Quinson and the Gorges du Verdon Prehistory Museum

With its ancient limestone sculpted by erosion, the Basses Gorges du Verdon area around Quinson is carved with countless cavities, chasms and several beautiful caves, known as "baume" in the region. These caves were very early refuges for the first humans to populate Provence: the Baume Bonne cave, the most spectacular, seems to have been occupied regularly for 400,000 years!

A number of excavation sites have been added to the precious Baume Bonne cave, where archaeologists have found many clues to this prehistoric past. In Quinson, the Musée de la Préhistoire des Gorges du Verdon takes you on a journey back in time. The permanent exhibition retraces the history of mankind in Provence over more than a million years, based on archaeological digs carried out in the Verdon. It's one of Europe's leading museums on this theme, with a well-designed exhibition and explanatory booklets for younger visitors. It is housed in a modern building a stone's throw from the centre of Quinson, designed by the architect Norman Foster (Millau Viaduct).

Very interesting and rather well designed, we also discover reproductions of scenes of daily life in prehistoric times, as well as a vast collection of artefacts. Mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses and sabre-toothed tigers bring life-size prehistoric fauna to life. As a bonus, a prehistoric village has been reconstructed around 500 metres from the museum, with regular events organised for the public. And to complete the picture, guided tours of the Baume Bonne cave, where it all began, are available by prior arrangement!

Quinson, with its 350 year-round inhabitants, is a small village typical of the Haute-Provence region. Everything is there to immerse you in the atmosphere: the fountains that refresh the atmosphere, the narrow streets and old stone houses, the medieval enclosure and its ancient ramparts, a few chapels and a bell tower, and to wrap it all up, a pronounced Provencal accent.

As always on the banks of the Verdon, there's plenty to do in the way of freshwater boating: there are several water sports centres in the area, offering kayak, electric boat, paddle and pedalo hire.

From Quinson, you can explore the Basses Gorges du Verdon, split into two parts by a dam near the village. On one side, up the river, you enter the Gorges de Baudinard, as far as Lac de Sainte-Croix. On the other, you enter a beautiful wild section of the gorges, heading towards Lac d'Esparron.

The lower part of the gorges is not as well known as the Hautes Gorges du Verdon (the grand canyon), but it also boasts some superb natural scenery, and has the advantage of being less busy: around Quinson, holiday homes, self-catering cottages, campsites and even a few hotels mean you can take your time exploring the Lower Gorges du Verdon.

For hikers, there are a number of routes starting from Quinson around the Verdon and its lakes. For a panoramic view of the Basses Gorges, the "vieux Quinson" walk climbs above the village, while you can follow the old Verdon canal along the water's edge, looping back to the Sainte-Maxime chapel. A little further on, the tour of Lac d'Esparron is now classified as a GR: don't forget your walking shoes!