|
|
Home > Discover the Alpes de Haute-Provence > Towns, small towns and typical villages > Digne les Bains
Digne les Bains
Provence meets the Alps! | TOURIST INFORMATION |
- Digne les Bains Tourist Office : Tel. 04.92.36.62.62.
- See also : Val de Durance, Thoard, Barrême, Seyne-les-Alpes.
|
 Provence meets the Alps!MORE ABOUT THIS SPA TOWNNestled in 3 valleys, surrounded by the Pre-Alps, Digne-les-Bains has very attractive surroundings where air, water and earth combine to offer what's best in Haute-Provence.
Against a superb backdrop of rocks and forests, Digne-les-Bains has all the advantages of a town with cultural, sports and leisure facilities as well as the countryside: over 300 days of sunshine per year, a natural basin famous for its pure air, an altitude of 600 m to limit the effects of the summer heatwave, a spa establishment which was already famous in Roman times, the memory of the Earth in the Heart of the Geology Reserve, the Train des Pignes station, a wide range of open-air activities and traditions celebrated throughout the year complete the facilities of this Préfecture town.
|
HERITAGE |
- Cathedral of Saint-Jérome : XVIIth century Gothic cathedral.
- Cathedral of Notre Dame du Bourg : listed Historical Monument, built between XIIth and XIIIth century in the Romanesque period.
- Belfry of the Tour de l’Horloge : 1412.
- Grande Fontaine (fountain - XIXth century).
- Old town.
|
MUSEUMS |
- Musée Gassendi : Art, History and Science. Open all year round, every day except Tuesday, from 11am to 7pm from 1st April to 30th September and from 1.30pm to 5.30pm from 1st October to 31st March (except holidays and between Christmas and New Year). Tel. 04.92.31.45.29.
- Museum-walk in the Réserve Géologique : an exceptional site to discover with the family, shady park with Japanese garden, works of art, waterfalls, collection of fossiles, tropical seawater aquariums, picnic area. Open: April, May, June, September and October from 9am to 12 and from 2pm to 5.30pm, summer on weekdays from 8am to 1pm and weekend from 10.30am to 12.30 and 2pm to 7pm; from November to March closed at weekends and holidays. Tel. 04.92.36.70.70.
- Jardin des Papillons (Butterfly garden) : over a hundred species flying around free to dicover with a nature-guide. Open: April, May, June and September, guided tours on request from Monday to Friday, July and August guided tours every day. Tel. 04.92.31.83.34. ou 04.92.36.70.70.
- Fondation Alexandra David Neel : 101 years of adventure from Tibet to China. Open all year round and every day, visits at 10am, 2pm and 3.30pm. Entrance free. Tel. 04.91.31.32.38.
- Museum of Religious Art : open from 1st July to 30th September every day from 10am to 6pm. Entrance free. Tel. 04.92.36.75.00.
- Museum of the Second World War : open from 15th April to 15th November on Wednesday from 2 to 5pm by appointment, in July and August from Monday to Friday from Monday to Friday from 2 to 6pm, all year round group (min. 3 people) visits by appointment. Entrance free. Tel. 04.92.31.28.95.
- Botanical garden : shows aromatic and medicinal plants of the region in situ. Open from Monday to Friday, from 9am to 12h and from 2pm to 6pm from 15th March to 15th November, from 3pm to 7pm in July and August. Invalid access. Entrance free. Tel. 04.92.31.59.59.
|
MAIN EVENTS |
- Festival cinéma jeune public (young public cinema festival) : February.
- Fête de l’Agneau Pascal (Festival of the Easter Lamb) : Easter.
- Rencontres cinéma : April.
- La Thermalienne : long-distance mountain-bike race from Gréoux-les-Bains to Digne-les-Bains. 1st weekend in April.
- Tournoi national poussins de football : April.
- Terre de Provence Rally : car rally, French dirt track rally championship, mid May.
- Enduro du Pays Dignois : motorbike, May.
- Fête du vélo (Cycling festival) : June.
- Raid VTT des Terres Noires (mountain-bike rally) : June.
- Eté cinéma : July.
- Corso de la Lavande : 1st weekend in August.
- Foire de la Lavande : end of August.
- Rallye des Vallées : regional road car rally, 1st weekend in September.
- Journées Tibétaines (Tibetan days) : Autumn.
- Randonnée des Trois Vallées : guided hikes, 1st weekend in October.
- Rencontre internationale accordéon et culture : October.
- Fête de l’Âne gris de Provence (Donkey festival) : December.
|
THE SPA ESTABLISHMENT |
- Rhumatology and trauma after-effects, ENT and respiratory diseases: collected in the heart of the rock, the hot waters contain sulphur, sodium and chlorine at a temperature of 49°, which efficiently relieve rhumatic pains thanks to their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Their cicatrizing action is increased by the pure and healthy climate of the Alpes de Haute-Provence which has the lowest rate of asthmatic children in France!.
- Well-being and health : relaxation, fitness, tone, form and beauty with aquagym, fitness, sauna, body and face care, aromatherapy, balneotherapy with essential oils. Open from beginning of March to end of November. Guided tour from 2pm from March to August and in November. Tel.: spa 04.92.32.32.92. or fitness 04.92.32.58.46.
|
LAC DES FERREOLS | Along the Bléone, an incomparable site with multiple leisure activities: swimming, mini-golf, games, cycles, navigation on replicas of Mississippi tugs or steamboats, climbing wall, beach volley ground, trampoline, inflatable structure, mountain-bike area, moguls. Surpervized bathing from June to beginning of September, leisure park open from beginning of April to end of September, access and parking area free.
