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Aqueduc de Roquefavour

On our way to school we always spot a glance of the impressive Aqueduc de Roquefavour. It is situated in Ventabren, a village near Aix-en-Provence. This aqueduct was build in 1847 as part of the Canal de Marseille to bring water from La Durance to Marseille. The engineers were inspired by the antique and famous Pont du Gard, also a place I tend to write you about. Aqueduc de Roquefavour is still used to supply Marseille with water. My kids and I really wanted to have a closer look, so we found a kid-friendly hike towards Aqueduc de Roquefavour.

Once you search online, you could find several trails that include a view on this beautiful aqueduct. Great if you and your kid can walk more than 10km. For us that is not exactly the case yet. So we picked one that is only around 4km, which was perfect for our 4 years old. I have to admit that the signs were not so clear (to me), so that’s why I will write this more explicitly.

How to get that view?

The key is to park your car at Parking des Chasseurs and start walking the wide path that begins there. The path makes a big turn to the right and it leads you to a beauty of a forest. Oh the trees and the wild romarin, just so pretty. Just walk along and enjoy the view at the Sainte-Victoire on your left, somehow this icon is to be seen almost everywhere. You will finally see a gate again and now you have two choices because you will walk in a circle. We turned left there, followed the path and then got a bit confused. When you see the Canal on your left, you can climb uphill on a small path. Once you are on top, it is quite clear which way you can go to be rewarded with an amazing view. What a beautiful aqueduct!

The aqueduct seems to have been wrapped by the artist Christo, but actually is currently being renovated. When you are all done awing the view, there is even more to see following the circle. There is an oppidum to admire, Camp Marius, with remains of building from around 2100 years ago. Within in no time you will be back to your car again and everybody’s happy. At least I hope!

If you would like to read more about its origin before your kid-friendly hike towards Aqueduc de Roquefavour, check the site of the metropole Aix-Marseille.

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