Ammonites and nautiloids sit alongside art, city history and nature as tangible themes to discover in Digne-les-Bains. La Dalle aux ammonites displays more than 1,500 fossils across 320 m². There are also museums with different focuses, a cathedral with a Neo-Gothic appearance, and a walk where a marine fossil is discovered through stars engraved in stone. This makes it possible to tailor your stay to your interests without combining the individual sites into a fixed itinerary.
Fossils and geological themes
La Dalle aux ammonites puts its fossil collection at the heart of the experience: the 320 m² site displays more than 1,500 ammonite and nautiloid fossils. An educational trail complements the exhibition. The viewing platform is also part of the visit and is accessible to all visitors, including people with reduced mobility. As visiting arrangements may change, it is advisable to check the latest information before your visit.
Visitors can also encounter geological themes at the Musée Promenade. It stands on a tufa outcrop overlooking Digne-les-Bains and explores geological eras as well as art and nature. This gives it a different emphasis from a fossil-only exhibition: it covers several fields of knowledge and connects them with the described tufa setting and views of the town.
City history, architecture and art
If you would like to learn about the history of the town centre with a guide, you can consider a tour of the centre led by the Office de Tourisme. The tour introduces the history of the town. Availability may change, so check before planning a specific date.
Another historical stop is Cathédrale Saint-Jérôme. It has a Neo-Gothic appearance and has been a co-cathedral since 1962. It is also classified as a Monument historique. These details offer different points of reference: its architectural appearance, its ecclesiastical status since 1962 and its classification as a historic monument.
The Musée Gassendi presents encyclopedic collections covering art, local history, and the physical and natural sciences. The Collection l’Art en montagne extends the museum visit outdoors and is discovered on foot. Those interested in art can therefore explore both the museum collections and an experience that brings movement and art together. The two offerings differ not only in their subject matter, but also in how visitors experience them.
A museum, a garden and a walk
The museum at the Maison Alexandra David-Neel traces her adventurous life and travels through photographs, correspondence and objects she brought back from her journeys. Her interest in spirituality and Buddhism is also among the subjects presented. The garden complements the visit: now less than 1,300 m² in size, it has been redesigned as a rose garden and a fruit and vegetable garden. As part of the visitor route, it connects the house and the museum.
In the centre of Digne-les-Bains, the Parcours des étoiles Saint-Vincent invites visitors to discover the marine fossil Pentacrinus through stars engraved in stone. This offers a different way to engage with a natural subject than a visit to La Dalle aux ammonites: here, the trail leads through stars in stone; there, the fossils themselves are the focus.
Arts programme and thermal baths
The CAIRN, centre d'art, offers an artistic and cultural programme throughout the year and hosts artists for residencies. This adds to the museum offerings with a programme that is not limited to a collection. Another landmark, the Thermes de Digne-les-Bains, lies about 3 km from the town centre in a peaceful valley sheltered from the wind by the surrounding hills.
There are several ways to choose what to experience: fossils and geological interpretation, art and collections, city history, or a walk featuring a motif in stone. If you would like to combine several themes, you can take into account the differences between a museum visit, a guided tour and exploring outdoors when planning your own itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Julien-Du-Verdon, Peipin, Riez, Allemagne-En-Provence, Le Fugeret, Rougon, Saint-Maime, Pierrerue.
For the broader travel overview: Alpes-De-Haute-Provence.
