Day 1 - Arrival in Villard de Lans
Settle in your hotel for 2 nights in the little traditional mountain town of Villard de Lans.
Meals included : none
Night : Villard de Lans
About the Vercors Nature Park : hiking trails and villages of the Pre-Alps trip
About the trip in Vercors
Your self-guided Vercors walking holiday: A week to take a deep breath of fresh air in the Vercors Regional Nature Park, the largest mountain range in the northern Pre-Alps. A real hiker’s paradise, an awe-inspiring massif of magical limestone plateaus dotted with flowers, authentic mountain villages, endless forest trails, deep gorges, alpine pastures and wide green valleys.
The hikes are moderate with some challenging options, rewarding you with fantastic panoramas atop soaring cliffs and retracing the perils of the WWII resistance fighters. End your days sampling some local specialties: local trout, “Bleu de Vercors” cheese washed down with a glass of Clairette de Die.
Highlights of the trip
- Hiking between the Alps & Provence, from alpine to wine country
- Soaking up the mountain village ambiance
- Tasting local trout and a glass of Clairette de Die
- The Grand Veymont, the summit of the Vercors mountains & the Archiane Cirque
Customize your holiday here
Vercors Nature Park : hiking trails and villages of the Pre-Alps : Itinerary
Day 2 - The "Col vert" pass
A path leads you over the village through hamlets, open fields, pine forests and meadows, with stunning views of the surrounding valley below. A final effort takes you to the Green Pass, with its bench fixed to the rock, where you can enjoy a well-deserved break in front of an impressive panorama - the entire range of the Alps - jagged summits rising to the sky and dotted with glaciers. Now you are ready for the descent through the meadows and past mountain huts, dreaming of the fondue dinner that you can enjoy this evening in the village.
Walk : Villard de Lans > Le Col Vert > Villard de Lans
. Short option : 04h00 | 13 km - 8 miles | Elevation : +600/-600m
. Longer option : 05h00 | 15 km - 9 miles | Elevation : +900/-900m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : Villard de Lans
Day 3 - The "Herbouilly" plateau
You take a path through dense forest, among a maze of trails, rocks, spruces, firs & beeches. You reach Herbouilly, with its ruins that served as a refuge for the resistance movement fighters during the Second World War. You leave the plateau and go down to Saint-Martin and transfer to the Chapelle en Vercors.
Warning: this route is not recommended for people prone to vertigo.
Walk : Villard de Lans > Herbouilly > Saint Martin en Vercors - 05h00 | 16 km - 10 miles | Elevation : +550/-850m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : La Chapelle en Vercors
Market on Thursday morning all year round & Saturday morning from June>Sept in Chapelle en Vercors
Day 4 - Belvedere of Revoulat
Today’s hike leads you through the woods to a viewpoint on the edge of the vertiginous cliffs of the Grands Goulets. You might spot wild moutain goats before returning via the hamlet of Les Revoux back to the village.
Walk : La Chapelle en Vercors > Belvedere de Revoulat > La Chapelle en Vercors - 05h30 | 17 km - 10 miles | Elevation : +700/-700m
Meals included : breakfast
Night : La Chapelle en Vercors
Day 5 - The "Grand Veymont" : highest peak of the Vercors
An early morning transfer takes you to the gates of the Vercors Highlands Nature Reserve. You follow tracks through the forest and pastures with the imposing silhouette of the Grand Veymont, culminating at an altitude of 2341m, as the backdrop. The slope increases sharply, zigzagging towards the Pas de la Ville pass offering a breathtaking view of the Alps. At the top, ibexes are still present and the 360° panorama is magnificent with a superb view especially of Mount Aiguille. After a well-deserved break you go back in a loop towards La Coche. A taxi awaits you to transfer you to your hotel in Les Nonières. Relax at the hotel’s spa and unwind in the jacuzzi before enjoying dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
Walk : La Coche > Le Grand Veymont > La Coche
. Option 1 : 04h40 | 15 km - 9 miles | Elevation : +350/-350m
. Option 2 : 05h30 | 16 km - 10 miles | Elevation : +630/-630m
. Option 3 : 07h00 | 19 km - 12 miles | Elevation : +1 000/-1 000m
Meals included : breakfast & dinner
Night : Les Nonières
Day 6 - The Archiane Cirque
Your final walk at the foot of the Vercors takes you through the village of Bonnevise, with its fountain and flowering gardens, timeless but lived in year-round. You then enter the famous Cirque d’Archiane, its golden cliffs soaring up towards the high plateaus. At the base of the Cirque, the hamlet of Archiane awaits with its fountain and you return via a small swimming hole in the river for a refreshing dip. Head back to your hotel for your final night & farewell dinner.
Walk : Les Nonières > Le Cirque d'Archiane > Les Nonières
. Short option : 04h15 | 12 km - 7 miles | Elevation : +560/-560m
. Longer option : 06h00 | 17 km - 10 miles | Elevation : +800/-800m
Meals included : breakfast & dinner
Night : Les Nonières
Day 7 - End of the trip in Die
After breakfast transfer to Die. End of tour in Die. Don't miss the great local market on Wednesday & Saturday !
Meals included : breakfast
- Access
ACCESS :
. You can reach Grenoble by TGV, then by bus (no T64) to Villard de Lans (1h).
. Lyon airport - train to Grenoble (1h20) & Geneva airport - train to Grenoble (2h).
. Private transfer possible upon request and with supplement..
Return
. Train from Die to Valence (1h) , then TGV train to Paris, Lyon or Marseille
