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Travel guide
Briançon and La Grave
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: February to March, and July to September
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Welcome
Briançon and La Grave, in a few days
France's highest town, ringed by Vauban's UNESCO-listed ramparts and forts, opens onto three worlds: the 250 km of Serre Chevalier's ski runs, the Clarée valley and, over the Col du Lautaret, La Grave, where a cable car climbs to 3,200 metres facing La Meije.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Briançon's Vauban citadel free · about 1 h 30The upper town on its rocky spur at 1,326 metres, walled in 1689 and strengthened to Vauban's plans, UNESCO-listed since 2008.
- Afternoon · Pont d'Asfeld and Fort des Têtes free · about 1 hA stone arch thrown over the gorge to link the town with the forts built across the Durance between 1721 and 1734, crossable on foot.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Vauban€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fort des Salettes · 2 to 3 hA Vauban redoubt built from 1709 to 1712 above the town, visited with a guide who explains how the forts cover one another.
- Afternoon · The Clarée valley free · a full dayA protected valley running north towards Italy, with the wood and stone village of Névache, a wood-fired bakery and trails up to mountain lakes.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Edelweiss€110 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Les Grands Bains du Monêtier · about 2 hA thermal spa facing the peaks at the top of the Serre Chevalier valley, with indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, hammam and hot baths.
- Afternoon · Lautaret Alpine Garden · about 1 h 30A century-old botanical garden at 2,100 metres facing the Meije glaciers, with about 2,000 mountain plant species from around the world and a research station.
🛏️ Where to sleep · SoWell Parc Hôtel€130 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Col du Galibier free · about 30 minAt 2,642 metres, the pass between the Maurienne and the Lautaret marks the traditional line between the northern and southern French Alps.
- Afternoon · La Meije glacier cable cars · 2 to 3 hTwo cable car sections from La Grave at 1,450 metres to about 3,200 metres on the Girose glacier, with an ice cave at the top.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Vauban€110 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €115 a day, mid-range
Best seasonFebruary to March, and July to September
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/briancon-la-grave
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.