Where to go on mountain vacation in the French Alps

Synonymous with outdoor, nature or adventure vacations for most, the mountain vacation 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 practicing mountain activities during your vacation in the Alps, while focusing on the same picture: fresh air, well-being, landscapes and a break from the routine of the rest of the year.

The north, more humid and more wooded, will offer opportunities to discover lakes and glaciers, and the south will be able to count on bright sunshine to attract travelers in search of light during their mountain vacation.

In winter, snow-related activities are offered across all the mountain ranges, and several variations now exist to try new experiences. From snowshoeing to extreme skiing, everything is possible as long as you respect the security rules.

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

Let’s now set off to explore the French Alps, starting from the Mediterranean Sea… and more precisely, starting from Nice.

If you wish to discover directly the department of the French Alps which interests you the most, you can do so by clicking on the corresponding thumbnail.

Mountain holidays in the Southern French Alps

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

We can consider that the valley of the Durance is part of it, and the doors of the Le Dauphiné, just at the southern exit of Grenoble mark the northern border. The main characteristic of this part of the Alps is its climate which will strongly influence your mountain vacation.

We are clearly closer to a Mediterranean climate than to the climate of Switzerland. The summers are very hot and dry – apart from very violent storms that sometimes come to water the mountains. But the winters are also quite dry, because the valleys are not subject to the ocean flow which remains blocked by the Vercors and the Ecrins.

When it snows it is because a disturbance comes up from Italy from the South or the East, in general, which is less frequent than ocean currents. Hence a sky often clear and impressively blue during your ski holidays in the resorts of the Southern Alps.

This does not prevent the snow from holding well and for a long time. The pass of Montgenevre which connects Italy to Briançon is one of the best snow-covered resorts in France: the snow generally falls early, from the end of November, and does not leave the ground until April, with a sometimes impressive layer.

Also the areas of Vars et Risoul, which are also oriented towards the North, benefit from exceptional snow cover. The Vars resort is very popular with Italian skiers who come up from the Col de la Madeleine.

In order, starting from the South, therefore from Nice, we meet the Alpes-Maritimes. We will be able to take advantage of the Mercantour National Park and go up the Tinée valley with the mountain resorts of Insulated 2000 et Auron. A little further west, going up the Var valley and its tributaries the Cians and the Verdon, we will discover the resorts of Valberg or Crazy of Allos.

In these valleys, deciduous trees climb the slopes to a relatively high altitude, especially on the southern slopes, while firs and larches colonize the northern slopes and the slopes at higher altitude just before the meadows. It is difficult in a valley bottom at an altitude of 1000m to have a village nestled in a fir forest like in the Jura! The villages look like a nativity scene, with houses packed tightly together, small narrow streets that are sometimes steep and very Mediterranean red tiles on the roofs.

When we go up the Durance from Aix en Provence and leaving magnificent towns like Sisteron and Digne along the road we will reach Gap which is the gateway to the Provençal Alps. We can go up the Durance towards Embrun (at the foot of the Orres, until Briançon, Serre Chevalier and Lautaret pass, having the choice of falling in love with one of the side valleys: discovering the resorts of Risoul, Vars or Queyras (Saint Véran - the highest commune in Europe - Abriès, Ceillac) upstream from Guillestre, or on the other side near the Pelvoux in the Ecrins massif and the resorts of Puy-Saint-Vincent et Vallouise.

From Gap, we can also go back up Ubaye up to Barcelonnette and discover the fabulous story of these migrants who went to Mexico, made their fortune there and built rich homes in the city, or go up to one of the ski resorts in Pra Wolf ou The Sauze.

AlpAddict in Ubaye — Barcelonnette in Ubaye

This region, like all the southern Alps, is absolutely fantastic in autumn when the larch forests take on their yellow and red colours and light up the valleys while the cloudless blue sky seems to swallow us up into infinity.

Water sports enthusiasts will love it Lake Serre-Ponçon across Gap et Embrun and its blue which is matched only by that of the Provençal sky.

From Gap going towards Grenoble we can visit the Champsaur (and the Orcières Merlette station), the Valgaudemar which sinks into the Ecrins massif and the Devoluy at the gates of the Drôme.

AlpAddict near Gap — Champsaur, near Gap

The pre-Alpine part of this region from the Drôme to 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 Savoie region, evoked by Frison-Roche.

Finally, when we think that the Alps rhyme with greenery, dark pine forests, wooden chalets and raclette evenings, a visit to the Southern Alps, whether in the Ecrins, Ubaye or Mercantour, will remind us that the Alps have a multitude of different territories, each one more beautiful than the last. Each region of the Alps offers opportunities for mountain vacation very specific.

Do not hesitate to browse the articles specific to each of the major regions of the Southern Alps:

On vacation in the Northern French Alps.

