The French Alps

Synonymous with outdoor, nature or adventure vacations for most, mountain vacations are most often organized in the Alps for the French, and more precisely in the French Alps.

Subjected to very different climatic conditions, the Southern Alps and Northern Alps offer very different conditions for mountain activities, but all offer the same thing: pure air, well-being, scenery and a break from the routine of the rest of the year.

The wetter, more forested north offers opportunities to explore from lakes to glaciers, while the sunny south attracts light-seeking travelers.

In winter, snow-related activities are available in all mountain ranges, and today there are many ways to try out new experiences. From snowshoeing to extreme skiing, anything is possible, as long as the safety rules are respected.

In summer, you can add swimming in the warm turquoise waters of our large lakes to the classic hikes and two-wheeled outings. Or try more challenging activities like rafting and canyoning. All invigorating experiences!

Let's explore this first Alpine zone, starting from the Mediterranean Sea... starting from Nice.

The Southern French Alps

While it's easy to put a southern limit on the Southern Alps (it's simply the Côte d'Azur and its beautiful Riviera), its northern limit is more fluid: is it the orographic limit (which follows the mountain ridges) or the climatic limit, etc.?

The Durance valley valley can be considered part of it, and the Porte du Dauphiné, just south of Grenoble , marks its northern border. The main feature of this part of the Alps is its climate.

We're clearly closer to a Mediterranean climate than to Switzerland. Summers are very hot and dry - apart from the occasional violent thunderstorm that drenches the mountains. But winters are also fairly dry, as the valleys are not subject to the oceanic flow that is blocked by the Vercors and Ecrins.

When it snows, it's because a disturbance is moving up from Italy, usually from the south or east, which is less frequent than ocean currents. As a result, the skies are often clear and impressively blue.

This does not prevent the snow from holding up well and for a long time. The Col de Montgenèvre pass which links Italy to Briançon is one of France's best-snowed resorts: the snow generally falls early, from the end of November, and doesn't leave the ground until April, with sometimes impressive layers.

The north-facing ski areas of Vars and Risoul also benefit from exceptional snow conditions. Vars is very popular with Italian skiers coming up from the Col de la Madeleine.

In order, starting from the south, i.e. Nice, we find the Alpes Maritimes. Enjoy the Mercantour National Park and head up the Tinée valley to the mountain resorts of Isola 2000 and Auron. A little further west, up the Var valley and its tributaries the Cians and the Verdon, you'll discover the resorts of Valberg and La Foux d'Allos.

In these valleys, deciduous trees climb the slopes to relatively high altitudes, especially on the south-facing slopes, while firs and larches colonize the north-facing slopes and the higher-altitude slopes just before the meadows. In a valley bottom at 1000m altitude, it's hard to have a village nestling in a fir forest like in the Jura! The villages look like cribs, with their tightly-packed dwellings, narrow, sometimes steep streets and Mediterranean red tiles on the roofs.

If you follow the Durance upstream from Aix en Provence, leaving beautiful towns like Sisteron and Digne along the way, you'll reach Gap the gateway to the Provencal Alps. You can then head up the Durance towards Embrun (at the foot of Les Orres), to Briançon, Serre Chevalier and the Col du Lautaret, with the choice of falling in love with one of the side valleys: discover the resorts of Risoul, Vars or the Queyras (Saint Véran - the highest village in Europe - Abriès, Ceillac) upstream from Guillestre, or on the other side of the valley, on the edge of the Pelvoux in the Ecrins massif and the resorts of Puy Saint Vincent and Vallouise.

From Gap, you can also travel up the Ubaye to Barcelonnette and discover the fabulous story of the migrants who left for Mexico, made their fortune there and built rich mansions in the town, or head up to one of the ski resorts at Pra-Loup or Le Sauze.

This region, like all the southern Alps, is absolutely fantastic in autumn, when the larch forests turn yellow and russet and light up the valleys, while the cloudless blue sky seems to engulf us in infinity.

Water sports enthusiasts will love the Serre-Ponçon lake between Gap and Embrun and its blue sky, which is matched only by that of Provence.

From Gap in the direction of Grenoble you can visit the Champsaur (and the resort of Orcières Merlette), the Valgaudemar which plunges into the Ecrins massif, and the Dévoluy at the gateway to the Drôme.

The pre-Alpine part of this region, from the Drôme in the south of the Vercors to the Baronnies in front of Mont Ventoux, is already the gateway to Provence and the Mediterranean, and the drier, harsher landscapes are even closer to those of Haute Provence evoked by Giono than those of the high valleys of the Savoy region, evoked by Frison-Roche.