Tel. 04.92.32.42.02.
|
THE LAVANDES GOLF-COURSE | It's great to escape and breathe in good air on the golf des Lavandes, 6 km from the town-centre. A varied and accessible 18 hole course on 80 hectares, with successive loops enabling several return paths to the club, a compact 5-hole course and practice areas which use the natural site surroundings in the middle of fields of lavender.
Tel. 04.92.30.58.00.
|
ACTIVITIES - FACILITIES |
- Sport and fitness course : 15 workshops adapted to everybody's needs.
- Water complex : swimming pool, relaxation, fitness. Tel. 04.92.36.36.00.
- Skate-park : skate, roller, BMX.
- Mallemoisson Parc Acrobranche (treetop adventure playground) : 10 km away, with tyrolean traverse ropes, swinging bridges. 04.92.35.29.79.
- Tandem paragliding flight.
- Tennis. Tel. 04.92.32.15.92.
- Bowls ground.
|
CULTURE |
- Médiathèque (Medialibrary) des Trois Vallées. 04.92.31.28.49.
- Centre culturel René Char. Tel. 04.92.30.87.10.
- Cybercafé. Tel. 04.92.30.87.17.
- Ecole des Beaux-Arts. 04.92.31.34.59.
|
FOR THE FAMILY |
- Council day care centre. Tel. 04.92.31.21.91.
- Day care centre. Tel. 04.92.32.03.94. ou 04.92.32.08.04.
- Open-air centre. Tel. 04.92.32.46.95.
|
FISHING |
- Lac de Gaubert : l2 ha fishing lake, fishing all year round according to species, free fishing school in July and August for children up to 16. Still fishing, angling, recreational fishing, invalid fishing post.
- Lac des Ferréols : from February to May, flyfishing.
|
VILLAGES AROUND DIGNE |
- Courbons : late Romanesque church (XVIth century), panoramic view over the Bléone valley and the town of Digne-les-Bains.
- Entrages : starting-point from some lovely hikes, XVIIth century church. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Gaubert : XIth century church and cemetery in the rock, beautiful viewpoint.
- Les Dourbes : at the foot of a majestic rocky bar, beautifil viewpoint.
|
VILLAGES IN THE VALLEE DE L'ASSE |
- Beynes : small perched village with tiles and dry stones which lend character to the houses and the old church. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Chabrières : at the end of a very beautiful narrow gorge on the route Napoléon.
- Estoublon : tour de l’Horloge and parish church. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Mézel : village with colourful facades and beautiful wooden doors, XVIIIth century church with interesting furniture and the XVIIth century chapel of Notre Dame du Rosaire with a lovely view over the valley. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
|
VILLAGES OF THE HAUTE DUYES / BLEONE VALLEY |
- Aiglun : church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Romanesque style and finished in 1555, admirable view of the Bléone valley. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Champtercier : village on the Routes de la Lavande and birthplace of Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655), historian, physicist, philosopher, theologian, astronomer et naturalist. At the foot of the Pic d’Oise, many craftsmen and artists, rural park, santon museum. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Le Chaffaut Saint-Jurson : in the heart of fields of perfume and aromatic plants. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Mirabeau : beautiful view of the Val de Bléone from the chapel of Saint-Philippe. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
|
VILLAGES OF THE HAUTE BLEONE VALLEY | The snowy peaks of the Trois Evêchés are the limit the north-west of the Pays Dignois. The Bléone rises at the foot of the Tête de l’Estrop which reaches 2.981 m.
- Beaujeu : ruins of an old tower that tradition puts down to the Knight Templar, churches of Saint-Pierre and Beaujeu (17th century). Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- La Javie : village well-known for its apples and pears, and its tardons (lambs bred in high mountain pastures). Sentier des lavoirs (wash-houses), eco-museum tracing village life a hundred years ago. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Le Brusquet : 10 km north of Digne, Notre-Dame de Lauzières, fitness course. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Marcoux : village built on black sandy loams or robines, Romanesque church of Saint-Etienne (12th century). Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
- Prads-Haute-Bléone : in a wide variety of Provencal and Alpine landscapes, the village has developed open-air and natural tourism: hang-gliding and paragliding, climbing rock, mountain bike circuits, trails. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
|
VILLAGE IN THE BES VALLEY | Dotted with many geological sites which are directly accessible from the road or after a little hike, ammonite slab, birds' footprints, clues de Barles, panorama of the Vélodrome, Lame de Facibelle, Ichtyosaureus
- La Robine-sur-Galabre : in the sandy loam hills known as robines, strange sculptures which inspire artists. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
|
OTHER INFORMATION |
- Altitude : 600 m.
- Population : 16.000 inhabitants.
- To get here :
- by road : from Grenoble RN75 (180 km), from Marseille A51 motorway to Peyruis then RN96 (145 km), from Nice RN202 (140 km).
- by train : SNCF station 04.92.31.00.67, direct shuttles to Aix-en-Provence TGV station and Marignane airport 08.91.02.40.25.
|
|
|
|
Gites de France accommodation options
Gîtes et chambres de charme
Les gîtes de pêche
