Shuttles and parking in the Gorges du Verdon

It is strongly recommended. Online booking is done at navette.parcduverdon.fr; without a booking, access to the shuttle is not guaranteed. Bookings close at 6pm each day; after that, a ticket can be bought on board (cash or card), only if seats are left, with no guarantee. The opening day for a season’s bookings is announced on navette.parcduverdon.fr from the second half of March.

€8.50 for an adult return trip, €5.50 for a child under 12, and €4.50 for a one-way trip. These prices are published by the Park for the 2026 season — reconfirm at navette.parcduverdon.fr before booking.

A typical return trip leaves La Palud-sur-Verdon at 8:30am and comes back at 4:00pm from Point Sublime (checked live on the official booking calendar for several September 2026 dates) — about 7 hours for a 5 h 30 min walk. In peak season the Park can run up to 3 shuttles a day depending on demand: the exact time slots for a given date only show up in the booking calendar at navette.parcduverdon.fr; there is no fixed published timetable for that busier period.

No. In 2026, the shuttle runs every day only from June 29 to September 14. From April 3 to June 28, it runs on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and long weekends; from September 17 to November 1, from Thursday to Monday, so not on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The 2026 season ends on November 1; the opening day for the next season’s bookings is announced on the booking website from the second half of March. Note: that website’s FAQ, updated on 17 February 2026, still describes a Friday-to-Sunday service after mid-September; the same website’s home page and the Verdon Park’s website give a Thursday-to-Monday service, from September 17 to November 1. Check your date in the booking calendar.

Without a booking, a seat is not guaranteed: a ticket can be bought on board on the day, in cash or by card, only if seats are left. The official website then recommends the last morning shuttle, usually the least in demand; the seats still on sale on board can be checked on the booking website until the morning of departure. In peak season, an extra shuttle can be added up to 48 h before departure, when bookings reach a threshold (3 shuttles a day at most): check the calendar again.

With two cars: leave one at the Chalet de la Maline (very few spaces) and the other at the finish, in the Couloir Samson car park (paid only in summer, from the start of the school holidays to 31 August, price per entry). By taxi, booked the day before: Taxi Castellane (SAS SERANTO), which lists the Blanc-Martel trail among its services, or Taxi Verdon, in La Palud-sur-Verdon, which offers the trip from Point Sublime or the Samson car park to the Chalet de la Maline; their numbers are on our taxis page. Ask for the price before confirming. On foot, allow 8 km from Point Sublime to La Palud-sur-Verdon, then 8 km to the Chalet de la Maline, on top of the hike. To walk without a shuttle or a second car, there is the Petit Sentier Blanc-Martel, rated difficult: about 5 km there and back (2 h 45 min) from the Chalet de la Maline.

The best option is to park for free at La Palud-sur-Verdon (dedicated car park near the shuttle stop) and take the shuttle: it drops you off in the morning at the Chalet de la Maline (start) and picks you up in the afternoon at Point Sublime (finish). This solves the puzzle of a roughly 15 km linear hike whose two ends are far apart. The Maline car park has very few spaces. As of 14 October 2026, according to the Park’s shuttle website (navette.parcduverdon.fr), a municipal order issued by Rougon on 14 August 2026 closes the end of the trail, following a rockfall, between the exit of the Couloir Samson and Point Sublime. The full hike remains possible via the official detour: RD23A then GR 49, same total duration.

In season only: from 30 April to 27 September 2026, open from 8am to 9:30pm, with pricing by time spent (under 15 min free, 2 h at €4.50, 3 h at €6.50, €38 for a day of up to 8 hours, €46 beyond 8 hours or for a lost ticket). From 28 September 2026 to 29 April 2027, access is open and free (according to the car park listing published by the tourist office, re-read on 9 October 2026). Since it’s designed for visits under 3 hours, for a full day it’s better to park at the Couloir Samson instead.

Yes, the section between Jas d’Aire and La Maline is one-way (clockwise, signposted from La Palud). The road is open from late March to late November. The one-way section is open every day in season, until the 4th Friday of November. Reconfirm during the season.

Not by a regular bus line since 1 October 2026. Until 30 September 2026, the regional Zou! 450 line (Riez ↔ Castellane) served La Palud-sur-Verdon and Rougon (Point Sublime), connecting with the Blanc-Martel shuttle. From 1 October 2026, the 450 no longer serves La Palud-sur-Verdon or Rougon (Point Sublime): no regular bus line enters the heart of the gorge any more. The 450 is reduced to the Moustiers-Sainte-Marie – Riez section and runs on school days only, never on Saturdays or Sundays. Castellane is still served all year round by the 51 Nice–Digne line, two coaches a day in each direction. Measured on 6 October 2026 in the Zou! network’s official open timetables (LOv2 licence). That leaves a taxi from Castellane, to be booked in advance. Check the timetables at zou.maregionsud.fr before you go.

There is a small free car park at each viewpoint (14 in all) along the Route des Crêtes. They fill up fast around midday in summer: arrive early in the morning to be sure of a space.

The large Pont du Galetas car park, near the beach and the canoe rental spots, is paid in season. Its price and exact capacity are not officially published by the operator.

Use the Couloir Samson car park (RD23a, on the Rougon side): it is designed for long visits and as the starting point for whitewater activities, unlike Point Sublime, which is aimed more at visits under 3 hours. According to the Verdon Regional Nature Park, which manages the site (October 2026), it has about 60 spaces for the public, plus 40 spaces reserved for whitewater sports professionals, who hold a season pass. It is paid from the Saturday when the French summer school holidays begin until 31 August inclusive, with a price per entry: €7 for a car, €5 for a motorbike, €10 for a camper van. Outside this period, there is no charge.