Local guide
Underground, on roads clinging to the cliffs or in the footsteps of the 1944 Resistance fighters: almost everything is less than an hour from the chalet, and much of it works in any weather.
In 1944 the Vercors was one of the largest Resistance strongholds (maquis) in France. The Memorial at the Col de la Chau, the war cemeteries at Vassieux and Saint-Nizier and the ruined hamlet of Valchevrière, a few minutes from the chalet, make up a remembrance trail you can follow over one or two days.
For scenery, the roads cut into the cliffs (the Bourne gorges, Combe Laval, the Écouges) and the overhanging houses of Pont-en-Royans combine into a superb loop. And when it rains, there are always the caves, a steady 10 °C, and the village’s Espace Loisirs leisure centre.
Bring a jacket even in high summer: it is 7–12 °C underground all year round.
Choranche, Bourne valley · ≈ 30 min
At the foot of the Bourne cliffs, a cave with two underground rivers running through it, famous for its thousands of thin, hollow “straw” stalactites. The guided tour ends in the Cathedral chamber with a sound and light show.
Good to know: 2026, low season: €14.20 adults, €12.60 ages 11–17, €9 ages 4–10; one euro more in July and August. Booking online is recommended.
Route de Vassieux, La Chapelle-en-Vercors · ≈ 40 min
A vast chamber measuring 100 m by 30 m, translucent rock “curtains”, and more than 15,000 fossil bones of cave bears, bison and wolves. You walk in through a tunnel, with no difficulty at all.
Good to know: Tours daily 10 am–5 pm. Around €10 adults and €7 children (2026).
Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors · ≈ 45 min
A giant spring cave with 58 km of passages. You make your own candle before heading down by lantern light, like the first explorers. Its huge entrance served as a hospital for the Resistance in July 1944.
Good to know: February to autumn, daily in July and August. €9.50–11 adults (2026); torchlit night tours €12.50. Jackets provided.
Sassenage, at the foot of the Vercors · ≈ 30 min
One of the “seven wonders of the Dauphiné”: caverns hollowed out by an underground river, narrow passages and a legend, that of the fairy Melusine, told through a sound and light show.
Good to know: 2026: €10 adults, €6 children. Booking only, afternoons. A 15–20 min walk from the car park.
A lovely day’s loop: the Bourne gorges, Pont-en-Royans, Combe Laval, and back over the Col de la Machine.
From Villard-de-Lans to Pont-en-Royans · From 10 min
A road carved into the cliff face, opened in 1872 after eleven years of work. At the Goule Noire bridge you can see water that has seeped through the plateau gushing out; further down, there is a view of the Bournillon cirque.
Good to know: Occasional closures for roadworks in spring and autumn: check before you set off. Only stop in the designated lay-bys.
Pont-en-Royans · ≈ 30 min
The colourful 16th-century houses cling to the rock above the Bourne, built that way for lack of space and for the timber trade. Medieval lanes, the Trois Châteaux viewpoint and riverbanks for picnics and a swim. (The Musée de l’Eau, the water museum, is closed for renovation until 2029.)
Good to know: Best view: from the left bank or from the Pont Picard bridge. Free parking near the cemetery.
Saint-Jean-en-Royans – Col de la Machine · ≈ 45 min
The most spectacular road in the massif, clinging to the rock face above the cirque, with sheer drops of several hundred metres. It was built in the late 19th century to bring timber down from the forests.
Good to know: A narrow road, busy with cyclists in summer. Closed when there is snow.
La Chapelle-en-Vercors · ≈ 35 min
The old Grands Goulets road, judged too dangerous, has been closed since 2005. You can discover the gorge on foot from the Révoulat viewpoint, along the edge of cliffs where chamois roam, by following the “chemin des Falaises” (cliff path).
Good to know: Keep a close eye on children near the drop. Golden eagle nesting area from January to August.
Rencurel – Saint-Gervais · ≈ 22 min to Rencurel
A narrow road, partly cantilevered out over the canyon, that crosses the protected Écouges nature area and passes close to its waterfall. A great way to drive down to the Isère valley.
Good to know: Headlights required in the tunnel. Check road conditions on itinisere.fr.
Villard-de-Lans · ≈ 10 min
The hamlet destroyed by the German army in July 1944, after the fighting in which Lieutenant Chabal and his men tried to hold back the enemy. The ruins have been left as they were around the chapel, and a Way of the Cross links them to Villard.
Good to know: In winter the road becomes a cross-country ski trail: access on foot, on snowshoes or on skis.
Col de la Chau, Vassieux-en-Vercors · ≈ 45 min
A partly underground building at 1,345 m, facing the Vassieux plain where the fighting of July 1944 took place. The exhibition has been completely redesigned: archive footage projected onto a scale model, soundscapes and first-hand accounts.
Good to know: €8 adults, €5 ages 8–18, family ticket €21. Daily from May to September; the rest of the year Wednesday to Sunday, 10 am–5 pm.
Vassieux-en-Vercors · ≈ 45 min
187 graves and the wreck of a German glider recall the airborne assault of July 1944. Combine it with the Memorial and, close by, the Vercors Prehistory museum, with flint-knapping demonstrations in summer.
