La Grave - Hautes-Alpes, Provence, France travel

Visitez La Grave : gites | hotels | location des voitures | explore Provence

La Grave ('most beautiful villages of Provence') is high in the mountains 40 kilometres north-west of Briancon.

Tourist Information

La Grave is most well known as a ski resort, and attracts especially more adventurous skiers. It is a location only for very experienced skiers, with no pistes, and a high risk of avalanches and from glacial activity. From the village skiers can reach (via tram and lift) what is said to be one of the best ski runs in Europe, with a vertical drop of over 2000 metres, all in a magical setting.

It is the altitude of the village that means there are no wooden chalets to be found, because there are no trees (and because earlier fires in the town further discouraged the idea). The buildings are therefore made of stone, with stone rooves. The houses are constructed largely with volcanic rock, held together by a mortar made from earth.

The village itself sits on a slope nestled into the mountainside with a myriad of narrow streets winding between the sturdy houses.

The views from the village, and in the surrounding countryside, are magnificent, and if you visit during the summer you can enjoy walking in the region.

The village is proud, and rightly so, that it has managed to avoid the visual impact of tourism on the town, and the facilities that are there form part of the fabric of the town.