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A giant ash tree, Le Frêne (The Ash) is your landmark for the beginning of this two-hour stroll through the old quarter of Vence (see Vence), with its stone-paved streets and medieval houses huddling inside a ring of 13th-century battlements. Before entering the walls through the 16th-century Porte de Peyra, visit the Château de Villeneuve, which hosts a changing programme of contemporary art and design exhibitions.

After walking through the gateway, turn right, and allow half an hour to walk along the rue du Marché, where the rows of shops selling herbs, fruit, fresh pasta and fish will make your mouth water. At the end of the rue du Marché, turn left and walk across place Surian and place Clemenceau to the cathedral – look out for Roman inscriptions dating back almost 2,000 years on the masonry of the buildings either side of it, carved when Vence was the Roman settlement of Vintium. Also look for the oak choir stalls carved with little satirical figures, commissioned by a witty 17th-century bishop.

Leave the square by its north side, through the arched Passage Cahors, then walk up rue du Seminaire and turn left to follow the old walls along rue de la Coste. Leave the old quarter by the Portail Levis, which takes you back on to place du Frêne. There are several cafés and restaurants here, such as Auberge des Seigneurs (see Auberge des Seigneurs, Vence) where you can enjoy a drink and snack.

Just outside the village, with immaculate white linen under shading vines on the terrace, this auberge specializes in local dishes.

Freshly caught trout and spit-roasted local lamb are among the mouth-watering choices at this friendly medieval inn on the edge of the old quarter, complete with open fire.

For once, a restaurant with real vegetarian options, such as asparagus in anise and olive oil or melon with tomatoes. Great for carnivores too.

The pretty little town of Biot sits serenely on a hilltop among pinewoods. It is renowned for its high-quality decorative glassware, which you can watch being blown at La Verrerie de Biot. The modern Musée Fernand Léger contains more than 400 drawings and paintings by the artist (see Musée Fernand Léger, Biot).

One of the finest small modern art museums in the world, the Maeght Foundation includes work by Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Fernand Léger, Alberto Giacometti and many more 20th-century artists. The collection is exhibited in rotation, and the only works on permanent display are the large sculptures which surround the museum (see Fondation Maeght, St-Paul-de-Vence).

A moist micro-climate, created by warm sea air rising over the cooler mountains, waters this mountain forest, where thick beech, maple and chestnut woods cloak the lower slopes in semi-tropical luxuriance and huge pines rise on the higher mountainsides. From Pointe des Trois Communes, on the fringe of the forest at an altitude of 2,082 m (6,830 ft), there is a quite breathtaking panorama of the Alpine foothills and the Parc National de Mercantour (see Parc National du Mercantour).

The deep gorge carved through the mountains by the River Cians is made all the more spectacular by the deep red of the exposed rock. The river descends 1,600 m (5,250 ft) in just 25 km (15 miles) between the eyrie village of Beuil and Touet-sur-Var, where the Cians meets the larger river Var. The canyon is at its narrowest and most spectacular at Pra d’Astier, around midway between the two villages (see Gorges du Cians and Gorges du Dalius).

The most spectacular of the region’s river canyons. Here the River Loup has sliced its way deep into the limestone rock to create a series of waterfalls including the 40-m (130-ft) Cascade de Courmes, churning rapids and deep potholes such as the Saut du Loup (see Gorges du Loup).

From the village square, where the hillside drops into a limestone gorge, you can see all the way down the Loup valley to the coast.