Access & transport
The Verdon has neither a train station nor an airport: you arrive via the coast or the valleys, then head into the canyon. Here are the gateways in — plane, train, bus, car — and above all how to cross the Grand Canyon even without a car.
Two airports flank the Verdon, each its own gateway:
From the airport, the rest of the journey is by rental car or Zou! bus.
No mainline service reaches the Verdon directly. The access stations are:
The Train des Pignes (the scenic Nice–Digne line) serves Annot, Thorame-Haute, Saint-André-les-Alpes and Barrême, at the gates of the Haut-Verdon. The line is affected by disruption and engineering works in 2026 (safety work on the Moriez tunnel, until early 2027) — check the day’s service status on cpzou.fr.
Three regional Zou! lines serve the Verdon, at a single regional fare. Service is increased in summer and reduced out of season — timetables and booking at zou.maregionsud.fr (info line: 0 809 400 013).
THE line that crosses the heart of the Grand Canyon. The only regular service linking Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, La Palud-sur-Verdon, Rougon / Point Sublime (arrival point of the Blanc-Martel trail) and Castellane. Essential for hikers without a car.
The long-distance link from the coast: Nice and its airport, via Grasse, through to Castellane and Saint-André-les-Alpes. The main way into the Verdon from the east.
The upper Verdon valley: links the Val d’Allos / La Foux resort and the villages of the Haut-Verdon to the rail network (connection with the Train des Pignes at Saint-André).
The most flexible way to explore. From Marseille / Aix, take the A51; from Nice, the A8 then mountain roads. Two things to know:
It’s possible, and hardly anyone actually maps it out. Along the Grand Canyon axis, the Zou! 450 bus line combined with the Park’s Blanc-Martel shuttle lets you do the great canyon hike without tying up a car at each end:
2026 shuttle: from April 19 to November 3, daily from July 1 to September 15. Return fare 8,50 € adult / 5,50 € child. Booking mandatory for the return trip (navette.parcduverdon.fr).
No. The Verdon has neither an airport nor a mainline train station within its territory. The nearest airports are Marseille-Provence (for the west: Moustiers, Gréoux, Lake Sainte-Croix) and Nice Côte d’Azur (for the east: Castellane). The access train stations are Aix-en-Provence TGV, Manosque, Les Arcs-Draguignan (on the Var side) and Digne-les-Bains (terminus of the Train des Pignes). From there, you reach the Verdon by car or Zou! bus.
Via the regional Zou! 450 line, the only one that crosses the Grand Canyon: it links Riez, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, La Palud-sur-Verdon, Rougon / Point Sublime and Castellane. Timetables at zou.maregionsud.fr — service is increased in summer and reduced out of season.
Yes, along the Grand Canyon axis. The Zou! 450 bus line (Moustiers – La Palud – Point Sublime – Castellane) combined with the Park’s Blanc-Martel shuttle even makes it possible to do the great canyon hike without a car: bus to La Palud, shuttle to the trailhead (Chalet de la Maline), walk to Point Sublime, then bus back. Elsewhere (Haut-Verdon, the back country), the service is more limited.
The Blanc-Martel trail is not a loop: it starts at the Chalet de la Maline and finishes at Point Sublime. The regional nature park’s Blanc-Martel shuttle connects La Palud-sur-Verdon to the Chalet de la Maline in the morning, and brings walkers back from Point Sublime to La Palud in the afternoon. In 2026: from April 19 to November 3, daily from July 1 to September 15. Return fare 8,50 € adult, 5,50 € child. Online booking is mandatory to guarantee the return trip (navette.parcduverdon.fr).
They close for winter and generally reopen around mid-June depending on snow cover. In 2026, the Col d’Allos (2,250 m) reopened on 12 June to vehicles under 3.5 t. Since conditions change quickly, always check the same-day status on inforoute04.fr before setting off.