Sainte-Croix-sur-Verdon, a village perched above the beaches

A village in tiers above the lake

The houses of Sainte-Croix rise in rows up the hillside, each standing above the one below, with stairways linking the different levels. This stepped layout dates back to the medieval village. The streets lead to openings overlooking the lake, with rooftops in the foreground and the hills of the opposite shore on the horizon.

In December 1851, following Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, Father Chassan led the village’s insurgents towards the prefecture to defend the Republic. Nine residents were subsequently brought before the commission responsible for suppressing the uprising.

Before the lake, a farming valley

Water now fills the view in front of the houses, but Sainte-Croix once overlooked cultivated slopes and farmland on the valley floor. Filling of the reservoir began in 1973, submerging some of the farmland and bringing the shoreline closer to the houses. The old village of Les Salles-sur-Verdon, on the opposite bank, disappeared beneath the water; its residents were rehoused in a new village built higher up.

The dam serves more than leisure activities: it generates electricity and stores water. From the village, the broad blue expanse reveals the scale of a change that transformed the residents’ work and daily lives.

The valley’s memory

The Maison de l’Eau et de la Vallée presents the lives of local people before the lake was created. In a former classroom, photographs, archives and documentary films trace everyday life in the valley, the filling of the reservoir and the changes to the landscape. A second space explains the role of water and how the dam works. This visit adds another perspective to the beaches: behind today’s holiday scenery lie the places and activities that came before it.

Down to the beaches

Below the village, the lakeshore welcomes swimmers and small boats. You can walk down to the beach from the centre, remembering the climb back afterwards. In the morning, a stroll through the streets can precede a few hours by the water; in summer, both the village and the beaches are very busy.

The designated beach has a supervised swimming area in season. Canoe, paddleboard and pedalo rentals also let you explore along the shore. From the water, you get a different view of the houses rising in tiers above the trees and banks.

On towards Valensole and the Verdon

Above the village, roads lead to Riez and the Valensole plateau, its lavandin fields and growers. Following the shores of Lake Sainte-Croix, you can also reach Bauduen, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie or the entrance to the Verdon Gorge.

Further upstream, the Upper Verdon opens onto mountain villages, the fortifications of Colmars and Lake Allos.