Finally, when you think that the Alps rhyme with greenery, dark fir forests, wooden chalets and roclette evenings, a visit to the Southern Alps, whether in the Ecrins, Ubaye or Mercantour, will remind you that the Alps have a multitude of different territories, each more beautiful than the last.

The Northern French Alps.

In the collective imagination, mountains are represented by large wooded valleys, higher pastures near the ridges, eternal snow, even glaciers, villages huddled around their churches, with wooden buildings more common than in the southern Alps. And indeed, the northern part of the French Alps fits this description.

This is where the major traditional Alpine resorts are concentrated. Between the bucolic landscapes of the Chablais to Faucigny and the val d'Arly to Beaufortainand very high mountain landscapes on the slopes of the Mont Blancthe Vanoiseand Belledonne and Oisansmountain lovers are spoilt for choice. That's why this is the region where most tourists concentrate when they come to the French Alps.

But do they really choose according to their desire for the mountains, or do they let themselves be attracted by the spots that shine the brightest? Mountain development is not homogeneous in the Savoie or Dauphiné regions.

If you like authentic mountains, with their pastures, chalets and lively villages renewing their traditions, you should be tempted by Bernex, Abondance, Arêches-Beaufort, Manigod, Pralognan and many others that don't necessarily ring a bell in your ears. Perhaps you've heard ofMorzine, Megève, Les Contamines or Villard de Lans, and that's a good choice if you like this side of the mountains.

If you're more of a sports fan in summer and a skier in winter, you may also be drawn to Avoriaz, Val Thorens, La Plagne, Val d'Isère, L'Alpe d'Huez and Les 2 Alpes.

There's no such thing as an ugly place or a beautiful place... Each site corresponds to a personal desire and idea of the mountains. To avoid disappointment, you need to know how to choose the right site.

Another example, more climatic this time. Do you want to go to the mountains to enjoy the coolness and escape the urban heatwave of July or August? Then you need to avoid some extremely hot basins at the bottom of south-facing valleys. Thirty degrees at 1000m altitude are very hard to bear on a stormy day, much more so than thirty degrees at the seaside with a nice beach breeze. Here too, you need to make the right choices.

Combloux and Chamonixtwo villages at an altitude of 1000m, but the first on a balcony and the other at the bottom of a deep valley, will give you a very different experience of a hot summer's day in the mountains.

Skiing! Yes, all enthusiasts await the snow reports as their own vacations approach, but how do you choose from among a hundred or so resorts? How can you be sure (or at least have as good a chance as possible) of getting snow? Should you go up to resorts at 1800-2000m and risk having to drive on snow, or stay at the bottom of the valley and risk seeing snow only on the slopes, but not on the meadows or trees? At the same altitude, you won't have the same snow cover if you're on a north or south-facing slope, if you're exposed to storms or if you're in an inland valley, etc. Aussois and Valmorel, at more or less the same altitude, are examples of this variability of snow cover and climatic conditions that will leave you with a different impression of your alpine holiday.

A selection is required to choose the right resort or valley, but fortunately the diversity of situations is such that there is something for everyone.

In Haute-Savoie, the Chablais valleys offer a touch of Switzerland, while the Aravis mountains are home to traditional villages such as La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand. And don't forget the balconies overlooking the Mont Blancfrom Combloux or above Chamonix. A must for mountain enthusiasts.

In Savoie, the Tarentaise (the Isère valley between Albertville and Val d'Isère) is more touristy and verdant, with beautiful forests and ridges with views of the Mont Blanc on the one hand, and the wilder and more authentic Maurienne, sunnier and more remote, on the other, the choice will depend on each individual's desires.

As for cyclists, they'll be quick to choose one of the countless major mountain passes for their training!

In the Dauphiné ( Isère department), the Oisans and its landscapes overlooking the Ecrins, dominated by the Meije and the Barre des Ecrins, will delight the most athletic and thrill-seekers, while the Chartreuse and Vercors, with their gentler relief, will delight families looking for walks within their children's reach.

Lakes, a major attraction in the French Alps

Lake Geneva to the north, on the border with Switzerland, Lake Annecy, Lac du Bourget with the Aix-les-Bains Riviera, Lac d'Aiguebelette, Lac de Paladru as you head south.

Located in the foothills of the Alps, close to the region's major cities, these large aquatic areas become veritable inland seas in the summer months: swimming, diving, sailing, water games, boat trips, sunny beaches, walks along the banks...

It's the sea in the mountains. Each lake has its own speciality. Plenty to discover.

Last but not least, the towns themselves offer a wealth of cultural attractions: Annecy and its old streets; Chambéry, with its medieval quarter at the foot of the castle of the Counts of Savoy, and its traboules as in Lyon; and Grenoble, with its old quarter and view of the Alps from the Bastille fort, accessible by cable car.

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