Omraadet

Provence is build by a number of Departements and areas. Some times You refer to the name of a Departement at other times to the name of a certain area inside one or more Departements. Chateaudouble is situated in the Departement of Var, in the northern part that is typically referred to as Haute Var. The Village lies between Draguignan, which is the capitol of the Departement and Gorges du Verdons eastern end. Gorges du Verdon is without doubt the top attraction of the area,
The village is small. It is build by around 60 houses, which primarily are owned by French families. A few of the houses are though owned by Dutch and Danish families. The main part of the village is on French hands, which makes French the most spoken language in the Village. It is only the residents of the village that is allowed to drive into the village, so in contradiction to many other small Provencal villages it is actually possible to find a place to park.
	The village has - in spite of its size - a bakery, a small grocery and not less than two excellent restaurants and a bar. So it is possible to eat a dinner here without having to make it by Yourselves, or without having to drive a car for it. The village lies at the edge of the Gorges which carries its name. On the picture to the left You see the view from above the village and into the Gorges de Chateaudouble. The village is named after the two castles placed on each side of the entry to the Gorges, which protected both the village and the entry to the canyon. The ruin of one of the castles is still accessible above the village. If You are into hiking in the mountains Chateaudouble is a perfect starting-point regardless of Your skill-level.
21 km north of Chateaudouble is Comps-sur-Artuby, which marks the entry of the Gorges du Verdon, or Grand Canyon du Verdon, as it is often called. This is the deepest canyon of Europe with more the a thousand metres from the highest point, down to the river in the bottom. Regardless if You take the tour around the Canyon in car (de remember to take the Route de Cretes on the north side) or You rent a water bike or a boat in Lac de Ste Croix and sails into the canyon is this an extraordinary experience.
	In the lower end of the canyon close to Lac de Ste Croix, the locale jump into the river from the mountain sides. Here the river is deepest, and it is supposed to be less dangerous to do so. We need to stress that is actually is prohibited to do so, though the ban doesn't seem to have a larger effect.
	The tour around the entire canyon is approx. 120 km long. If You like to sail the canyon (recommended!) and maybe have a look at a souvenir in Comps-sur-Artuby or Le Palud (Both places have shops with a.o. fantastic fossils) You need to use a whole day for the trip. But what a day - it's worth every minute of it. Personally we have returned year after year, and have probably been there 8 or 9 times by now.
If You take the south bound road instead of driving north You will reach the coastline - Cote d'Azur. Regardless if You go there to swim, or just to feel the intense atmosphere in the costal villages - You may not let Yourself be surprised by the amount of time You need for it. If You go straight south, You will get to Saint Raphael or Sainte Maxime on the north side of the Saint Tropez bay. If You go round the bay You end up in the inevitable Saint Tropez. It's surely worth a visit. Be prepared though that during summertime the village is really crowded! If You go there in the spring or in the fall though it's much easier to get around, and to enjoy the beautiful village, and the citadel above it.
If You take the costal road eastbound, You will get to the bigger costal towns: Antibes, Cannes and not the least of course Nice and Monaco. They are all interesting regardless if You come to see the unique old quarters, to do shopping or just to slender around and sense the atmosphere of Southern European laissez-faire and enormous wealth. Especially the old quarters of Nice have given us many good experiences. The vegetable and flower market that is open every day to noon except Monday, where it is substituted by an interesting antique market, is certainly worth a visit. Especially the Saturday market is impressive. If You drive eastbound on the old road from Draguignan to Grasse in stead of taking the costal road or the highway, You can make a stop in the old perfume city Grasse, where perfume oils are still produced massively, or visit one of the picturesque villages north of Nice, Saint Paul de Vence, Vence or Mougins. Especially Saint Paul is interesting. Beside the old quarter, hidden behind a well conserved city wall, You'll have the possibility to observe art in multiple museums and exhibitions. We do recommend Fondation Maeghts north of the village which is extremely exciting with its vast collection of modern art, including off course Miro's sculpture park surrounding the museum.
