Where to stay in the Southern Alps: the 6 areas to know in 2026
In the Southern Alps you do not sleep in a resort, you sleep in a village and travel out from it. Four of our reviews use the same word without knowing each other: a "base", a "home base", a "stopover". The valleys do not connect to one another, so each area is done as a round trip from a single point.
One exception, and it comes from one of our members too: Briançon, where you can do everything on foot. Everywhere else, the choice of where you sleep decides your day. Six areas below, from the Col du Lautaret to the Serre-Ponçon reservoir.
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Abriès is a perfect base for a trip focused on sports and discovery! It is a perfect home base, plus you can find restaurants and shops there to organize your activities.
One base or several?
The valleys do not connect: changing area means going back down the Durance axis. Here is how we would split it by length of stay.
- A long weekend: Briançon alone, three nights, and no car. It is the only area that stands on its own.
- A week: Two bases: three nights in Briançon, then four in the Queyras from Guillestre. An hour's drive between the two.
- Ten days: Three bases: Briançon, the Queyras, then Embrun to finish by the lake. You go down the Durance, you do not go back up it.
- A ski week: One single base, and the lift pass that goes with it: Serre Chevalier for the area, Vars or Risoul for the Forêt Blanche, Orcières for the price.
How much driving between two bases?
By road, outside pass closures. The train serves only the Durance axis, from Gap to Briançon.
| Route | Driving time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Gap → Briançon | 1 hr 30 | Up the valley, or by train |
| Gap → Embrun | 45 min | Up the valley, or by train |
| Briançon → Guillestre | 40 min | Up the valley |
| Guillestre → Saint-Véran | 1 hr | Through the Guil gorges |
| Guillestre → Vars | 30 min | Switchback road |
| Briançon → La Grave | 50 min | Over the Col du Lautaret, open in winter |
| Briançon → Vallouise | 30 min | Via L'Argentière-la-Bessée |
| Gap → Orcières | 1 hr | Through the Champsaur |
| Briançon → Montgenèvre | 20 min | Pass open year-round |
| Embrun → Les Orres | 25 min | Resort road |
At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.
Map of the areas in the Southern Alps
See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.
Briançon and Serre Chevalier The upper Durance
for the only town in the range, and the only base without a car
The highest town in France at 1,326 meters, an upper town ringed with ramparts by Vauban and UNESCO-listed, and a cable car that leaves from the lower town to reach the 250 kilometers of slopes at Serre Chevalier. This is the only area in the guide where you can do without a car: station, shops, restaurants and lifts all sit within the same perimeter. Opposite, the Col de Montgenèvre opens onto Italy year-round.
The old town, partially surrounded by old ramparts, is very pleasant to visit. Located right in the mountains, this place is easy to get to. Once you are there, you can do everything on foot, including shops, restaurants, and cultural visits.
The towns in this area
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Maison Soyeuse Luxury
A recent four-star right in the upper town, in the Vauban quarter. You sleep inside the ramparts, which no other address in Briançon allows.
Garrigae Caserne de Briançon & SPA Cinq Mondes Luxury
An 18th-century barracks converted, with a spa, at the foot of the upper town. Big volumes, and the only full-scale spa in the area.
Hôtel Vauban Briançon Serre Chevalier Mid-range
The highest-rated address in the lower town by travelers, minutes from the Prorel cable car and the station.
Hôtel Mont-Brison Budget
A family-run two-star on the main avenue, the trade-off for holding three February nights without spending the trip budget on them.
Pros
- Everything on foot, including the base of the lifts
- A station on the Ligne des Alpes, and a night train from Paris
Cons
- February rates, the highest in the guide
- A town, so not the silence of a high village
The Queyras East, toward Italy
for larch villages at 2,000 meters, and almost nobody
A regional natural park, a single road that enters it through the Guil gorges, and at the far end Saint-Véran, the highest commune in France at 2,042 meters. Guillestre guards the gateway and serves as the supply base; Abriès and Ristolas, at the top of the valley, open straight onto the trails. The Col Agnel, 2,744 meters, closes the horizon on the Piedmont side from mid-June to mid-October.
Guillestre is a pretty little town in the Hautes Alpes, at the entrance to the Queyras Regional Natural Park.
The towns in this area
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Hôtel Restaurant De La Chaussée Mid-range
In the heart of Guillestre, at the gateway to the Queyras park, with a restaurant. The classic base for covering Vars, Risoul and the Queyras.
Les Chalets du Villard Mid-range
Larch chalets in Saint-Véran, at 2,042 meters. You cannot sleep higher in France, and the village is walked.
Pros
- Trails from the doorstep, as our Ristolas review puts it
- The quietest park in the range, even in August
Cons
- A single access road, which can close after a snowfall
- Few beds at the head of the valley: book early
Vars, Risoul and Mont-Dauphin The Guillestrois
for a large ski area and a Vauban fort at the bottom of the valley
Vars and Risoul share a ski area linked along the ridges, the Forêt Blanche, and are reached from the same valley. Below sits Mont-Dauphin, a stronghold built by Vauban on a spur above the confluence of the Guil and the Durance, UNESCO-listed, with its station on the Ligne des Alpes. The Col de Vars leads to the Ubaye in summer.
This fortified village by Vauban is really worth a visit.
