{"id":4461,"date":"2021-05-04T10:51:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T07:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floatinginprovence.com\/en\/?p=4461"},"modified":"2021-05-19T13:51:45","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T10:51:45","slug":"haute-alpes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floatinginprovence.com\/en\/blog\/haute-alpes","title":{"rendered":"Haute Alpes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My playground for the last 15 years, the Haute Alps in Provence is a masterpiece. And yes, I was also in Chamonix, and other Alps in northern provinces. What is so special here? This may be due to the proximity of the Alps to Provence, giving them something more authentic and not too posh like for example in Chamonix or Mageve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is something real, more intimate here. Who will dare venture here? For starters, us lazy southerners who do not wish to travel too far, or encounter too many Parisians at ski resorts. Let them go to Val Thorens and leave Provence alone. Here are my big recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gap:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Not just a global clothing chain! Whether you like it or not, all roads lead to Gap. This usually marks the half way point for me on a trip to the upper Alps. Napoleon traversed Gap when he returned to conquer France after his exile in Elba. Today this road is known as the famous “Route de Napoleon”. The town is big (the county capital), and here it’s a good place to refuel, find a good restaurant, or just stretch your legs. It’s beautiful and interesting but my eyes are usually set high on the mountains. So when I’m done with Gap, I continue on the winding road in the footsteps of Napoleon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Briancon:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fortified town is located at the confluence of five valleys and occupies an amazing geographical situation. The structure of these valleys has always offered the city relatively easy access to Provence, Queyras, Isere, and Italy. Briancon was a very important crossroads into the heart of the alpine massif. It offered the best conditions for the movement of soldiers, goods and the transfer of culture. The town is incredibly surrounded by walls. At its entrance we feel like extras on the set of the Game of Thrones. Lifting our heads we encounter two menacing fortresses protecting the road, the important work of Vauban<\/strong> – the celebrated military engineer responsible for all the important fortifications of his time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You probably understand that it is impossible not to stop on the way and give Briancon and her father Vauban the respect they deserve. Beyond that, I even recommend spending the night in the area to enjoy and discover all that Briancon has to offer: restaurants with typical dishes from the area, hiking trails, wildlife, gushing rivers, a suspension bridge over a torrent, Serre Chevalier ski resort. But it’s enough and just to wander the city\u2019s ancient alleyways and climb up to surrounding forts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La Grave and Col du Lautret: Adventure rolls on<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The main village of La Grave<\/strong> is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters on the right bank of the Upper Romanesque Valley, in the northern Haute Alps. It is located 10 km west of the most impressive Lautret<\/strong> mountain pass and about 35 km from Briancon. The road there is as it has always been – narrow, winding, carved in the rock face, through a series of old and strange tunnels. Although you will be tempted to take your eyes off the road and take in all the beauty around you, it is better not to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n