Hautes Alpes family holidays and breaks

Set apart from the better-known ski resorts of the French Alps (Rhône-Alpes) because it’s further south (it’s actually part of the Provence–Alpes–Côte d'Azur region), the Hautes Alpes département offers a number of uncrowded child-friendly destinations, some relatively high-altitude skiing, and good value for families who don’t mind the fact that most places don’t even register on the trendiness scale.

Another advantage is that it’s often sunnier here, too – it’s not unknown for people to take to the slopes in a T-shirt in April. Some resorts are close to the Italian border, and, in the case of Montgenèvre, are interconnected via a vast ski area stretching into Italy.

In summer, the area is a hotspot for outdoorsy family holidays, with plentiful opportunities for kayaking and rafting, hiking in the natural parks and wild valleys, mountain-biking, Via Ferrata, forest acrobatics, horse- and donkey-riding and trips by horse-drawn carriage.

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Today

27°C
81°F

Flying Time	1.75 hours
Carbon Footprint	0.72 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to do

Serre Chevalier is one of the main ski areas, its southerly aspect countered by its altitude – the resort is at 1350m, with skiing up to an impressive 2830m. There are 250km of runs through beautiful tree-lined scenery, most of them good for intermediates. The resort is actually three villages and the city of Briançon (see below), linked by slope and bus; two of them – Villeneuve and Monetier – have excellent beginner areas. There are lots of chalets, hotels and apartments; the ones in the villages are generally on the slopes. It’s a good place for parents who like to ski long distances without anything to frighten them.

Montgenèvre, an attractive village with a slopeside market, is part of the 400km connected Milky Way area, and you only ski for a few minutes before you’re in Italy. The whole region is a delight of easy skiing – generally, you’ll be pottering through charming tree-lined scenery – so it’s perfect for family holidays. Children love skiing into another country, to places such as Sauze d’Oulx and Claviere in a region that upgraded many lifts for the 2006 Winter Olympics. There are lots of chalets here – Crystal have a couple with free child places. The lift-pass also gives you a day in Serre Chevalier (see above), in Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes in Isère (day-trips are often organised by package companies) and Puy St Vincent (see below). Since 2006 Montgenèvre has had a dedicated (and free!) mountain-biking park spread over an altitude of 1000m (from 2760m down to 1860m), with eight downhill trails of different levels (accessible by chairlift and gondola), fun areas and free-ride areas. Summer sees mountain-biking contests, and there’s a mountain-bike school offering biking tours as well as tuition.

Puy St Vincent is a small, modern resort that’s ideal for young families – and has indeed won awards for its family friendliness. The skiing is limited (75km) but there is reliable snow, good beginner areas and a long green back down from 2,000m to progress on to.

Risoul is another jolly family-friendly resort – not too ugly and based around modern but traditional slope-side chalet-style apartments. There’s a reasonable amount of skiing (180km), shared with its sister resort of Vars. The slopes, up to almost 5500m, are generally snowsure, and there are great nursery slopes right in the village and good runs to move on to. The rest of the skiing is mostly of intermediate level.

Les Orres is another modern resort, friendly and with intermediate terrain (62km of runs), However, it is tucked away in the mountains, and transfers from Lyon are longish.

The Hautes Alpes’ other big ski name is La Grave, which is a mecca for serious off-piste skiers – not really a family place unless you have sporty older teenagers, who should be able to tackle some of the slopes. It has a couple of hotels and some apartments.

Briançon, Europe’s second highest city (at 1350m), is worth a wander – some of its old fortifications were declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in July 2008. Beware, though – its picturesque narrow streets are steep. In school holidays the tourist office runs workshops for kids aged 6–12 while their parents take guided tours.

Near Briançon, the Parc National des Écrins – one of nine French national parks – covers nearly 1000km of high mountains, glacier fields, Alpine pastures, woodlands and lakes. It’s not the most accessible park to families because of its terrain, but the visitor centres run a whole range of interesting workshops and events, from making and playing instruments from natural materials to animal discovery walks (bats, butterflies, insects, birds of prey…).

Serre-Ponçon, one of the biggest artificial lakes in western Europe, has a ‘Muséoscope’ with an interactive exhibition on the creation of the massive dam (including the drowning of entire villages) and views over it and the lake, plus the Maison des Énergies visitor centre, where you can learn about the workings of the dam. You can also sail, canoe, jet-ski, swim and fish here. Nearby, the La Montagne aux Marmottes is a small zoo with marmots and other local animals, including wolves and vultures, plus a reconstruction of a prehistoric cave complete with stalagmites and cave paintings.

Where to stay

As always with skiing, self-catering apartments and chalets represent the best value for family holidays in the Alps, although there are family-friendly hotels too. Our favourites include Serre Chevalier from partners Club Med.

When

The ski season in the Hautes Alpes lasts from December to April. From May to September lovely weather is virtually guaranteed for family holidays – the area gets a healthy 300 days of sunshine a year – and outdoors activities come into their own.

How

It’s a 9hr 30min drive from the Channel port/Eurotunnel hub of Calais to the départementale capital Gap. See our ferries page.

Fast TGV trains from Paris to Gap take just over 5hrs, or you can take a TGV to Oulx in Italy (4hrs 30mins), which is 30mins from Montgenèvre. Overnight trains are sometimes available to Gap and Briançon.

Turin airport in Italy, served by low-cost flights, is 1hr from Montgenèvre. Or you could fly into Marseilles, from where the Train des Neiges runs to the Hautes Alpes resorts every Saturday and Sunday in the season. The train also picks up in Aix en Provence, so you could take the TGV to there. Or there are Navettes Blanches (‘white shuttles’) from Marseilles and Aix every Saturday from December to April.

Grenoble and Lyon airports are further possibilities.

Eat

Regional mountain dishes that might tempt your kids include potato and cheese ravioli (often eaten with honey or raspberry jam…), potato gratins, tourtons (stuffed savoury beignets) and oreilles d’âne (‘donkeys’ ears’) – wild spinach pasta with bechamel sauce.

Resorts also offer plenty of international cuisine, making family holidays easier, and you can expect superior pizzerias given the proximity to Italy.

Cost

Less fashionable than resorts in the French Alps proper, the Hautes Alpes can offer better value for money, especially if you choose self-catering accommodation.

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