The most beautiful natural sites to discover France

Carnac offers beautiful beaches (like the Grande Plage, Saint-Colomban beach, Légénèse and Ty Bihan beaches, or the Beaumer and Men Dû beaches) pleasantly sheltered and famous for their fine sand, their gentle slopes or the clarity of their water. The city is certified as for the quality of its swimming water and is listed in zone A (high quality water). Exceptional natural heritage, the Carnac littoral is preserved. Areas for bathing is supervised on the Grande Plage and the Saint-Colomban beach during summer. Carnac is also the bathing area for all thanks to the Tourisme et Handicap label.

In the beautiful Vercors massif, the Archiane circus is a must for hikers. To get there, you will pass the village of Châtillon-en-Diois, take the direction of Ménée and take the small road without exit of the Archiane circus. The site is classified, you will quickly understand why, wherever you look, whatever angle you choose, you will only have cliffs around you, steep slopes declining shades of grey, pink or ochre on grandiose natural sculptures. Nestled in the hollow of the circus, a small village will allow you to refresh yourself, and to regain your strength before or after one of the many hikes you have undertaken! The site houses the Diois organic fish farm (stand on the Die market).

Cut out, lined with reefs and bristling with large granite blocks, the Pointe de Plougrescant is worth a visit. The very famous house between the rocks of Castel Meur, whose image has been seen all over the world, does not fail to amaze visitors. But beware, it is private property and any commercial representation is prohibited, since unscrupulous tourists have caused damage to the site. A barrier blocks access to it. Nearby is the Abyss, an impressive fault between two rocks. During high winds, the waves break powerfully between the rocks and create a spectacular spectacle. From the village of Plougrescant, it is possible to take a nice walk, where you will see other houses nestled against venerable granite masses.

From parking to the beach: five hundred metres to travel for non-residents of naturist villages on a hard, horizontal and barrier-free path.

On the beach: swimming is not dangerous.

Only on uncontrolled beaches

Hourtin plage is a place of leisure to discover during your holidays during a stay on the coast of the Atlantic Médoc. Surfing, swimming, leisure activities for children, supervised beach. Dogs must be kept on a leash.

Nestled in a natural setting at the bottom of the Kaysersberg valley, the Lac Blanc and the Lac Noir are a delight for lovers of invigorating hikes! Built during the annexation of Alsace to the German Empire after the 1870 war, these two lakes were linked in 1933 as part of the construction of the very first pumped storage power station installed in France. Separated by a 100 m difference in level, they are connected by a penstock. The principle consists in exchanging water between the two reservoirs at off-peak times. At peak consumption times, electricity is produced by turbining water from the upper reservoir. During off-peak hours, water from the lower basin is pumped to Lac Blanc for storage. In winter, a special atmosphere prevails on the site. This is probably why Jean-Pierre Mocky chose to shoot the opening sequence of his crime film Agent trouble with Catherine Deneuve in 1987. When the snow is there, skiing (downhill or cross-country) is a very popular activity. The Cornelius trail allows you to go from Lac Blanc to Lac Noir and back. Also to be discovered on the heights of Le Bonhomme and Lapoutroie, the pond of Devin is dominated by the Tête-des-Faux and has all the characteristics of a peat bog. It is also a protected site because it shelters an exceptional biodiversity. Superb panorama also around the Lac du Forlet and the Lac Vert which are both accessible from the hamlet of Hautes-Huttes in Orbey.

This 112-hectare park is a haven of peace for joggers with its 4, 5 or 8 km of paths around the Saint-Nicolas pond, but also a superb playground and discovery area for children, with its toy boat basin, its pedal carts and its animal enclosures. Come and (re) discover this pleasant park for a stroll, a picnic, to enjoy the refreshment bar in good weather, or why not for a little ride on the merry-go-round for young and old alike.

From the plateau of Poulx, between the school and the stadium, a slow descent in the direction of the Roach promises a smooth and spectacular walk, even though the stony path requires to be well downstairs to walk well. From the first point of departure, the landscape is breathtaking. The Gardon here widened the valley until it got harmonious gorges, less cliffs than those of Tarn or Verdon but with amazing geological particularities. It was here that Henri-Georges Clouzot turned a good part of his Fear of Fear and sent the truck of Yves Montand and Charles Vanel a few hundred metres lower (the carcasses in the precipices did not date from that time). On the edge of the river bed, two mills were recently restored by the joint management union. On the other side you can admire the grotto of La Baume and its hermitage, because the floods of 2002 destroyed the threshold that allowed the Gardon to cross the Gardon on foot or almost. For this other bank, it's Sanilhac that you will have to leave.

If you don't see it immediately when you train, the Saline cascade is there. Here, the Auze River drops thirty meters high! The site impresses with the fall and the viaduct that overlooks it across the road. Under the waterfall, you will notice a cavity from which a source springs; This is the Druid Fountain. A hiking path, marked in blue, proposes to walk to the foot of the waterfall and then in the village of Salins, offering beautiful views. Circuit available at the Tourist Office of Mauriac.