Bauduen lies on the shore of Lac de Sainte-Croix, at the foot of a small cliff. Its waterside location and medieval village center give the town two distinct sides: the lake, with its harbor and nautical activities, and the historic streetscape, with paths through the surrounding landscape. When planning a stay, you can first decide whether to focus on the water, the trails, or the lanes and center.

Village Center and Lakeside Setting

In its center, Bauduen preserves narrow lanes, cobbled steps and its medieval character. These architectural details create a different emphasis from the lakeshore: they draw attention to the structure of the town itself. The lanes and steps give the center an intimate, intricate character, while its lakeside location provides the landscape setting. You can weigh these aspects separately when planning: focus on the historic streetscape, the lakeshore, or a combination of the two.

Harbor and Water Activities

The Centre Nautique de Bauduen offers catamaran sailing, dinghy sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, wing and wingfoil activities, and paddleboarding. The range extends from sailing and wind sports to kayaking and paddleboarding, offering several specific options for travelers planning time on the water. Le Port du Haut-Var is a small harbor in Bauduen where numerous sailboats are moored. The water sports and the harbor thus offer two different ways to experience the lake.

Trails, Circular Route and Audio Walk

The Boucle du Défens runs through the municipality of Bauduen, passing through cool woodland and then along the emerald-green waters of Lac de Sainte-Croix. The transition from woodland to lakeshore is a distinctive feature of this route. The circular route Le tour du Lac Sainte-Croix also begins in Bauduen and is 82 kilometers long. Its scale can be gauged by its distance, while the Boucle stands out for the landscapes along its course.

The audio walk “Histoire(s) d'eau” lasts 41 minutes and starts at the tourist information office. It features residents' accounts and sounds recorded in Bauduen. Alongside the routes, it offers a way to experience local voices and locally recorded sounds, with a set duration. The descriptions cover different formats: an audio walk with a stated duration, a circular route with a stated distance, and a route notable for its progression from woodland to lakeshore.

Cultural Contrast

L'Art en jouet features three rooms with three enormous, fairy-tale settings, as well as thousands of figures, props and buildings. The large-scale scenes and their many elements give this attraction a different focus from the water activities and landscape routes. Bauduen thus offers not only streetscapes and nature, but also a cultural experience defined by the design and scale of its settings.

Discover more destinations: Brue-Auriac, Varages, La Garde, La Crau, Ollières, Collobrieres, Evenos, Vinon-Sur-Verdon

For the broader travel overview: Var.