	when driving eastbound from Nice, You'll get to Monaco. Wethever going there to feel the sense of history in one of the smallest principalities of Europe, see the change of guards outside the Palace take a walk in the medieval quarter of town or just watch the gigantic yachts in the harbour doesn't make any difference: Monaco is something special. In summertime it's crowded like any other of the costal cities. If You instead of the crowd prefer a little more relaxed atmosphere we can recommend to continue out of the road towards Menton, and here finds the road to Gorbio. This little hidden village is packed with charme, peace and quietness. It consist of a array of fine old houses gathered around some very steep streets which are nearly comparable to paths. Even in the middle of the season there is a remarkable piece in Gorbio. This is probably due to the fact, that beside the medieval village and a fantastic restaurant not are much else to see in Gorbio. No hot boutiques, or fashionable people - only peace and quietness. A place we like to recommend, especially for a lunch in the excellent restaurant on the edge of the village. Also in the area around Chateaudouble You'll find a number of fine small villages that we can recommend for a visit. Bargemon is probably the most well-known in Denmark and Britain. A fine small village that is best known because of it's fountains and it's medieval castle, which today is changed into apartments. At Cafe du Commerce that offers outdoor serving during summertime, You'll see the waiter running back and forth between the cafe on the one side of the road, and the outdoor tables on the other side of the road. Here You'll find a fantastic atmosphere, which is made stronger by the fact that all traffic going through the village from the four roads crossing each other here, meets at the fountain at the small square. In Seillans the fine medieval village centre is well conserved. The village is gathered around the castle at the top of the village. Here You'll see a number of workshops where local artist produce and sell the art.
Going eastbound from Seillans You'll get to Fayence, which offers several reasons for a visit. For instance the big market held there three times a week, the medieval centre of town, where it's only possible to get around by foot, the tower at the top of the town from where You can see to the Esterel Massive or the big glider airport at the foot of the town. The market of Fayence has to be experienced. It's open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Saturday market is off course the largest, but the other two does have a certain size as well. It's important to mention that this market is not just something that goes on in the summertime, to honour the tourists. The market is running all year and is where the residents and people from the area meet to buy and sell their products, and where You can get anything from beds to carrots. North of Fayence You'll find the hidden and forgotten village Mons. Mons is isolated in the mountains, at a crossing of three mountain roads. Exactly in the pass where the road from Sainte Cezaire, meets the one from Fayence, and they both meets the road that leads to Route de Napoleon (N85) that goes from Nice to Grenoble. Mons is so isolated that the village still have their own local Provencal tongue only spoken here, and still used. It's truly worth a visit and is one of our personal favourites for a half day trip with focus on peace and beauty, and where You go through a number of the most beautiful pass' of the Var region. South of the Village there is an ancient Roman Aqueduct, build by the Romans to transport fresh water from the mountains down to the big costal cities. The aqueduct is approximately five kilometres south of the village. It's a good and beautiful walk down their - but remember You have to get up again! You can take the car down there as well - this is somehow more comfortable.
	Of other places worth visiting in the area just around Chateaudouble quite a few is mentionable. The caves in Sainte Cezaire, Gorge de Siagne (on the road to the caves), Gourdon, Gorges du Loup, Marine land in Antibes where it's possible to see the great killer whale shows, the Departement capitol Draguignan, Frejus with it's old roman arena, Abbaye de Thoronet and so very much more...... If You enjoy to take longer trips both Arles and the Camargue is recommendable as excellent experiences. Likewise are Avignon with the Popes Palace amongst the favourites. But these are trips to take if You are ready to do long trips for the great experiences (2-300 kilometres a day). Eastbound You find the great Alpes in Alpes Maritime and Haut Alpes Maritime. Here is just as well excellent ground for great natural experiences. Generally speaking is all of this area one gigantic gathering of good experiences that You will never grow used to, or finish the exploration of. So bienvenue for hundreds of good experiences in colourful Provence.