path was only 80 cm wide with a 100-metre drop below us and no protection. .:!(!)!:
My wife, who is prone to vertigo, turned back.

I will be more vigilant now.

But there is a beautiful view from the summit.

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Date of your route : Sep 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk that rounded off our visit to Tende during Heritage Days. Even though the route is short, remember to take water with you as the climb is quite steep and you quickly get hot and thirsty. Not suitable for young children, as you need to concentrate hard on the last few metres, but what a beautiful view!
The chapel is touching, but restoration of the interior is essential for the building's survival.

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Hello, the 412m elevation gain announced is calculated based on the profile; it is the cumulative total of the ascents on the way there and also on the way back (yes, there is a slight incline on the way back).

Kind regards,
Billybug

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Date of your route : Jun 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
Just a comment on the stated elevation gain of 412 metres, which seems excessive to me; it would be closer to 300 metres (in fact, the starting point at the station is 817 metres, and the oratory is 1,107 metres in the description, which is 290 metres).

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Date of your route : Mar 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I was confused by the comment and discussion around the difficult section at the end, so I thought I'd add my thoughts.

First, the hike was closer to 1.5 hours walking time round trip for my wife and I starting from the switchback on the road. I would estimate pretty close to 2 hours round trip starting and ending at the tourist information centre. Some descriptions made it sound like 2 hours each way, which is not the case.

We did the hike in February and had very decent weather. We enjoyed the hike and the views. It fit in perfectly for a day trip from Nice combined with lunch, the free museum and a walk through the old town. The chapel itself was closed but that did not take away from the enjoyment.

The part that was not clear to me is what was described as 'delicate' parts. The majority of the hike is typical but climbs quickly so more on the strenuous side. Towards the end of the hike, while still on the side facing away from Tende, there is a bit of a scramble to get up a rocky section. Some more scrambles are provided with a cable and some steps are provided with a cable. After you cross onto the Tende-facing side, there is the 'delicate' part. It is part steps, part paved section less than 1 metre wide provided with cable fastened to the wall. The exposed side is more or less straight down to Tende 300 metres below. I believe this feature is intended to be the return for the via ferrata and, as such, would be completed with a harness and tether. Without the tether, it should be described as hazardous, not delicate. A misstep here would end very badly, but it would take some time to end because it's a long way down.

It is possible to get to this point of the hike and still have fantastic views without exposing yourself. I offer no suggestions or recommendations other than to take a gut check here and remember you must return by the same way you go up.

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Date of your route : Oct 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful view upon arrival at the chapel.
On the way back, we took the street that led down to the cemetery, which allowed us to walk through the picturesque alleys of Tende. Then we went back up the road to the station.

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Date of your route : Jul 10, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello,

This is the perfect hike for a half-day outing, relatively easy for people who are used to hiking in the mountains and are not afraid of heights. The tricky sections at the end are equipped with handrails, but I would still not recommend this route for children under the age of 10.

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Hello,
It's true that I only mentioned that the climb was steep. I could have added that you might need to use your hands and that one section could be quite thrilling.
As I myself suffer from vertigo and took the risk of letting my 8-year-old son climb it, I judged, in hindsight I admit, that the classification of medium difficulty was sufficient.
I will immediately add these two sections to the description so that people are not surprised.
Thank you for your pertinent comment and apologies again for the lack of detail.
Kind regards.

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Thank you, Alcaleo
I understand your concern. Setting off on a via ferrata route without the proper equipment is unwise, if not downright reckless.
I have asked the author this question and am awaiting his response.

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Date of your route : Aug 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A fairly short but intense hike! With a big surprise at the end: a 10-metre section shared with the via ferrata: an 80-centimetre-wide stone bench along the rock face with a direct view of Tende several hundred metres below...!! You have to do it both ways... it's true that there is a handrail, but it's not much, especially when you're not expecting it...
I strongly advise against this passage for unprepared people, and even more so for those accompanied by children, as it can (with a little panic) prove VERY dangerous!!!!
This passage is easily accessible when equipped for via ferrata: harness and carabiners, but it is a different story 1/ without this safety equipment to attach to the handrail and 2/ when it is not mentioned in the guidebook...

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