The towns in this area
Where to stay in this area
Hôtel Snow Chill Mid-range
In Les Claux, in Vars, this is the resort's highest-rated address by travelers. Built for skiers, ski-in ski-out.
Résidence Club MMV Le Silvana Mid-range
A club residence in Risoul 1850, at the foot of the Forêt Blanche slopes. The choice for families who want it all included.
Pros
- Two linked resorts, and the Mont-Dauphin station below
- A UNESCO fort twenty minutes from the slopes
Cons
- High-altitude resorts that mainly live in winter
- The resort road is all switchbacks, chains sometimes required
Embrun and Serre-Ponçon The lake
for a summer by the water at 800 meters of altitude
Twenty-eight square kilometers of water held back since 1961 by a dam on the Durance: the Serre-Ponçon reservoir is the only place in the guide where you swim. Embrun looks down on it with its cathedral and its old town; Savines-le-Lac and Chorges hold the beaches, Les Orres the resort above. The season is short: the water reaches 22 or 24 °C in August, and the level drops from the fall onward.
Where to stay in this area
Hôtel & Spa Les Bartavelles Mid-range
Outdoor pool and spa two kilometers from the lake, at the edge of Embrun. The most complete address in the area.
Hôtel La Robéyère - BW Signature Collection Mid-range
In Embrun, with a pool, between the old town and the lake. Handy for alternating beach and sightseeing without taking the car again.
Hôtel & Restaurant Le Chalvet Budget
In Savines-le-Lac, on the shore, the village's highest-rated address. The beaches and the boat landing are just below.
Pros
- The only swimming in the range, and sailing
- A low altitude, so mild summer evenings
Cons
- In heavy demand in August: book months ahead
- Outside July and August, some addresses close
Gap, the Champsaur and the Dévoluy The south-west
for the gateway to the range, and the cheapest resorts
Gap is the prefecture and the southern gateway to the range: forty thousand inhabitants, a walkable center, and the motorway that stops there. To the north open the Champsaur, green and wide, and the Dévoluy, all rock; Orcières, Superdévoluy and Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol hold family resorts there, noticeably cheaper than Serre Chevalier. The Écrins park starts just above.
A nice little resort! The slopes are easy to do as a family, with different levels of difficulty, and they are accessible for beginners. The natural setting is also very beautiful.
The towns in this area
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Les Olivades Mid-range
In Gap, the town's highest-rated address, with a garden. Useful for a stopover before heading up into the valleys.
Nestor Hotel Gap Budget
Recent, south of Gap, at the motorway exit. The choice for anyone arriving late and leaving early for the mountains.
Pros
- The cheapest nights in the guide
- The motorway as far as Gap, and resorts forty-five minutes away
Cons
- Our review warns: Gap lacks life off season
- The peaks are further away than from Briançon
The Vallouise and La Grave The heart of the Écrins
for high mountains, glaciers and off-piste skiing
This is where the Écrins national park shows what it is: the Vallouise climbs to the Pré de Madame Carle and the Glacier Blanc, beneath the 4,102 meters of the Barre. On the other side of the Col du Lautaret, La Grave looks the Meije in the face and has only a cable car, with no groomed runs: it is an off-piste area, not a resort. The most committing area in the guide, and the least equipped.
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Auberge Edelweiss Mid-range
Facing the Meije glacier, in La Grave. The view from the terrace is the argument, and it is hard to beat.
Hôtel Le Sérac Mid-range
In the village, with a restaurant, one of the two highest-rated addresses in La Grave. The gathering point for steep skiers.
Hôtel Castillan Budget
The most affordable in the village, with a pool. The trade-off when you come for the mountain and only sleep here.
Pros
- The Écrins glaciers from the valley floor
- At La Grave, an area with no groomed runs, unique in France
Cons
- Nothing for beginners at La Grave, and no green run
- Few addresses, and half board often required
Our tips for booking the right place
- One base per valley, never one base for everything: This is what our reviews say, and the geography imposes it: the valleys of the Queyras, the Champsaur, the Vallouise and the Dévoluy have no crossing route. Getting from the Queyras to the Champsaur means going all the way back down the Durance. Pick one area per three nights, and do it as a round trip.
- Briançon is the only base without a car: A station on the Ligne des Alpes, a night train from Paris, a cable car leaving from the town and the whole center on foot: one of our members writes that "once you are there, you can do everything on foot". Everywhere else in the range, the service is a coach timed around school hours.
- February and August cost twice what September does: The two peaks are the winter school holidays and the first half of August, and the gap with low season runs to double for identical accommodation. September keeps the passes open, the larches start turning, and prices drop the moment school goes back.
- A pass reported open can close in the morning: The Izoard, the Agnel and the Galibier are closed from November until May or June, and they can also close for a few hours in peak season after a storm. Only the Lautaret, Montgenèvre and the Durance valley stay passable throughout: build a safe itinerary on those.
- Taking one base for the whole range: the Queyras and the Champsaur are two and a half hours apart while they touch on the map.
- Counting on public transport beyond the Gap to Briançon axis: the valleys have one coach a day outside term time.
- Choosing La Grave to learn to ski: the area has no groomed run at all, and that is the point of it.
- Aiming for Serre-Ponçon outside July and August: the lake level drops and some of the shoreline addresses close.
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