Road D71
Located in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, the D71 road is a very exciting journey. This is definitely not a Sunday drive. Steep drops and loads of tourists in summer. Visit outside busy periods.
Nicknamed the Corniche Sublime, the road is asphalted. It’s 37.2 km long and links the villages of Comps-sur-Artuby and Aiguines. Driving at night, or in poor visibility, is not recommended for drivers unfamiliar with the road. The journey is very challenging, with a couple of very narrow tunnels, totally impassable for 2 cars at the same time. The two Tunnels de Fayet command a breathtaking view of the curve of the canyon. The latter towers above the precipice between 250 and 400m high and stretches out over 3km. It’s an amazing route, twisty, with a fantastic scenery all around including the blue turquoise Lake de Saint Croix in the Verdon.
The road was built during 5 years and inaugurated in 1950. This twisty mountain route has a few hairpins. Long vehicles will have to slow down dramatically because the turns are really too tight when there is oncoming traffic. The road was built specifically to give the best views, both of the canyon and the blue river way down in the gorge. But there are not a lot of places to pull over, so your driver misses out on a lot of the views. You may well want to stop for photos; you may well be disappointed, as there are not many stopping spots in the most dramatic parts of the route, and many of the stopping places that there are are very small - just room for two or three cars. There are a few places on this route where you have the amazing landscape to the canyon and to the mountain walls. The best place maybe is the Balcons de la Mescla.
Not recommended if your passengers don't like heights. The drive will take some skill, some patience, and some tolerance for vertigo. Not too steep it’s frequently used by tourists during the summer. Visit outside busy periods. The journey offers an exhilarating driving experience, with superb views. Be aware of slow caravans on the road and people walking around. Its many twists, turns and narrows can pose a challenge to even the most experienced drivers. The road is not easy, though. Up, down, right, left all the time.