Mont d'Or

The Tour du Mont d'Or is the remains of an ancient watchtower. It is located on a hill surrounded by olive groves and can be seen from far away when you arrive in Manosque.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.91 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 189 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 185 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 528 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 347 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Depart from the Drouille car park (free), located along Allée Alphonse Daudet.

(S/E) Go to the back of the car park, turn right and then left at the top, onto Allée Joubert, and continue to the right until you reach the crossroads. Turn left onto Avenue Jean Giono and you will immediately arrive at Passage des Hussards on your right.

(1) Take this road and at the end, you will arrive at Esplanade François Mitterrand. Cross this and then walk past Théâtre Jeau le Bleu. Turn left and then go up Rue du Riou on the right. At the corner of the police station, turn left onto Rue Dauphine and continue to the next crossroads.

(2) Go up to the right towards Mont d'Or and keep right at the next intersection, Rue des Vraies Richesses. Before the small canal, take the small path on the right, Impasse du Paraïs.

(3) Walk along the property where Jean Giono lived and at the end of the path, turn right and follow the canal for about one kilometre. You will arrive at a wide bridge (passable by vehicle), just after a kind of ford, at the confluence with a small valley. Cross the canal.

(4) At the next crossroads, go straight ahead and leave the path on your right. At the crossroads, turn right then left and you will arrive at a car park.

(5) Go to the barrier and turn right onto the marked path. Follow the circular loop that passes by Mont d'Or and return to the barrier.

(5) Turn left downhill onto Chemin Gérard Durbet and join Rue des Vraies Richesses, which you follow to the bottom.

(2) Turn right towards Parking de la Villette, Rue Dauphine, cross Boulevard Mirabeau, take Rue d'Aubette opposite, then immediately left onto Rue Chacundier. Ignore Boulevard Mirabeau on the left and continue to the next four-way intersection. Continue left and find a passageway on the left.

(6) Follow it and you will soon arrive at Promenade A Millo. Turn right, then follow Avenue Jean Giono to the left and take the same route back to Parking de Drouille (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 347 m - Drouille car park
  2. 1 : km 0.41 - alt. 371 m - Passage des Hussards
  3. 2 : km 0.94 - alt. 367 m - Fork in the road, towards Mont d'Or
  4. 3 : km 1.21 - alt. 385 m - Jean Giono's house
  5. 4 : km 2.34 - alt. 390 m - Canal de Manosque
  6. 5 : km 3.03 - alt. 504 m - Mont d'Or Trail
  7. 6 : km 5.29 - alt. 376 m - Passage on the left
  8. S/E : km 5.91 - alt. 347 m - Drouille car park

Notes

Wear good shoes, as you will be climbing about 100 metres on a stony path.
Always bring water and a first aid kit for minor injuries.

Notes:
During the hike, you will pass along a small path that runs alongside the property where Jean Giono lived.

When you reach the highest point, you will have a magnificent view of the town of Manosque and the Durance valley.

Towards the end of your hike, you will arrive at the A Millo promenade, where, if it is a Wednesday, you will find a Provençal market.

Worth a visit

To the left of Avenue Jean Giono, there is a square with the Tourist Office at the end, which will tell you what to see and do.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
ojeannot
ojeannot
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

As I have a lodge in Colombet, I went straight to the point (5), to go to (3), then to (4) and back to (5).

It was a beautiful hike, but I found the description between (5) and the tower to be insufficient. The markings had disappeared, and I was only able to follow the route using GPS.

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Lechatoscar34
Lechatoscar34

We didn't take the route because we were a little disappointed by the previous day's hike, we were short on time, and it was very hot.
We drove to the foot of Mont d'Or.
The view from the summit was breathtaking, and there was a beautiful panorama from the tower. It's a shame that you can't walk all the way around the top because it's private property and the path is walled off, and it's a shame that there's no orientation table at the summit!
Perhaps one day the Manosquin Heritage Committee will redesign another path allowing visitors to walk around the entire summit... and install an orientation table... that would be great...

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Domy MARRA
Domy MARRA

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I find this hike very beautiful. It's quite steep, but well worth the effort.
It's a shame there's no orientation table at the top, at the summit.

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Domy MARRA
Domy MARRA

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed this hike and highly recommend it.
The only thing is in section 3:
"(3) Walk along the property where Jean Giono lived and at the end of the path, turn
right and follow the canal for about one kilometre."
I find that when you're at the end of Impasse du Paraïs, the house where Jean Giono lived is on your right, behind a low wall (the house is not open to visitors at the moment as it is undergoing renovation),
and at the end of Jean Giono's low wall, there is another house and, as its name suggests, we are in a cul-de-sac.
So, at the end of Jean Giono's low wall, take the very narrow path on the left, which runs alongside a very small stream, surrounded by vegetation.
then, at the end of this small stream, you arrive at the small Manosque canal and "turn right and follow the canal..."
I hesitated a little when I arrived at this point, given the explanations,
which is why I'm making this comment.
In any case, I highly recommend this beautiful walk, even if it is quite a climb.
The view from up there is sublime.
Enjoy your discovery!

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CPA67
CPA67

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The walk is pleasant, the climb before reaching the summit of Mont d'Or is a little steep but the panoramic view stretching as far as the eye can see is well worth the effort.
To cross the canal: following the GPS track, you need to go a few metres further than point 4, where there is a concrete bridge and a stony path leading uphill. From there, you can find the track on the map.

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Marine 0909
Marine 0909

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk.
We had trouble finding the bridge because there are so many crossing the canal.
Quite a steep climb on a stony path, but it's worth it – the view from the top is fantastic.

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Bob Timmerman
Bob Timmerman

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Interesting hike. I can confirm that it is difficult to find the path that climbs up from the canal. There are indeed many bridges, all of which are only used to cross the canal. You have to take the wide bridge (suitable for vehicles) just after a kind of ford. Another landmark: this bridge is at the end of the housing estate below, but it is much more difficult to identify. After that, there is a fairly steep climb, but the view and the tower are worth the effort.
It's also a good idea to walk behind the old ramparts. It's a shame that the houses are in poor condition.
In conclusion: we don't regret our hike!

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Fandol
Fandol

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

It's a good idea to pass by Jean Giono's house, but the path leading up to the road that runs alongside the Manosque canal is overgrown with vegetation. Then, we were unable to find "the small, recently built bridge that is only used to cross the canal" because there are several bridges and, more importantly, no path leading up the hill. We had to turn back and go up the road because another path had a sign saying "Private property. No trespassing"!
It's a shame because the site is wonderful and deserves proper signage.

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AlexiaFerreol
AlexiaFerreol

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Enjoy the walk and the beautiful view once you reach the top!

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Patrick131313
Patrick131313

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Hike starting from the centre of Manosque and going to the Tour du Mont D'or. While the start and end are interesting, the climb itself is uninteresting (tarmac road leading up to the tower).
You might as well drive up, enjoy the exceptional view, and then explore the centre of Manosque on foot in more detail.

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mathilde84
mathilde84
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

There is currently construction work along the canal.
Access to the path is currently impossible.
We were forced to climb the tower via the tarmac road.

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