One of the strangest sights in the Provençal Alps is best approached from ST-DALMAS-DE-TENDE in the upper Roya valley, three stops on the train from Sospel. The first person to stumble upon the lakes and tumbled rocks of the Vallée des Merveilles, on the western flank of Mount Bego, was a fifteenth-century traveller who had lost his way. He described it as "an infernal place with figures of the devil and thousands of demons scratched on the rocks": a pretty accurate description, except that some of the carvings are of animals, tools, people working and mysterious symbols, dated to some time in the second millennium BC.The easiest route into the valley is the ten-kilometre hike (5–7hr there and back) that starts at Les Mesces Refuge, about 8km west of St-Dalmas-de-Tende, on the D91. The engravings are beyond the Refuge des Merveilles (where you can get sustenance and shelter). Note that certain areas are out of bounds unless accompanied by an official guide – and remember that blue skies and sun can quickly turn into violent hailstorms and lightning, so go prepared. Guided walks (one guide speaks English) are organized by the Bureau des Guides du Val des Merveilles in Tende, or the tourist office in La Brigue (tel 04.93.04.77.73; €8). St-Dalmas is the nearest town to the Vallée des Merveilles and has a reasonably priced hotel on rue Martyres-de-la-Résistance, the Terminus (tel 04.93.04.96.96, fax 04.93.04.96.97; €40–55). LA BRIGUE, one stop up the line from St-Dalmas-de-Tende, is a good base for the Vallée des Merveilles, with some good-value hotels. While you're here, make the trip 4km east of town to the sanctuary of Notre-Dame-des-Fontaines, whose frescoes were executed by one Jean Canavéso at around the same time as the anonymous fifteenth-century traveller was freaking out about the demons of the Vallée des Merveilles. The frescoes, which cover the entire building, are akin to an arcade of video nasties. The goriest detail is a devil extracting Judas's soul from his disembowelled innards. The chapel is open in the summer (daily 10.30–11.30am & 2–4pm; €1.50), and in the winter you can visit it with a guide from the tourist office on place St-Martin (Mon–Sat 9am–noon & 2–6pm; tel 04.93.04.36.07, fax 04.93.04.36.09). The three hotels in La Brigue are: Le Mirval, rue Vincent-Ferrier (tel 04.93.04.63.71, fax 04.93.04.79.81; €40–55); and, on place St-Martin, the Auberge St-Martin (tel & fax 04.93.04.62.17; closed Dec–Feb; €30–40) and the Fleurs des Alpes (tel 04.93.04.61.05, fax 04.93.04.59.68; €30–40). One more stop north on the train line brings you to TENDE, where the French spoken has a distinctly Italian accent. If you've missed the Vallée des Merveilles engravings you can see them reproduced outside the beautifully designed Musée des Merveilles on avenue du 16-Septembre-1947 (May to mid-Oct daily 10.30am–6.30pm; mid-Oct to April daily except Tues 10.30am–5pm; €4.57), a very contemporary museum covering the wildlife, prehistory and geology of the region. That apart, the old town is fun to wander through, looking at the symbols of old trades on the door lintels, the overhanging roofs and multiple balconies. The tourist office is on avenue du 16-Septembre-1947 (May–Sept Mon–Sat 9am–noon & 2–6pm; Oct–April Mon–Sat 8.30am–noon & 1.30–5pm; tel 04.93.04.73.71, fax 04.93.04.35.09). To stay, there's the basic du Centre on place de la République (tel 04.93.04.62.19; under €30). Tende has plenty of shops and restaurants, though nothing very special on the gourmet front.
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