Grand discovery stay in Southern Alps of Provence

Where the Mountains Meet the Sea

Highlights
Your hotel
The program

A fully escorted group holiday for 25 or more guests

8 days / 7 nights
Full board included
All visits and excursions included
Dedicated tour guide
Flexible itinerary

Discover the Southern Alps of Provence on a hub-and-spoke tour based in Savines-le-Lac — a journey from the turquoise waters of Lake Serre-Poncon to the Italian Piedmont, from Vauban's mountain fortresses to the highest village in Europe, tracing the Route Napoleon and the wild landscapes of the Hautes-Alpes.

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Highlights

Serre-Poncon — Europe's largest reservoir
Notre-Dame de Boscodon Abbey and a honey farm
Barcelonnette
Italy: the Piedmont, the Susa Valley and the village of Novalesa
Briancon and its UNESCO-listed Vauban fortifications
The Queyras and Saint-Veran — the highest village in Europe
A lake cruise and the wildlife park at Serre-Poncon
Embrun and the Chateau de Montmaur — or the Route Napoleon
Montmaur Castle
Regional specialities: Tourtons, génépi, ravioles…
Napoleon’s Route from Gap to Sisteron
Sisteron

Your hotel, at the heart of the Provence-Alpes-Sud experience

Your group holiday will be based at the 3-star Eden Lac Hotel, ideally situated in Savines-le-Lac, a charming village rebuilt on the shores of Lake Serre-Ponçon.

Eden Lac Hotel***

More than just a place to stay, the hotel is a true ambassador of the region:

Franck and Nicolas welcome you to Provence Alpes du Sud.

Capacity: 25 comfortable rooms with stunning views over the lake or mountains
Free coach and car parking
Twin beds available

Thanks to this strong local presence, every day of the tour benefits from expert advice, recommendations and flawless organisation.

Discover the hotel

A holiday package with a hub-and-spoke itinerary, including:

the welcome drink
the services provided by our guide
wine with meals
full board (from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 8)
coffee with lunch
a drink to celebrate
visits and excursions
a dinner featuring local produce
the souvenir gift

Grand Stay Program (8 days/7 nights)

Day 1

Eden Lac*** Hotel, with views of the turquoise waters of Lake Serre-Ponçon

Arrival at the end of the day

Check-in and welcome drink

Dinner

Day 2

From the foothills of Mont Dauphin to Serre-Ponçon, Europe’s largest reservoir

A visit to Fort Mont-Dauphin, a stronghold built by Vauban in the 17th century and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its fortifications and military buildings, constructed of local pink marble, enclose a fortified village unlike any other — a remarkable example of defensive architecture at the threshold between France and Italy.

Lunch

Tour of Lake Serre-Poncon, exploring the history of the dam and the extraordinary feat of engineering that created Europe's largest reservoir. Along the way, the Demoiselles Coiffees — columns of rock capped with boulders, sculpted by erosion into astonishing shapes — and the lakeside resort of Savines-le-Lac, the sea in the mountains.

Dinner

Distance: approx. 138 km

Day 3

Notre Dame de Boscodon Abbey – From the sweetness of honey to tasting génépi

Notre Dame de Boscodon Abbey, set in the heart of a magnificent fir forest, is a masterpiece of Romanesque art and a listed historic monument.

Lunch

Visit to an artisanal honey farm where beekeeper Sandrine introduces the fascinating world of bees and the production of lavender, fir and acacia honey.

Dinner

Regional dinner featuring house-made specialities: fried potato fritters (tourtons), fillet of Baratier trout with local ravioles, and a tasting of generpi, the mountain liqueur distilled from alpine plants.

Distance: approx. 75 km