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Spring break in Gilette (Alpes-Maritimes) from 16 to 23 May 2026

Jean Michel Clausse, Christophe Badonnel and the IT managers contributed to this page presenting the trip.

Registration for Gilette 2026 is now closed.

The 2026 spring break will take place from 16 to 23 May 2026 at «Domaine de l'Olivaie», It was organised by the ULVF (Union Loisirs Vacances Familles) holiday centre in Gilette. It was prepared by a small team: Étienne Mayeur, Robert Charbonnier and Jean-Michel Clausse.

Introduction to the region

Gilette is a small village in the hinterland of Nice, perched high up (459 m) overlooking the Var and Estéron valleys. Its inhabitants are known as the Gilettois.

This picturesque village of 1,600 inhabitants is situated on a topographical pass 35 km from Nice and 30 km from the Mercantour National Park, created in 1979. The Mercantour National Park, which is part of the «Alpes de la Mer» project in association with other cross-border protected areas, is in the process of classifying its territory as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The village of Gilette is dominated by the Château de l'Aiguille, built in the 12th century^e century on the rocky outcrop overlooking the village, by the Count of Provence Alphonse 1^er. In 1526, the Grimaldis of Bueil were besieged here following their betrayal of the House of Savoy. Enlarged in XVI^e The castle was destroyed in 1706 on the orders of Louis XIV, at the same time as that of Nice. In 1793, Gilette saw the victory of the French army over the Sardinian and Austrian armies. The ruins of the enclosure castle's fortifications have been enhanced and made safer, and reopened to the public on 28 January 2024.

To find out more, discover Gilette and the surrounding area.

Circuits

cc courseGilette 2026 course

1. Road routes
2. Mountain bike trails
3. Gravel course

To help you choose the courses that are right for you, you will find here a
Table summarising the routes, their difficulty and aesthetic interest

The routes (road, mountain bike and gravel) will take you from Mediterranean landscapes with olive trees, palm trees and flowers to Alpine landscapes. The Barrot and Argentera massifs date from the same geological era as the Alps. The Pays d'Azur starts at sea level and reaches the Pic du Gélas at 3143 m and the Bonette and Tende passes (Route Royale du Sel).
There are 835 cols in the Alpes-Maritimes department, 270 of which are over 2000m high. Many of these passes are off-limits because they lie within the Mercantour National Park, but outside the park there are 662 passes on authorised roads, tracks or trails, enough to satisfy all mountain biking enthusiasts.

Hosting

Domaine de l'Olivaie is set in magnificent grounds planted with Mediterranean flora and two-hundred-year-old olive trees. The rooms and flats offer breathtaking views of the Mercantour peaks.

The Domaine de l'Olivaie
3965 route de Gilette 06830 Gilette

 

Other accommodation

As the village of Gilette has neither a campsite nor a motorhome park, the manager of the Domaine de l'Olivaie has given exceptional permission for 5 motorhomes to park on the site.

The Gilette Town Hall does not authorise the parking of these vehicles on the public highway.

Note from the Board of Directors

If you are arranging accommodation elsewhere than at the centre, don't forget to register as a «simple participant»:

• In order to correctly size joint events (information sessions, welcome and closing drinks).
• To provide the holiday booklet.
• To ensure that the costs of preparation and organisation are shared.

Registrations

To register, download the PDF registration form from the link below. Please note that the registration form consists of two pages: the registration form itself (make sure you fill in all the sections that apply to you and sign at the bottom of the page), and the special conditions that you will also need to sign. If you plan to be accompanied by your partner, make sure you register him/her as an associate member with your Territorial or National Delegate beforehand, and don't forget to enter his/her associate member number in the appropriate box.
The "Organisation Expenses" package must be subscribed to by all members taking part in the trip (whether they choose full board, the 7-dinner package, or whether they provide their own accommodation and food), with the exception of associate members (decision of the Board of Directors on 26 September 2020). This package is a contribution towards all the benefits and services they receive by taking part in the trip: cost of preparing the trip and the tours, publication of the maps displayed and the trombinoscope, brochure of the trip, organisation of activities for accompanying persons, Club insurance, etc.

For legal reasons, these holidays are only open to members of the Club, so please make sure you are up to date with your membership fees before sending in your registration form.

You can choose from the following packages:

• “Full board” at €494, to which you must add the “organisation costs” package at €16, i.e. a total of €510.
• “7-dinner package” at €166 if you are staying on your own but wish to share the dinners with your friends. You must add the “organisation costs“ package at €16 for a total of €182.
• “Organisational costs package” at €16 if you are lodging and providing your own lunches (except associate members).
• Optional subscription to Gritchen insurance (2.34 % of the amount of benefits with a minimum of €8 per person or €16 for a couple).
• If you are not a member of the FFCT, add the compulsory insurance at €7 per person.
• If you are a couple, one of whom is an associate member who does not hold an FFCT licence, and you would like to take out Gritchen insurance, you would choose two packages at €494, an organisation costs package at €16, i.e. a total of €1,004, add Gritchen insurance at 2.34 % x €1,004 = €23.49 (which is more than the minimum of €16) and non-FFCT insurance at €7, i.e. a total of €1,034.49.

Télécharger le bulletin / download the booking form / scarica il modulo

Registration form Gilette in French

For a fully paperless registration:
The Gilette registration form in French is an editable pdf file that you can easily fill in and save on your computer before sending by e-mail.
To sign the document without printing it:
• If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader At the bottom of the small toolbar at the top left, there is an option to «add your signature» which allows you to save your signature (drawn once with the mouse) and drag and drop it into the three designated areas.
- Alternatively, most web browsers (Edge, Chrome, etc.) offer at least one «drawing» option in the top toolbar that lets you sign with the mouse in the 3 spaces provided in the newsletter.
To pay by bank transfer: if you do not already have it, you will find the club's IBAN on the page. Online Payment Methods.
Paper option retained:
The pdf registration form is still printable and is no different from a non-modifiable form. You can therefore fill it in and sign it as you wish and post it with a cheque.

Booking form Gilette in English

Modulo d'iscrizione Gilette in italiano

• General terms and conditions of Gritchen insurance
• Gritchen cover Covid 19

The deadline for receipt of entries is 15/03/2026. .

Passbook

You can leaf through here the booklet that will be distributed during the holiday and which contains, in addition to welcome messages, information about the region and how to get there, safety information and detailed descriptions of the tours.

Carpooling

If you have space in your vehicle or are looking for a car-sharing space, please let us know by using the comments form at the bottom of this article.

There's more to life than cycling

Discover Gilette