Entrevaux

Entrevaux sits in a loop of the Var where the valley narrows, and until 1860 this was the frontier between France and the states of Savoy, which is why Vauban fortified it from 1693. The village is entered over a bridge with a drawbridge gate, and from it a fortified ramp of twenty zigzag sections climbs about a hundred and fifty-six metres to the citadel on the crag. Inside the walls the streets are narrow and largely unchanged, with a cathedral built into the ramparts. The Train des Pignes stops here, so the village can be reached without a car.

What you actually see

• The drawbridge gate - the working entrance across the Var.
• The zigzag ramp - twenty fortified sections climbing to the citadel.
• The citadel - Vauban's fort on the crag above the village.
• The rampart cathedral - a church built into the defensive wall.

When to go

April to October; the citadel climb is exposed and hot in midsummer. The Train des Pignes runs year-round and makes a good approach. A medieval festival fills the village in August.

Honest expectations

The climb to the citadel is steep, stony and takes around twenty-five minutes each way with no shade. The citadel itself is largely empty walls. The village has few services.

Nearby

The Gorges de Daluis lie north; Nice is southeast down the valley.