Digne-les-Bains

Land of pure emotions

Massif des Préalpes de Digne
Département et Région : Alpes de Haute-Provence et Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Principal passes : col de Fontbelle, Pas de Bonnet, col de Corobin
Stop on P'tites Routes du Soleil®: Sisteron / Digne-les-Bains and Digne-les-Bains-Tartonne

Summary

Suggestions for cycling loops
Our major passes
Events around cycling
Biking in Digne-les-Bains
Summer in Digne-les-Bains
Other seasons
Other events
Services
Testimonials
Access
Contacts
Other villages and resorts near Digne-les-Bains

Suggestions for cycling loops around Digne-les-Bains

Our major passes

Haute-Provence is very popular with cycle tourists with its iconic passes such as the col de Fontbelle at 1304m or the col de Corobin at 1211m, offering winding roads and spectacular panoramas over the region. The route des Clues de Barles is also a must-do, with breathtaking scenery right in the heart of the Haute-Provence Geopark.

pause vélo — Crédit photo Thibaut Vergoz

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Cycling in Digne-les-Bains

At the heart of the Southern Region and the unique landscapes of the Haute-Provence Geopark, Digne-les-Bains offers an exceptional playground for cycling enthusiasts of all kinds.
As the epicenter of the Provence-Alpes mountain bike domain, the largest mountain bike domain in France with 2300 km of mountain bike trails, Digne-les-Bains is unquestionably the cycling destination par excellence.
More than 100 marked routes for all practices: hiking, electric mountain biking, X-Country, All Mountain, Enduro, Downhill, Gravel, night mountain biking...

Mountain bike enthusiasts, more than 50 marked routes are available to discover Haute Provence. The unmissable Terres Noires circuit has made Digne-les-Bains famous in the world of mountain biking (mountain biking off marked trails is strictly forbidden on this site). The mythical single-track trails of the Val de Durance sector are ranked among the most beautiful and fun in France. The Evo Bike Park in Digne-les-Bains is ranked among the 10 most beautiful bike parks in the world (7 trails)! And that's not all...
3 "Grandes Traversées VTT" cross the Provence Alpes mountain bike area, including 2 through Haute Provence:
- Les Chemins du Soleil, 1000 km from Lake Geneva to the sea (via Sisteron, Val de Durance and Digne-les-Bains)
- L'Alpes-Provence, 300 km from Col de Larche in Ubaye to Manosque (via Seyne-les-Alpes, Digne-les-Bains and Val de Durance)

NEW: Inaugurated on March 18, 2024, the Stade VTT de Cross-country Olympique de Haute-Provence in Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban is a unique facility in the southern region! Located in a natural area, this site offers 4 XCO training courses, a natural pumptrack and a fun handling area; all free of charge and open all year round.

Turnkey cycling holidays
Enjoy a variety of itineraries, comfortable accommodation, tasty sports meals and a complete service taking care of luggage transport and full board, for memorable cycling vacations! Several packages (MTB, Cyclo, Gravel) on sale at the tourist office.

Click here for more info

Summer in Digne-les-Bains

Installed in the heart of an inspiring landscape, Digne-les-Bains is undeniably inhabited by a wealth of curiosities. Prefecture of the Alpes de Haute Provence department, Digne-les-Bains is also known as the historic capital of the Lavender trade. Situated on the borders of the Alps and Provence, the town stretches across a landscape of mid-range mountains, ensuring exceptional environmental quality!
On foot, by bike, suspended from paragliders or clinging to cliffs, all the conditions are there to satisfy your desire to expend your energy. Solo, with friends, accompanied by professional guides, Digne-les-Bains has a vast choice of outdoor activities to recharge your batteries. Hiking, of course, is a great way to get to know the town, and one of the best ways to do so is to follow the trails that criss-cross the surrounding mountains. From the town center, you'll quickly gain access to the pine and oak woods to reach superb viewpoints without difficulty.

Another impressive, if not vertiginous, walk is that of the Rocher de Neuf heures, which leads us to the foot of the via ferrata with its 100-metre-high cliff. Need a little more height? If you're a rock-climber, you'll quickly find your way to the 80 routes of Rocher de Courbons. Finally, for those who are a little weary of the cow floor, discovering Digne-les-Bains from the vaulted canvas of a paraglider, will certainly offer one of the most beautiful views!

Thermal spa town Digne les Bains has a thermal establishment for rheumatology and respiratory cures but also a Spa Thermal for wellness treatments. The Spa Thermal de Haute-Provence is ideal for a wellness break after exercise. The aqualudic area is equipped with a thermal water pool and offers workshops such as counter-current swimming, swan neck, whirlpool baths...
This resolutely modern infrastructure also offers, hammam, sauna, and solarium, as well as pools of varying temperatures for a complete moment of well-being.

