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Undiscovered French Alps – Champsaur Valley

Last Updated February 24, 2023 William Tang

You are here: Home » Attractions & Experiences » Undiscovered French Alps – Champsaur Valley

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The impressive peaks, valleys and undulating hills of the French Alps is truly impressive. Nestled between the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, most first-timers may have heard of Chamonix, and Grenoble as gateways to the region but there’s the undiscovered French Alps of Champsaur Valley that we think you should know about.

Read more about Europe and the French Alps

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Where to stay in Europe?

  • For the best prices on accommodations and the most choices, Booking.com has been my go-to choice especially once you reach Genius tier and you can find additional 10-15% off places to stay.

Undiscovered French Alps of Champsaur Valley

undiscovered french alps and going off the beaten track in the champsaur valley

Walking up a steep, rocky zig zagging path with the sound of cow bells decorating the clean fresh air, you arrive, slightly out of breath, at a small rustic hamlet. A cat covered in straw dust rolls on the ground in front of a warped, wooden door of a stone outhouse. The sound of trickling water overwhelms the cow bells and your eyes are drawn to a stone trough with a fountain trickling into it. ‘Eau non-potable’ is hand written on the stone, but it looks clean enough to you and you quench your thirst.

As you look around you notice the stone houses with wooden haylofts and steep rooves. The streets are wonky and disorganised with a tall, intimidating and very pointy church dominating the scene – you could be in a time warp from the 18th century!  Then two children wizz round the corner on top of the range mountain bikes and you remember where you are!

The story

This architecture tells the story of the generations of alpine people and their survival of the long harsh winters in the mountains.

Alpine people lived off the land raising livestock for milk, cheese (of course) and meat, using the rich alpine pastures in the summer months and bringing the animals back to their houses in the winter. The animals would live on the bottom floor of the house and effectively create the heating for the living floor above them. The loft filled with hay served as insulation.

culture of sheep in undiscovered french alps of champsaur valley

Traditionally these villages would have been the hub of activity in the mountains. With tourism and modernization, large towns and ski resorts have developed all over the Alps and the ease of modern life has drawn locals away from many of the smaller villages and hamlets. The ones that have survived have reinvented themselves with tourist services, hotels and refuges.

traditional bread oven in the french alps
Traditional bread oven in the Alps.

But if you know where to look you can still get a taste of traditional alpine life.

Finding the Undiscovered Alps

tour du vieux chaillol walking in the alps

You just need to head into the Champsaur valley in the Southern French Alps. The main village at the opening of the valley is St Bonnet, a medieval market town. Traditional alpine farming is still very much in evidence as you drive through the scattering of small hamlets and villages along the valley. At the very end of the valley is the village of Prapic, described in the first two paragraphs!  It is still inhabited by just a handful of families all year round.

Tourism is in the Champsaur on a sustainable scale and co-exists with agriculture, celebrating the traditional farming festivals such as the ‘transhumance’ the moving of livestock up and down the mountains at the beginning and end of summer, the goat eating fest in the autumn where weak animals were traditionally sacrificed before having to face the winter and village fetes and festivals throughout the year.

rock climbing in the southern french alps in champsaur valley
Rock climbing in the Southern French Alps.

The numerous outdoor activities, such as mountaineering, rock climbing, canyoning, via ferrata, paragliding, walking and mountain biking marry perfectly with the rustic feel of this undiscovered alpine valley making it the perfect destination for an active and cultural holiday in the Alps.

What you should read next

  • Guide To The Val Thorens French Alps in Winter
  • Planning A Ski Trip To Chamonix and the French Alps
  • Rosetta Stone Japanese – How good is it for learning Japanese?
  • Go Off The Beaten Path in New York City
  • Tongariro Alpine Crossing Hiking Guide – Shuttle, What to Expect, What to Pack
Sally is married to a high mountain guide from a farming family who still remembers the cows on the ground floor of his grandma’s house! Together they run Undiscovered Alps and specialize in activity, wildlife and adventure holidays in the Southern French Alps.
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About William Tang

William is the Chief of Awesome at Going Awesome Places which is focused on off-the-beaten-path, outdoor adventure, and experiential travel. His true passion lies in telling stories, inspiring others to travel, writing detailed trip itineraries to help others plan their own trips, and providing helpful tips and tricks to guide readers to travel better. He is based in Toronto, Canada but you'll find him on the road more often than not. Make sure to learn more about William to find out his story and how Going Awesome Places started.

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author will tang going awesome places profile photoHey, my name is Will and I'm here to help you travel to some awesome places around the world and my home country of Canada by providing insanely detailed itineraries, travel guides, and packing lists.

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