Good to know: Prehistory museum, April to early November: €6 adults, €4 children, family ticket €16 (2026).
Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte · ≈ 21 min
This is where 250 Resistance fighters held off German attacks in June 1944. 98 of them are buried here, including the writer Jean Prévost and Eugène Chavant, the civilian leader of the Vercors Resistance. The site overlooks Grenoble and the Alps.
14 rue Hébert, Grenoble · ≈ 50 min
Founded by former Resistance members and deportees: the Resistance groups of the Isère, including the Vercors, the persecution of the Jews and the Liberation, with over 5,000 objects and filmed testimonies.
Good to know: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–6 pm.
Chamois, ibex, marmots and vultures: your best bet is to go with a naturalist guide, who knows where to see them without disturbing them.
Across the massif
The Vercors Park lists outings run by its partner guides: “À la rencontre des chamois” (meeting the chamois) in the evening, “Sur les pas des bouquetins” (on the trail of the ibex) in the Hauts-Plateaux nature reserve, “Le bal des vautours” (the vultures’ ball) and more.
Good to know: Dated programme, mainly from spring to autumn; book via each listing.
Lans-en-Vercors
Guided family walks focusing on wildlife, plants and local heritage, with an emphasis on watching without disturbing. On snowshoes in winter.
Châtillon-en-Diois · ≈ 1 hr 40, a full day out
The best place to see the vultures reintroduced to the Vercors since 1996: more than 50 pairs nest in the Archiane cirque. Information panels, a telescope, and often ibex and chamois too.
Good to know: Bring binoculars. Park before the hamlet.
Everything is five minutes from the chalet, at the village’s Espace Loisirs leisure centre.
Espace Loisirs · ≈ 5 min
The only aquatic centre in the Vercors: a wave pool, an indoor slide, indoor and outdoor pools, three paddling pools, and for adults a sauna, steam room and Nordic bath.
Good to know: 2026: €9 adults, €6 children, free for under-5s. Swimming caps required outside summer; swim shorts not allowed (trunks only).
Villard-de-Lans · ≈ 5 min
A 4-lane bowling alley with pool tables (from age 7), the indoor ice rink where the local ice hockey team, the Ours de Villard, play, and the two-screen Le Rex cinema, which shows films for children.
Good to know: Bowling: €9 per game, €10 after 9 pm. Ice rink: €7 adults, €5.50 children. Cinema listings on cinevercors.fr.
Lans-en-Vercors · ≈ 12 min
A 1,500 m² museum with 350 automatons in animated scenes, including a “Vercors Village”. Every child is given a magic wand to set them in motion.
Good to know: Daily during French school holidays; otherwise Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. €11–15 adults, €7–11 children.
Place de la Libération, Villard-de-Lans · ≈ 5 min
The village museum, in the old town hall: rural life on the plateau in the early 20th century, the arrival of tourism, the 1968 Olympic Games and the Resistance.
Good to know: Open mainly during French school holidays and on some afternoons out of season.
Bois Barbu, next to the chalet
The major international sled dog race across the Alps, with more than 65 mushers and 600 dogs. At the start, a “Far North” area lets you meet them. The site is very close to the chalet.
Good to know: The 2027 race is scheduled for 7–19 January, with the Villard-de-Lans stage on 14 January (to be confirmed).
Village centre
A soapbox race through the streets of Villard, with jumps and obstacles, balance bike races for 2–5 year olds, and concerts.
Villard-de-Lans and Corrençon
A week of open-air jazz, from standards to contemporary sounds, with concerts for families.
Villard-de-Lans and villages across the Vercors
A classical music festival with wide-ranging programmes, performed in several villages, alongside a music academy.
Les Glovettes, Villard-de-Lans
Sheepdogs, alphorns, wood carving, hay bale throwing, laser biathlon and paddleboarding on the lake, followed by a concert and fireworks.
Villard-de-Lans and Lans-en-Vercors
A festival of comedy and creativity: five days of theatre, circus, music, exhibitions and workshops for all ages. The 37th festival runs from 27 to 31 October 2026.
Place de la Libération, Villard-de-Lans
Twelve wooden chalets selling regional produce and crafts, with entertainment almost every evening: Father Christmas arrives on the 24th, plus a light show and a New Year’s Eve party.
Grenoble · ≈ 50 min
The cable car’s “bubbles” climb from the historic centre to the Bastille fort in a few minutes: views over the city and the surrounding mountains, the Mountain Troops museum and walking trails.
Good to know: 2026: return ticket €9.80 adults, €5.10 ages 5–15. Closed in January. Leave the car at a park-and-ride and take the tram.
Saint-Antoine-l’Abbaye · ≈ 1 hr
A medieval village that grew up around the abbey of the Antonines, a hospitaller order. See the Gothic abbey church, the lanes and the museum devoted to the Hospitallers, perfumes and gardens.
Good to know: Museum closed on Tuesdays. Allow half a day.
Information gathered in October 2026 from the providers and the tourist office. Prices, opening times and seasons change: please check before you go. We receive no commission from any of these businesses.