Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a department in the French region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and is on the French border with Italy. The area's scenery provides the background to many activities and sights.

Map of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

• 44.1344446.3430561 Draix — a village of a hundred people under the Cheval Blanc mountain
• 43.9652786.6686112 Annot — it is well regarded for bouldering and is particularly popular among climbers, as the second biggest developed area of the kind in France
• 44.3858336.65253 Barcelonnette — a tourist and resort centre, serving many ski lodges
• 43.8466676.5133334 Castellane — a very old city upstream of the Gorges du Verdon
• 44.1811116.6266675 Colmars-les-Alpes — an alpine village in the Verdon valley
• 44.09256.2355566 Digne-les-Bains — natural beauty and supposedly curative thermal springs
• 43.9591675.7797227 Forcalquier — its citadel offers a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside
• 43.8333335.7830568 Manosque — a small town typical of Provence, in its history, and its art of living
• 43.84756.2211119 Moustiers Sainte Marie — a gateway to the Gorges du Verdon
• 44.195.94638910 Sisteron — called the Gateway to Provence because it is in a narrow gap between two long mountain ridges

• 43.7377786.3638891 Verdon Gorge – an awe-inspiring gorge, sometimes called the "European Grand Canyon"

The department can be divided into two parts: the west and the south of the department are Provençal, while the north-east is more mountainous (Val d'Allos and Ubaye valley).

• The Train des Pignes, a private railway between Digne-les-Bains and Nice is worth a trip entirely for its own sake but it also provides a great way of getting to starts or ends of walks in the lovely Mountains if you base yourself at one place on it such as Annot or Entrevaux.

Terres noires

Hiking, VTT, canyoning,

In summer many aerial sports use the surrounding mountains such as gliding, hang gliding and paragliding.

In winter there is extensive skiing at eleven ski resorts.

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is bordered on the east with Italy.