Serre-Ponçon and Les Orres in 4 days
A 2,800-hectare reservoir of turquoise water under the southern Alps sun, with Blue Flag beaches, a chapel on an islet, the earth pillars of Théus and the cathedral of Embrun. In winter, the Les Orres ski resort takes over, with its slopes, an alpine coaster and a giant zip line.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Lake Serre-Ponçonfree · 2 to 3 hA reservoir about 20 km long created by a dam completed in 1959, whose filling drowned the village of Ubaye and part of Savines.
- Afternoon
Saint-Michel Chapelfree · about 30 minA chapel on a rocky islet in the middle of the lake, the last trace of the flooded lands, which once sheltered travellers and pilgrims.
Day 2
- Morning
Savines-le-Lacfree · about 1 hDrowned by the lake and rebuilt above the waterline in the early 1960s, the village has a modernist architecture now labelled as 20th-century heritage.
- Afternoon
Embrun lakefree · 2 to 3 hA 27-hectare lake separated from the reservoir, with a steadier level and warmer water, grassy beaches, sailing, canoes and a 2.6 km loop path.
Day 3
- Morning
Notre-Dame-du-Réal Cathedralfree · about 30 minBuilt between 1170 and 1225, Embrun's Lombard-style cathedral alternates pink and green marble, black schist and white limestone.
- Afternoon
Orrian Express alpine coasterabout 30 minA 710-metre track at Les Orres 1650 with banked bends and 360-degree spirals, ridden alone or in pairs with a brake you control.
Day 4
- Morning
Les Orres Speedlineabout 30 minA 1,890-metre zip line from the top of the Pic Vert chairlift across the resort, more than 100 metres above the slopes and larches.
- Afternoon
Demoiselles Coiffées of Théusfree · 2 to 3 hHundreds of earth pillars in a valley above Théus, some over 20 metres tall, each protected from erosion by a cap of harder rock.
Where to sleep in Serre-Ponçon and Les Orres
- Hôtel de la mairie · €90 a night
- Hôtel Les Trappeurs · €120 a night
- Hôtel L'Escale Blanche · €115 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.