Sights of the French Riviera

What can be found on the Côte d'Azur

Today I want to tell you about original places to visit on the French Riviera if you want to get off the beaten track. Two outings I suggest you do: in the Alpes-Maritimes, the walk to the strange Falicon cave and in the Var, the observation of pink flamingos on a double tombolo.

Falicon Cave

The Falicon grotto is located in the hills above Nice. Simply park your car at the start of the aire Saint Michel and begin your ascent along a clearly signposted path. This path takes you to an old ruined sheepfold. From here, turn right and after a quarter of an hour you'll find the Falicon pyramid. The pyramid is now in ruins and marks the entrance to the grotte des Ratapignatas, i.e. the cave of the bats... The chasm is quite deep, so don't venture into it as some people do! Apart from the beauty of the walk, the mystery surrounding the building of this pyramid at the entrance to the cave makes the place very special. Many theories circulate: could it be a monument to the Order of the Temple? The only certainty is that it dates back to the early 1800s... so make up your own mind.

The tombolo of Hyères

The wonders of the Côte d'Azur are numerous and will never cease to amaze you!

Head for the Var! The town of Hyères to observe pink flamingos on a double tombolo.
What's that, you might ask?

Many holidaymakers travel from the town to Les Palmiers on the Presqu'île de Giens. This island offers magnificent beaches surrounded by pine forests. But few of them realise that when they take the salt road, which runs alongside large ponds, they pass over a double tombolo. This is a very rare geological phenomenon, as there are only 5 in the world! A tombolo is a cordon of sediments which connects an island to a continent and makes the island no longer an island but a peninsula... Do you follow? In the case of Giens, two arms of land were formed to link the peninsula to the commune of Hyères instead of one. Apart from the rarity of the geological phenomenon and to enrich your general culture 😉 , it is the formation of a small Camargue bordered on both sides by beaches that is really worth the diversions!

Photo credit © Sarah Graziani