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This great little village really is "on" the Verdon, with the center of the old village south of the river and newer part of town on the north side. Vinon-sur-Verdon brags that it's at the junction of four departments (pretty close to true).
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Also: |
Verdon Gorges |
Verdon Museum of Prehistory |
Aix Verdon Itinerary |
Nearby: |
Aix-en-Provence 48 km |
Esparron-de-Verdon 21 km |
Ginasservis 8 km |
Gréoux-les-Bains 8 km |
Jouques 22 km |
Manosque 15 km |
Peyrolles-en-Provence 22 km |
Quinson 30 km |
Rians 21 km |
Saint Julien-le-Montagnier 14 km |
Valensole 25 km |
Verdière 18 km |
Hotels near Vinon-sur-Verdon: |
8 km Greoux-les-Bains |
15 km Manosque |
25 km Valensole |
48 km Aix-en-Provence |
Vinon-sur-Verdon is a small interesting village, and very active partly because of its location at the junction of a north-south road between Saint Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume and Manosque, and a SW-NE road between Aix-en-Provence/Pertuis and Gréoux-les-Bains/Riez.
Even with our visit being on the 11-November holiday and shops being closed, there was a fair amount of activity and a lot of people about. We had a great lunch in Le Mistral café-restaurant, with typical Provencal autumn menus.
There are some nice park areas along the river banks, great for summertime picnicking.
History
Name
First record, 1074 Vino, Vinonum.
Gallo-Roman:
Traces of Gallo-Roman occupation were found at the domain of La Pebre (500 m north of the river past the bridge). Parts of a Roman villa, with decorative mosaics and inscriptions, were found on the right bank (north side) of the Verdon and a tomb was found at Terres Rouges.
There's a reference to the passage here of the Via Sixtia, but we can't find any confirmation of a Roman road with this name. There were definitely Roman roads here, whatever they were called,
Medieval:
Bérenger, Count of Provence, ruled here until 1238 when he made a gift of his fief to the Templars. The Templars ruled here until the time of the French Revolution. In 1591 the Vinon castle made an historic defense against the troops of the Duke of Savoy.
Transportation Vinon-sur-Verdon
Bus
Department 83, Var Buses
See Beyond's Bus Schedules Page 16: Var Department for downloading Var bus-lines map [Plan du Reseau] and bus-line schedules [Horaires] (link for PDF files).
Marseille - Gréoux - Riez Bus
LER line 27, 3 buses/day, between Marseille and Riez, trip time 2 hrs. Stops: Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Venelles, Meyrargues, Peyrolles, Pont Mirabeau, St Paul-lez-Durance, Vinon, Gréoux-les-Bains, St Martin-de-Bromes, Allemagne-en-Provence, Riez.
• Link to schedules (PDF).
(LER line 27 between Riez, Roumoules, Moustiers, Lapalud, Rougon, Pont de Soleil, Castellane; 1 bus a day; 1-1/2 hrs; on demand only?)
Fun - Amusement - Kids
Kayaking. We don't have the details, but there's obviously kayaking and canoeing here in Vinon-sur-Verdon. This photo was taken in November, so imagine how active it is in the summer.
Zoo
Farmyard Animal Park - Parc Animalier Domestique
Location:
Between Vinon and Grêoux-les-Bains, south of Manosque.
Open: All year, 10h-19h.
Entry: €6; under-3 years free
Tel: 0492 788 825
Web: www.parc-animalier-verdon.com
Includes donkeys of Provence and Greece, cattle of the Camargue and Thailand, camels, llamas, alpagas, Angora goats, poneys, ducks and swans. Playground, video games, kids games, mini-golf, free poney rides.
Sports
Fishing
AAPPMA Société du Bas Verdon
Fishing Association
Location:
Mairie de Vinon-sur-Verdon
Tel: 0492 788 031, or 0493 936 259
Bar Le Provence
Fishing permits (carte de pêche)
Tel: 0492 788 003, or 0493 936 259
Office de Tourisme
Fishing permits (carte de pêche)
Tel: 0492 788 445, or 0493 936 259
Tabac
Fishing permits (carte de pêche)
Tel: 0492 788 211, or 0493 936 259
Hiking
Maps:
IGN (1/25,000) #3343 OT "Greoux-les-Bains, Rians"
There are no marked hiking trails at Vinon-sur-Verdon. About 2 km north of the river, however, begins some wooded hills with small roads and forestry trails. This area extends north and east at least to Gréoux-les-Bains.
More wooded hills with forestry trails and tracks can be found directly south of the village. Four or five km east of Vinon are some marked hikes that make loop hikes south of Gréoux-les-Bains.
Lodging - Hotels
Hotels in Towns Nearby to Vinon-sur-Verdon
• 8 km — Greoux-les-Bains hotels
• 15 km — Manosque hotels
• 25 km — Valensole hotels
• 48 km — Aix-en-Provence hotels
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Photo gallery of 11 photos for Vinon-sur-Verdon