The 6 most beautiful hikes to do in the mountain Sainte-Victoire

Take a look at the Aixian hinterland by choosing one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the Sainte-Victoire mountain!

The Sainte-Victoire mountain is a small massif by the size (1 011 meters maximum) but large by the symbolic. It is even an emblem of Provence celebrated by great names of painting like Cézanne.

Through countless walking trails, the site allows you to relax your legs in a sunny afternoon. The summit is easily accessible and offers visitors splendid views of the country of Aix.

In good weather, you can see Mont Ventoux, the sea and even the Alps ! Monuments and historical sites punctuate the routes to the sound of cigales or mistral. Come on, here are the most beautiful hikes in the mountain Sainte-Victoire!

1. La Brèche des Moines

This hike of the Sainte-Victoire mountain runs a particularly well marked path (red). A stone trail passes through a typical Mediterranean vegetation to the Cézanne refuge and climbs up to the colossal Croix de Provence and the Brèche des Moines...

The face caresed by the mistral, you admire a plunging view of the lower Rhone valley. The Mont Ventoux, in the North, and the snowy alpine peaks of the Ecrins Mountains break the horizon.

The pond of Berre and the famous peak of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, the Pic des Mouches, complete this exceptional panorama. Water supply and good shoes to climb this rocky route.

2. The loop around Lake Zola

This hike from the Sainte-Victoire mountain begins on the D17 between Beaurecueil and Le Bouquet. Balized with blue, your trail gently winds in the pine forest.

Quickly, you will reach a very aesthetic peak line. It offers a splendid view of the region, including Zola's deduction.

This dam (the first dam in the world, built in 1850) bears the name of François Zola, the father of the writer! Close to Lake Bimont, this route has the double advantage of proposing shade and a reasonable denial.

You will have understood this: for a vibrant and bucolic afternoon without too much fatigue, it is a must.

3. The Cross of Provence by the Black Path

You see it, the parking lot of the Two Aiguilles on the D17 just after Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon in the direction of Puyloubier? Garage your vehicle and engage on the Black Trail (black sign) on your right.

You will then start a mountain hike from Sainte-Victoire quite difficult, at least until La Croix de Provence. Some passages are similar to climbing when you walk through this path in cornice!

From the famous Pas de l’Eléphant to the cave in the Hirondelles, the zigzague route above a sublime Provencal landscape. The Priory of Sainte-Victoire is close.

The Grotte aux Hirondelles tunnel allows you to reach GR9 to start a descent to the starting point. Extraordinary and especially in the autumn when the afternoon is already well advanced: what splendid colors...

4. L’Ermitage de Saint-Ser par le col de Vauvenargues

This hike of the Sainte-Victoire mountain starts from the village of Puyloubier and leads you to the Hermitage of Saint-Ser. The latter consists of a chapel built in the continuation of a cave: in the fifth century, a hermit came to take refuge there, from which the name!

A particularly well-appointed path leads you to it. Once at the top, you will admire a beautiful view of the vineyards of Puyloubier, the valley of the Arc, the Aurélien Mountain and the Sainte-Baume.

But your journey is not over: it runs along a ridge that dominates the area of Vauvenargues before returning quietly.

Our advice? Bring water in abundance if you meet in the summer and avoid weekends . The route is quite frequent, you will understand why by surveying it!

5. Refuge Cézanne

From the Pont de l’Anchois on the D17 at the height of the hamlet of Bouquet, you will find a short and family-run trail.

An extenuating point of denivelé or cliffs to pass but a small southern path under the sing of the cigales, simply! We advise you to go there early because the itinerary is frequented.

It leads you to the heart of the south face of Sainte-Victoire to the Cézanne refuge. He has nothing to do with the painter of the same name and has interesting historical information.

The place will be happy to lend itself to a picnic before leaving in the middle of the young oak trees (the area is reboshed to erase the traces of a violent fire in 1989). Fields of olive trees, like you, benefit from the sun present almost all year round: you will cross many!

6. Pic des Mouches

The Pic des Mouches is the highest peak of the massif. This mountain culminates in 1 011 meters above sea level . This hike of the Sainte-Victoire mountain is rather sporty and is away from traditional trails.

Here, it climbs pretty hard and good shoes are better! The path starts from the parking lot of Saint-Ser and runs towards the Hermitage in a first time.

Then it crosses forests and Provencal shrubs to reach a peak leading to the Pic des Mouches. The latter presents a sublime panorama (and sometimes violent wind at the level of the Vauvenargues pass).

This rando is therefore willing to address experienced hikers. But what a spectacle of the Mediterranean Sea in the foothills of the Alps! It was worth it, wasn't it?