SOUTHERN ALPS

The sun is generous, the air pure, the light warm. At altitude, the season is ideal to try your first ski descents in one of the 65 ski resorts of the massif, on soft and welcoming snow for a gentle learning process. Longer days, stabilized snow cover and pleasant temperatures: spring is also the perfect time to start or practice ski touring and take advantage of the opening of the first refuges. 

With their family atmosphere, natural setting and local shops, the village resorts have been able to develop new activities, while preserving their traditions of hospitality, their architecture and a quality of life based on conviviality.

In the valley, you can enjoy the local producers' markets and discover the richness of the traditional cuisine of the Southern Alps: tourtons from Champsaur, donkey ears from Valgaudemar, Seille from Veynes, trout from Châteauroux les Alpes, honey desserts, etc.

The terraces are welcoming, the shops promote local crafts. Whether they come from legends, local memories or historical facts, the Southern Alps are full of traditions that are passed on from generation to generation.

The nooks and crannies of the Hautes-Alpes, after the passage of great names such as Vauban or Napoleon, form a real cultural melting pot. Between plains and summits, many religious buildings or strongholds are hidden at the bottom of the valley or are displayed on a rock. Among the most remarkable: Briançon, Mont-Dauphin, Embrun, Boscodon, Notre-Dame du Laus, Montmaur castle, Tallard medieval castle, etc. An itinerary runs along most of this cultural heritage, the Via Alta.

Rather relax? Don't hesitate to take the time to relax at the spa, to have a little yoga session facing the mountains! For example, the Grands Bains du Monêtier in Serre-Chevalier draw water from a naturally hot spring at 44°, cooled to 37°, which has been beneficial since the dawn of time. The Grands Bains thermal baths have become the reference in the Southern Alps, as has the Nuxe Durancia Balneo & Spa aquatic center in Montgenèvre with a balneo-ludic area, a wellness area and a spa.