圣十字湖

We traveled here and stayed at the nearby town of Sainte Croix. You can walk down to the lake from the town using a series of steep steps; we managed even with a baby buggy so its easy enough to walk. The lake itself is a most amazing blue colour and the surrounding countryside is beautiful. Close to the steps from the town is a series of small beaches and a small hut selling food. The plage is peaceful and utterly unpretentious. We went with a one year old child who had a most formative experience going in the water with her mummy and daddy. Up in the nearby town of Sainte Croix there is a sort of town square without cars and a weekly market selling local produce and many restaurants. There is a very economical pizza restaurant and the whole place is great for kids because they can just run about and not worry about traffic. I recommend staying in a hotel or villa furthest from the town hall (Marie) because the town hall has a clock which rather annoyingly dings every hour all through the night.

With clear blue water and nice montains as frame, this lake is a great place to visit all year.In springtime and summer there are water sports, in the winter it is cold but peaceful and calm. I loved in the winter, must go again in the springtime to rent a small boat and enjoy the water.

The colour of the water in the lake on a sunny day is breathtaking in its beauty and the surrounding mountains provide the perfect backdrop. Then there is the vast opening into the mouth of the gorge du Verdon which is a wonder of nature.I have been many times to the lake, usually in low season and winter when there have been very few people there and its effect on the senses is always equally profound, it is a wonderful sight.This year we were there with family, grand children between 7 and 15 years old. It was very busy and at first I thought, oh dear, but once we installed on the main beach we loved it. We swam and took a pedalo into the gorge and had an outstanding day which we all look back on with fond memories.It was the pedalo trip which really made it, no matter that there were loads of people and we had to queue (well organised, we were given a "sailing" time and were able to go off and swim) for a boat. We were tempted to give it a miss but were glad we persevered as being on the water in the gorge is an amazing experience.I definitely recommend it. We have walked a lot of the mountains around there and often finish up with a drink by the lake. Wonderful place.

Clear water, pure pleasure. No slimy greeny bits at the bottom! There are facilities to rent out water bicycles, kayaks and other water sports neccesities

Amazing amazing amazing! This lake is just too beautiful, and too fantastic do describe in words, so get yourselves down to the south of France and spend a day in paradise. Sandy beaches are for chumps! This lake is surrounded by mountains and hills, is beautifully clear and has those big round smooth stones all around it (the ones that don't hurt to walk or lie on). We rented a pedal boat and went for a trip under the bridge and up the creek and were blown away by how nice it is.No more thinking about it now people - just get over there and enjoy

Beautiful blue lake, perfect for summer holidays. Surrounded by mountains and daring cliffs for daredevils!

Lac de Sainte-Croix is a pitoresque lake located at the base of Alpes de Haute-Provence where the infamous Gorges du Verdon is to be found. Make sure you rest here for some time before you continue your travel to the mountains.

Lac de sainte croix is very nice, and it's a tip to visit in the evening. Without any other people around, very nice!

A gorgeous shimmering blue lake amidst mountainous scenery. Happy kids and adults alike. We have been there in July/August a few times. Yes it's the busiest time of the year but its not too busy, there's still space and its just such a gorgeous spot. We tended to go to the beach a few km past Moustiers near the entrance to the Gorges du Verdon. You can hire a pedalo or canoe and go up the gorge - breathtakingly beautiful. Best done in the morning so you're one of the first there. Will cost 30-40 euros for 3 hours, well worth it. A pedalo is great cos a family of 4 fits nicely on there, and you can take your bags and cameras (in a canoe you have to keep them in a watertight barrel). You can stop for a picnic or a wander, dive into the water (not cold). In fact, don't go, dont tell anyone, I shouldn't have said anything otherwise everyone will start going. Oh ok, there's more... there's no shops by the water but there are toilets (and boat hire). there's a gem of a resturant opposite, thought it was going to be pizza and chips but had a wonderful duck meal there. and the pizzas were great too. and the view was spectacular of course. Would write more but gotta go now.

The lake which was created 40 years ago by EDF (French energy company) who damned the river Verdon and flooded the valley to provide hydro-eelectric power. In doing so they have created a facility of immense natural beauty which caters for most water sports but is very "green" and allows only boats which are propelled by "muscles" or electric motors! The surrounds are not treated with herbicides to preseerve the quality of the water. There are numerous beaches around the lake but they are not sandy so remember to take your "lake shoes". It's fun to watch the "Pompiers du Var" practising water pick-up in their Canadair aircraft to fight forest fires in the summer. and the flotillas of liitle dinghys with local children learing how to sail. You can see the photographs of the lake... the reality is better but I suggest visiting in June or September and if you can avoid a week-end!

Although I already have been to some of the most beautiful and impressive parts of the world, I found this lake pretty amazing. The best part was that's just around the corner and you don't have to take a plane ;-). The lake is a beauty and besides sun bathing and walking you can do a lot of activities like surfing and sailing.

When in the Var visit Lac Ste Croix. Last year there was a giant inflatable castle in the lake but now they've removed it. Even better. In this environment there is hardly any room for that kind of fun. It's all about swimming, boating, relaxing in a relaxed atmosphere. Try Salle Les Verdon!

Drove to Gorges du Verdon from near St Tropez today and it was totally worth the 2 hour drive. We went to Les Salles Sur Verdon where we soon found a free car park and one of several boat hire places. (Drive all the way through the village and look for the signs for the camping sites). We hired a pedalo with a slide for 3 hours (40 euros) (other time periods are available from one hour upwards) and peddled across to a small island in the lake and then back out into the lake where we swam and dived in off the boat. The water was beautifully clear and quite warm. Then we hired an electric boat and went around the island which took about 45 minutes. Later, as we drove around to Moustiers St Marie we saw that boats and kayaks etc could be hired and taken up the river in the gorge itself with the steep mountain rocks on either side - this was obviously very popular as many people were doing it. We had arrived at Les Salles sur Verdon at about 10.45am and there were plenty of parking and boats available. Later, at about 2 pm there was a short wait of about half an hour for an electric boat and there may have been a wait for other boats as well.The scenery was amazing, the lake lovely and really we'll worth the drive - the whole family had a great day in spectacular surroundings.

A little crowded near the entrance to the gorges but plenty of free parking and lots of space down the lakeside

We packed a picnic from the market on Wed am from Aups and managed to park up easily near a boat hire place on the shore .We spent a few lovely hours swimming and relaxing here before moving on to Moustiers.Have to mention the "dry" toilet in the car park. It was a composting type toilet , no smell despite the warm day and it was absolutely spotless - well done Lac de St Croix!