Culture-wise, 5 museums.
- The Promenade museum, the Haute Provence Geopark's interpretation center, invites visitors to stroll through a large shady park where paths and streams intersect, and where waterfalls and contemporary artworks build an enchanting setting.
- The Notre Dame du Bourg archaeological crypt reveals traces of construction on the exact site of the town's origins over an area of 870 m²
- The Musée Gassendi invites the public to stroll along a porous frontier where art and science intersect, in the image of its enigmatic hydropithecae. Contemporary art extends far beyond the boundaries of the Musée Gassendi, and is showcased in a collection outside the walls: the Art en Montagne collection, an ensemble of in situ works
- The Alexandra David Neel House, home-museum of the famous explorer, the 1st European woman to enter the forbidden city of Lhasa in 1924.
- The Lavender Museum recounts the history of lavender cultivation around Digne-les-Bains - the historic lavender capital - from the 1900s to the present day.
The tourist office also offers guided tours of the town every Tuesday from March to November.

The town is also a world forerunner in the preservation and enhancement of geological heritage. In the 1980s, it saw the birth of France's first Geological Nature Reserve. In 1991, under the aegis of UNESCO, it became the headquarters of the International Declaration of the Rights of the Memory of the Earth. In 2004, it became the birthplace of the world's very first Geopark!
With over 1,500 ammonite and nautilus fossils grouped together in a 320 m² area, the ammonite slab at Digne-les-Bains is without doubt the emblematic site of the Haute Provence Geopark.

Coming back in winter

Located to the north of Provence Alpes Agglomération, 1 hour from Digne-les-Bains, the Blanche Serre-Ponçon massif offers three downhill ski resorts: Montclar les 2 vallées, Chabanon-Selonnet, Le Grand Puy and a Nordic ski and snowshoe site: Le Fanget. Labeled village resorts on a human scale, with breathtaking panoramic views over the Serre-Ponçon lake and the Alps, and snowshoeing to discover our wild and protected areas.
corso

Other events

Corso de la Lavande : August 2-6, 2024
Balls, concerts, large funfair, majorette parades, musical groups and lavender-scented decorated floats, Lavender Tattoo (brass bands)...

Fête du terroir : August 8, 2024
Pedagogical farm, farm animals, horse-drawn carriage rides, local producers' and craftsmen's market.

Lavender Fair : August 22 to 25
The Digne-les-Bains Lavender Fair is back! This year, discover the terroir area run by local producers from 15 Provence Alpes Agglomération communes.

Services

Office de Tourisme Provence Alpes Digne-les-Bains
Place du Tampinet à Digne les Bains - 04 92 36 62 62
Open all year.
Tourist information offices in Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban, Les Mées, Seyne, Montclar, Chabanon and Sainte Croix du Verdon.
Bus station in downtown Digne les Bains.
Find accommodation
Find a restaurant
Bike recharging terminal at the Thermes de Digne les Bains.
Battery recharging available at the tourist office.

favorite

Sisteron / Digne-les-Bains

60,82 Km

5 h 00 min

Sisteron

favorite

Digne-les-Bains / Tartonne

45,63 Km

3 h 45 min

Digne-les-Bains

Testimonials

At last, real mountain biking, single-track, uphill and fun. No need to bother going to Colorado, when there's something better 3 hours from home. Thanks for everything. Geoffroy

Super visit this morning to the apiaries in Estoublon, full of explanations. We also really enjoyed the ammonite slab (quite impressive for the kids), the geopark and the pond. Emilie

We had an excellent DUO mountain biking holiday. Bénédicte at the gîte welcomed us like royalty. The meal, picnic and breakfast were perfect! We set off with VTTAEs and it was perfect because the outward journey was very challenging on certain sections (this is not a beginner's circuit!) Don't forget to take 2L of water per person. Definitely worth doing again! Anaïs and Benoît

Parcours le Géant, completed in 3 days. Top tracks, perfect organization, what happiness! Thanks to the tourist office for its know-how and welcome. Maxence and Didier.

Beautiful sporting trails, perfect signposting. Super welcome in the accommodation 5 days to recommend to mountain bike enthusiasts. Virginie et Bertrand, vététistes Alsaciens et Alsaciennes

FAQ

What is the emblematic flower of Digne-les-bains?
Lavender, of course!"
What are the two large lakes that border the Digne -es-Bains conurbation to the north and south?
Lac de Serre-Ponçon and Lac de Sainte-Croix.
At what altitude is Digne les Bains located?
At 600m
How many times has Digne les Bains hosted the Tour de France?
13, the last time was in 2015.

Access

SNCF and bus stations

Aix-en-Provence TGV
Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban
Digne-les-Bains

Road access

D1075 from Grenoble
A51 from Marseille
N202 from Nice

Contacts

☎ 04 92 36 62 62 www.dignelesbains-tourisme.com

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"Text and photo contents published under the responsibility of the tourist offices that provided them to us and own them."

Digne-les-Bains

Land of pure emotions

Summary

Suggestions for cycling loops around Digne-les-Bains

Our major passes

Coming back in winter

Other events

Services

The map

Testimonials

FAQ

Access

Contacts

Who are we?