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Travel guide
The Écrins (Vallouise)
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: January to February, and June to September
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Welcome
The Écrins (Vallouise), in a few days
The most direct way into the Écrins National Park: the Vallouise valley leads to Ailefroide, a major climbing centre, then to the Glacier Blanc, five kilometres of ice below the Barre des Écrins. Around it are Dormillouse, the last inhabited hamlet in the heart of the park, a medieval silver mine and via ferratas open to children from four.
- 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 · Glacier Blanc free · a full dayThe largest glacier in the Écrins; the trail from Pré de Madame Carle climbs about 700 metres beside its meltwater to the Glacier Blanc hut.
- Afternoon · Lac de l'Eychauda free · a full dayA glacial lake at 2,514 metres below the Séguret Foran glacier, among the largest in the Écrins and frozen for most of the year.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Chalet Hôtel d'Ailefroide€120 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Ailefroide free · about 1 hA hamlet at the head of the Vallouise under Mont Pelvoux, among larches and granite boulders, with a guides' office and a large riverside campsite.
- Afternoon · Vallouise free · about 1 hThe valley's main village, with old houses, painted sundials and the 15th and 16th-century Saint-Étienne church with its baroque altarpiece.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Saint-Roch€110 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Puy-Saint-Vincent · half a dayA family ski resort spread over three hamlets between 1,400 and 2,700 metres, facing the Vallouise and Mont Pelvoux, with cross-country skiing too.
- Afternoon · Durance gorge via ferrata · 2 to 3 hFour graded via ferrata routes in the Durance gorge, from a short beginners' route for four-year-olds to a demanding three-hour climb, plus long ziplines.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Chalet Hôtel d'Ailefroide€120 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fournel silver mine · 2 to 3 hSilver-bearing lead was mined here by fire-setting from the 10th to the 13th century; the seam was reopened in 1785 and later employed hundreds.
- Afternoon · Dormillouse free · 2 to 3 hA hamlet at the end of the Freissinières valley, reached only on foot, long a Waldensian refuge and the park's only permanently inhabited village.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Saint-Roch€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 €85 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJanuary to February, and June 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/ecrins
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.