A day in Briançon

 A day in Briançon  

 

Welcome back to my blog about my summer in France! Today I will be talking about how to spend a day in Briançon. It is in the Serre Chevalier Valley in The French Alps, and it was only half an hour on the bus from the hostel I was volunteering at.  

Here is what the valley looked like on the map!↓

Briançon is the highest city in the European Union at an altitude of 1,326 metres. I found that it was an interesting city, as it is built around 3 fortresses; the Fort des Salettes, the Fort des Trois Têtes and the Fort du Randouillet.  

The heart of Briançon is in the citadel of Vauban, a steep climb up Av. De la République and at the foot of the castle. Here you will find a busy main street, many cafes, restaurants, creperies and little boutiques. When I went in summer it was around 27 degrees, so it was very hot, however I would assume it to be a very different experience during winter. 

 

← The views of the valley are also incredible. I found that it was a very picturesque city, even though it was small!  

During my month at the hostel, I visited Briançon a few times, as every so often it was nice to go to a busier city, away from the sleepy village of Le Bez (the village where the hostel was). The bus only ran every hour or so, and it was around 2€ each way.  

I really enjoyed just wandering round the streets, eating crepes, and immersing myself into the local culture. There is also a park called La Schappe, which was great for sunbathing and people watching- especially in the mid-afternoon sun when it was too hot to walk up hills! 

I would definitely recommend Briançon to anyone visiting the Serre Chevalier valley or surrounding areas as it’s a cool, historic, and picturesque city!  

Thanks for reading my post! 

Katie :)