Gorges and canyons
Limestone walls 700 m high where vultures nest, boardwalks above wild water, a canyon 1,300 m deep run by raft: gorges to walk, paddle or drive through.
- 3 places
- 3 countries
Caminito del Rey : Malopez 21, CC BY-SA · Verdon Gorge : kallerna, CC BY-SA
Gorges and canyons to walk, paddle or drive through, compared
This page gathers the gorges and canyons with a page on the site: 3 gorges in 3 countries, from the limestone walls of the Verdon, almost 2,297 ft high, to the Tara canyon, up to 4,265 ft deep and run by raft. Each page gives paths, boats, bivouacs and rules, read at the manager.
Read more
Use it to choose by the way you want to move: on a gallery bolted to the rock, in a canoe for two days, behind a windscreen on a corniche road. The text below compares the gorges in a table, groups them by country, gives the season of each and says which take a pushchair or a dog.
Where to stay
Hotels, guesthouses and rentals around the places most visited on this page.
Affiliate links: if you book through them, we earn a commission. The price you pay does not change. How this site is funded
Verdon GorgeFranceSee hotels
Caminito del ReySpainSee hotels
Partnach GorgeGermanySee hotels
On foot, on the water or by road: how each gorge is crossed
Three ways through, each setting the length of the day: an hour on a walkway, a full day on foot, two days in a canoe.
How to choose among the gorges: eight compared
Eight gorges side by side; the table of lengths for every gorge on this page follows.
| Gorge | Country | Size | How you go, and how long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verdon Gorge | France | Close to 16 mi, walls of almost 2,297 ft | Corniche roads in about 1 h 30; Blanc-Martel trail in about 5 h 30 one way |
| Partnach Gorge | Germany | 2,297 ft, walls up to 282 ft | On foot, all year; €10 in 2026 |
Gorges in figures
| Gorge | Country | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Verdon Gorge | France | 16 mi |
| Caminito del Rey | Spain | 4.8 mi |
| Partnach Gorge | Germany | 0.4 mi |
Gorges by country
Country by country; the French gorges are also gathered under France.
Provence and the Alps
The Verdon between Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie; Daluis on the Route des Grandes Alpes.
Ardèche and Haute-Savoie
The Ardèche canyon; the Fier at Lovagny, 6.2 mi west of Annecy.
Slovenia, Germany, Greece, Montenegro
Vintgar 2.5 mi from Bled; the Partnach at Garmisch-Partenkirchen; Samaria in south-west Crete, from Chania; the Tara in Durmitor National Park, from Žabljak.
When to go: water levels, heat and closures
Each gorge has a season set by its river, its road or its manager.
Rafting and canoeing
The Tara from 1 July to 15 September, the window the park gives as safest; the Ardèche bivouacs ran from 4 April to 26 September in 2026, and descents are banned in flood.
Walking
Spring and autumn for the Blanc-Martel, which the Park advises against in July and August and in winter; April to November for the Balcons of Daluis.
Walkways
Vintgar is least crowded in April, May and from late September, and closes for the winter; the Partnach opens all year, with ice in winter.
Closed
In October 2026 NECCA listed Samaria as closed at both entrances until further notice.
Rules that come back, and who can get through
The table under this text shows where each subject is banned or booked.
Dogs
Banned at the Fier and on the Blanc-Martel; on a lead at Daluis and in the Ardèche reserve, not in canoes; a €5 ticket at the Partnach, a €3 pass at Vintgar.
Nights in the gorge
Gaud and Gournier, the two bivouacs of the Ardèche, by booking; the Roua area at Daluis, booked all year; wild camping forbidden in the Verdon canyon.
Swimming
Allowed in the Ardèche, supervised upstream of the Pont d’Arc from 1 July to 31 August; banned in the Verdon between the Point Sublime and the pont du Galetas, at the Fier and at Vintgar.
Pushchairs and small children
None at the Fier, the Partnach or Vintgar, where wheelchairs cannot get through either; Vintgar advises against the visit under 3.
Rules to know before you go
| Rule | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Fires | Caminito del Rey |
| Dogs | Caminito del Rey |
| Strollers | Caminito del Rey, Partnach Gorge |
| Drones | Caminito del Rey, Partnach Gorge |
Each page gives the full rules, with their source and the date they were checked.
Can you swim?
Swimming not allowed
Walks on site
- Caminito del Rey: Caminito del Rey (4.8 mi, 3 h)
- Verdon Gorge: Sentier Blanc-Martel (9.3 mi, 5 h 30 min, challenging)
Free or paid
Admission charged
Caminito del Rey (€10 in 2026) and Partnach Gorge (€10 in 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Can you swim in a gorge?
In the Ardèche, yes: the river is reached on foot, by canoe or by paddleboard, and swimming is supervised on the beach upstream of the Pont d’Arc from 1 July to 31 August. It is banned in the Verdon between the Point Sublime and the pont du Galetas, because of dam releases and to protect the apron du Rhône, at the Gorges du Fier, whose banks are closed by prefectoral order, and in Vintgar Gorge, Šum waterfall included.
Do you need to book to visit a gorge?
For the nights and the boats, yes: the Gaud and Gournier bivouacs in the Ardèche are booked before the canoe, the Roua bivouac at Daluis is booked all year, and the Blanc-Martel shuttle closes its bookings at 18:00 the day before. Vintgar recommends an online time slot, the Partnach sells online or at the portals, and the Fier takes no booking from individuals: tickets are sold on site at the time of the visit.
Is the Samaria Gorge open?
Not when this page was written. On 15 October 2026 the NECCA ticket site listed the gorge as closed at both entrances until further notice, with the reopening date to be announced. Its archived season ran from 1 May to 15 October, with a €10 ticket, 6 to 7 hours of walking and a boat out of Agia Roumeli.
Can you take a pushchair through a gorge?
Not on the walkways: pushchairs are banned at the Gorges du Fier, where a baby carrier is compulsory and lent against an identity document, in the Partnach Gorge and in Vintgar Gorge. The Ardèche and the Tara are river trips, and the Blanc-Martel and Point Sublime loops are mountain paths; the Park rates the Blanc-Martel as difficult and does not recommend it for young children.
How long does it take to walk through a gorge?
From an hour to a full day. About an hour at the Gorges du Fier, 45 minutes in Vintgar for the gorge itself and at least 3 hours for its 3.5 mi loop, 3 h 30 for the Point Sublime loop at Daluis, about 5 h 30 one way on the Blanc-Martel in the Verdon and 6 to 7 hours with stops for the 10 mi of Samaria. The Sentier des Gorges of the Ardèche takes about 12 hours in two sections, with ladders and river crossings.
When is the best time to visit the gorges?
It depends on the river. Rafting on the Tara is safest from 1 July to 15 September, when the level suits; the Verdon Park advises spring and autumn for the Blanc-Martel; Vintgar is quietest in April, May and from late September; the Partnach can be walked all year, with ice in winter. The dated seasons of every gorge are listed in the text above.