Mont Carpano from Castellar

de fr

An easily accessible hike offering fabulous views of the French Riviera from Menton to the Estérel.
The village of Castellar is also worth a visit.

Details

n°4520864
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.18 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 443 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 443 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 771 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 327 m
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Photos

Map of Le Lion
Map of Le Lion
Map of Le Lion
Crossroads

Description of the walk

Park in the upper car park in Castellar, near the cemetery.

(S/E) Go up the road, which is quite steep at first. Turn right onto Chemin de l'Orméa (marker 401). Follow theGR®51(red and white markings). This track winds its way up a few hairpin bends to Col du Berceau.

(1) At marker 11, turn right towards Plan du Lion. From there, the slope becomes gentler and the path resembles a relatively flat walk along a ledge.

(2) At marker 10, at Plan du Lion, continue straight on towards Mont Carpano.

(3) Take the path on the left to reach the summit of Mont Carpano.

(4) Enjoy the view of the Italian side, then turn back.

(3) Continue left and begin the descent to reach a crossroads (marker 8).

(5) Turn right onto the wide DFCI track, pass the barns of Saint-Paul and continue straight on to Castellar. Pass the Saint-Roch Chapel on the left and the school.

(6) At the next crossroads, turn right to reach the cemetery car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 355 m - Cemetery car park
  2. 1 : km 1.89 - alt. 704 m - Marker 11
  3. 2 : km 2.17 - alt. 723 m - Marker 10 Plan du Lion
  4. 3 : km 2.66 - alt. 746 m - Junction with the - Mont Carpano
  5. 4 : km 2.84 - alt. 771 m - Mont Carpano
  6. 5 : km 3.97 - alt. 453 m - Marker 8 - Direction Castellar
  7. 6 : km 7.07 - alt. 342 m - School junction
  8. S/E : km 7.18 - alt. 355 m - Cemetery car park

Notes

No water on the route.

Markers: the numbers on the markers in the field do not correspond to those on the IGN map.

Worth a visit

The village of Castellas is well worth a visit.

 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.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 18 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Malland
Malland

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Superb weather, travelled up to Castellar de Menton by bus (only passenger). Same on the way back down.
A very nice café next to the town hall before starting the hike from the village at 10 a.m.
Hike offering beautiful panoramic views, both from the plateau and from the summit of Mount Carpano.
From point 5 to the village, there are more than 2 km of firebreaks and roads, which isn't great.

The surprise came during part of the descent, which was particularly unpleasant that day with the ground constantly giving way underfoot despite good footwear. Admittedly, I didn't have any walking poles. I'm not sure how effective they would have been on this terrain anyway.
A couple I met on this stretch were surprised to find such terrain and were happy to be going uphill. I would have preferred that too. I should have read the reviews beforehand.
After two harmless slips, I found myself on the ground without seeing it coming, even though I was being very careful.
It was the first time I had ever injured myself while hiking. There's a first time for everything...

The hike itself is very short. Having injured myself just before the bottom of the descent before noon, I was glad that the end of the hike was on trails and roads, as it took me over an hour to cover the last two kilometres (fractured lateral malleolus). 3 hours and 20 minutes, with the last few kilometres at the speed of a disabled snail. I met three people in total.

It should be noted that the Mont Carpano route from Grimaldi Beach follows the section between points 1 and 5.
Suffice to say that if I ever do this route again, it will be in the other direction, from Menton to Grimaldi beach.

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sauvage
sauvage

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, easy except for the fairly technical descent on the way back (good footwear is essential). The village of Castellar is well worth a visit, and you can enjoy a nice beer in the square after your hike.

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User 6025438

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely little hike, with breathtaking views of Menton to Monaco on one side and Ventimiglia and Italy on the other!

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pepinet
pepinet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with no great difficulty, except for the descent, which is a bit steep. Beautiful views

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Eric25310
Eric25310

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route, superb views in good weather

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bebeghislaine
bebeghislaine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Fate in the opposite direction, the descent is much easier, I recommend it.

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jeannotbi
jeannotbi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route is interesting for two reasons: the visit to the pretty village of Castellar and the climb up Mont Carpano. We did it in very good weather, going clockwise. We didn't climb to the summit, as the view was already exceptional at No. 3 and it was the ideal place for a picnic. The descent back down to No. 5 is quite rocky and requires care.

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Soso30320
Soso30320

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike offering exceptional views from the Italian border to the Esterel. No difficulty, accessible to all.

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Remi_22
Remi_22

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An excellent hike that is definitely worth doing. You can also go to the cradle just before Mount Carpano. The view is impressive on the Italian side and the Menton coast. A very beautiful hike with no particular difficulty.

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DjéMomo
DjéMomo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with stunning views. The junction between the road and the GR trail could do with a small sign to draw attention to it
JM.

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Radureau
Radureau

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant route. Difficult descent, please be careful. -
We enjoyed the superb view at the summit.

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bebeghislaine
bebeghislaine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb hike with magnificent views of the coastline on the French and Italian sides.

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klem77
klem77

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. The effort is well rewarded by magnificent sea views on both the French and Italian sides!

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marinblic
marinblic

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Note already mentioned in other reviews about the path to follow on the left (the GR51) at the "private property" signs.
Steep descent on very stony ground between points 3 and 5. Next time, I will try to do it the other way round.
Le Plan de Lion is an ideal spot for a picnic, with magnificent views.

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gigidu06
gigidu06
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very pretty hike with panoramic views as far as the eye can see! Magnificent... No sign, but a small post with a red and white marker (1st photo): this is the start of the hike... It's steep until the fork (see 2nd photo)... a few hundred metres further on, the Plan de Lion offers SUPERB panoramic views! Over Menton, Garavan, Cap Martin and Monaco in the background! Once you reach Mont Carpano (border ridge at 773m), the view stretches to the right towards France (Menton) and to the left towards Italy (the view is less pretty!)... Be careful on the steep descent (scree). Return via the wide track. We did not see the barns of Saint Paul. The road takes us back to the cemetery car park, passing in front of the Chapel of St Roch and then the Chapel of St Sebastian. This hike is suitable for children (aged 6/8 and above)

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