Cultural landmarkFrance · FR
Échelle de la reine
The Échelle de la Reine, or Queen's Ladder, is a striking staircase of 215 steps cut straight into the volcanic rock of Thueyts, in southern France's Ardèche. Rising through the Plaine de la Vernède at the foot of a basalt flow, it is a rare piece of vernacular engineering shaped as much by legend as by geology, and it links the village to the abandoned hamlet of Fargebelle and the dramatic natural site of the Pont du Diable. Open free of charge all year and reached on foot from the village, the ladder rewards visitors with a hands-on climb up raw basalt, an orientation table with views over the valley, and the sense of following a path once said to have carried a queen of Auvergne to watch a battle.