Tourism in Riez

In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, discover the village of Riez. You will appreciate the authentic character of this typical village on the Valensole plateau.

By choosing to take the secondary roads leading to the village of Riez, you will enjoy a completely different pace, far from the hustle and bustle of the big cities.

Are you planning to spend an active vacation, recharging your batteries in contact with unspoiled nature? You can initiate yourself to hiking or cycling on the paths in the heart of the preserved landscapes of the Valensole plateau. During your stay in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, you can also try your hand at other activities: horse riding, introduction to golf, climbing, tree climbing, paragliding…

In Riez, as everywhere in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, gastronomic specialties are a tourist attraction in their own right. You will also be able to take part in several local markets in the region where the stalls are rich in colours and scents.

Local heritage is earned. You have to know how to find it, at the bend of a path or in the hollow of a valley. Here, a very well preserved fountain. There, an old medieval castle with its ramparts and its keep. To find ideas for activities, you can get in touch with the Tourist Office. Are you looking for accommodation in or around Riez? You prefer to stay in a campsite, in a bed and breakfast or in a hotel? We will help you find accommodation.

Lavender-coloured Provence

Lavender participates in the radiance of Provence, seducing the view and intoxicating you with a perfume that is both subtle and bewitching. Between June and July, the Valensole plateau offers a colourful show, unfolding its lavender fields that stretch as far as the eye can see.

The Verdon Natural Park

You will find in the Verdon Park a great diversity of landscapes: the Valensole plateau, where wheat and lavender are grown, the low gorges, with hills covered with kermes oaks, the lake of Sainte-Croix, the lakes and mountains, the Gorges du Verdon, the Artuby, with its rocky reliefs, its forests and villages of character, the hills of the Haut-Var… You will be able to initiate yourself to many outdoor leisure activities. Hiking is a very popular nature activity in the Park… You can also discover the paths of the Park by bike, by trying your hand at climbing, going down the gorges in a kayak, taking off on a via ferrata, or contemplating the Park from the sky by paragliding… The picturesque villages are reminiscent of a very ancient human occupation. During your visits, you will be able to admire wash houses, fountains, wells, chapels, oratories, churches, historical milestones, bread ovens, windmills, grain mills, oil mills, dovecotes, bridges, medieval castles, oppidums… Agropastoralism is very active thanks to the work of passionate farmers. Markets and grocery stores will allow you to discover local products: gingerbread, honey, mountain cheese, lamb, vegetables and fruits, olives, cold pressed olive oil, liqueurs, lavender extracts…

Provence so dear to Giono

Jean Giono is one of the best known Provençal authors. In particular, he wrote Le Hussard sur le toit (The Hussar on the Roof), which relates the adventures of a young colonel of the hussars in a Provence victim of cholera. Regain, a work that illustrates the author’s return to his beloved Provence, tells the story of the rebirth of a village victim of the rural exodus. A movie by Marcel Pagnol adapts this book. Travel through the authentic Provence of Giono, with its sun-drenched landscapes and picturesque villages.