AlpAddict in the Northern Alps — In Beaufortain

In the collective imagination, the mountain is represented by large wooded valleys, pastures higher up near the ridges, eternal snow, even glaciers, villages huddled around their church, with wooden buildings more common than in the Southern Alps. We can easily imagine staying for a mountain holiday in a beautiful wooden chalet. And indeed the part northern french alps fits this description well.

This is where the large traditional Alpine resorts are concentrated. Between bucolic landscapes of Chablais au Faucigny and Arly Valley au Beaufortain, and very high mountain landscapes on the slopes of the massifs of Mont Blanc, Vanoise, belledonne and Oisans, mountain lovers are spoiled for choice. That is why this is the region where most tourists concentrate when they come to the Alps for their mountain vacation in France, winter and summer.

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 most? The development of the mountains is not homogeneous in the countries of Savoy or in the Le Dauphiné.

If you like the authentic mountain, that of pastures, chalets, lively villages which renew their traditions, you should be tempted by Bernex, Abondance, Arêches-Beaufort, Manigod, Pralognan and many others that may not resonate in your ears. Perhaps you knows Morzine, Megève, Les Contamines, Villard de Lans, and it's already a good choice if you like this side of the mountain.

AlpAddict in the Abondance valley — Châtel in the Val d'Abondance

But maybe you also swear by Avoriaz, Val Thorens, La Plagne, Val d'Isère, L'Alpe d'Huez and Les 2 Alpes if you are more of a fan of sport in summer and skiing in winter.

Skiing in Haute-Savoie with AlpAddict — Avoriaz

There is no such thing as a beautiful place or an ugly place… Each site corresponds to a desire and a personal idea that one has of the mountain. It is precisely to avoid being disappointed that one must know how to choose the right site for one’s mountain stays.

Another example, more climatic this time. Do you want to go to the mountains to enjoy the cool air and escape the urban heatwave of July or August? Then you have to avoid certain extremely hot basins at the bottom of valleys exposed to the south. Thirty degrees at 1000m altitude are very hard to bear during a stormy day, much more than thirty degrees at the sea with a good breeze on the beach. Here too you will have to know how to make the right choices for your mountain vacation.

Combloux et Chamonix, two villages at 1000m altitude, but the first on a balcony and the other at the bottom of a deep valley will give you a very different experience from a hot summer day in the mountains.

AlpAddict in front of Mont Blanc — Combloux in front of Mont Blanc

Skiing! Yes, all enthusiasts are waiting for the snow reports as they approach their own ski holidays, but how to choose among a hundred stations? How to be sure (or at least as likely as possible) ofhave snow during their ski holiday ? Go up to the resorts at 1800-2000m taking the risk of having to drive on the snow or stay at the bottom of the valley and take the risk of seeing snow only on the slopes but neither on the meadows nor on the trees? At the same altitude you will not have the same snow cover if you are on a north or south slope, if you are exposed to disturbances or if you are in an interior valley, etc. Also et Valmorel, more or less at the same altitude are an example of this variability of snow and climatic conditions which will leave you with a different impression of your stay in the French Alps.

Ski and Sun with AlpAddict — Aussois, in Maurienne

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

In Haute-Savoie, you have to walk in the valleys of Chablais to have a little Swiss air, and in the Aravis to see real traditional villages like La Clusaz or Le Grand Bornand live all year round. We will not forget the balconies on the Mont Blanc, since Combloux or above Chamonix. Unmissable for mountain enthusiasts.

En Savoy, Tarentaise (the Isère valley between Albertville et Val d'Isere) more touristy and green, with beautiful forests and ridges with views of the Mont Blanc on one side, and the wilder and more authentic Maurienne, sunnier and more remote, the choice will be made according to each person's desires.

Cyclists will quickly choose one of the countless major passes to train on!

In the Le Dauphiné (Department of Isère), Oisans and its landscapes on the Cases, dominated by the Meije and the Barre des Ecrins, will delight the most athletic and thrill-seekers, while the Chartreuse and Vercors, with a gentler relief, will delight families looking for walks within reach of their toddlers.

Do not hesitate to browse the articles specific to each of the major regions of the Southern Alps:

Lakes, an option for a holiday in the French Alps

Lake Geneva to the north, on the border with Switzerland, Lake Annecy, Bourget Lake with the Aix-les-Bains Riviera, Lake Aiguebelette, Paladru Lake going down towards the South.

Located in the pre-Alpine region, near the region's major cities, these large aquatic spaces become real inland seas in the summer: swimming, diving, sailing, water games, boat trips, sunny beaches, walks along the banks, etc.

It's the sea in the mountains. Each lake has its own specialty. Lots of things to discover during your holidays in the Alps.

Do not hesitate to discover the articles which deal specifically with each of the French Alpine Lakes:

Finally, cities also offer beautiful cultural attractions: Annecy and its old alleys, Chambéry, its medieval district at the foot of the castle of the Counts of Savoy and its traboules like in Lyon, and Grenoble, with its valued old quarter and the view of the Alps from the Bastille fort accessible by cable car.