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Things to do in the Guillestrois and Queyras
Hilltop villages, fortresses and generous sunshine: between Guillestre and the Queyras, the mountains retain an authentic character.
Area at a glance
- Towns and resorts
- Guillestre, Mont-Dauphin, Vars, Risoul, Ceillac, Saint-Véran, Château-Ville-Vieille.
- Access
- Montdauphin-Guillestre station, then the Guil road into the Queyras.
- Landscapes
- High-altitude villages, larch forests, alpine pastures and border passes.
- Best season
- All year round, with a reputation for sunshine.
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The spirit of the area
The Queyras is a Regional Natural Park with well-preserved villages, including Saint-Véran, among Europe’s highest communes.
Lower down, the Guillestrois brings together the Mont-Dauphin fortress, listed as UNESCO World Heritage among Vauban’s fortifications, and the resorts of Vars and Risoul.
Key figures
2,042 m
Saint-Véran, France's highest village
Source: Comité régional de tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (new tab)2,300
residents in 10 communes: France's least populated regional natural park, created in 1977
Source: Office de tourisme du Guillestrois et du Queyras (new tab)1,000 km
of waymarked trails in the Queyras, including 400 km of GR and GRP routes
Source: Office de tourisme du Guillestrois et du Queyras (new tab)255.5 km/h
World speed skiing record, set at Vars on the Chabrières piste (2023)
Source: Eurosport (new tab)
Dates for your diary
Early JulySaint-Véran
Rencontre en ciel pur
Every early July (7th edition on 5 and 6 July 2026; 2027 dates not yet published)
Free astronomy festival: workshops, talks, planetarium, visit to the Maison du Soleil and telescope observations in the evening.
Source: Association française d'astronomie (new tab)July to SeptemberQueyras
Cols réservés Izoard et Agnel
Every summer, from July to September (in 2026: Izoard on 2 July and 6 August, Agnel on 3 July and 6 September). 2027 calendar not yet published.
The Col Agnel (2,744 m) and Izoard (2,360 m) closed to cars for a morning.
Source: Office de tourisme des Hautes Vallées (new tab)
What to do, season by season
The GR58 Tour du Queyras, the lakes of Ceillac and major cycling passes.
Our highlights
Saint-VéranSee the address book entries
A high-altitude village and starry skies.
Château-Queyras
The fort guarding the entrance to the valley.
Ceillac
Lac Sainte-Anne and Lac Miroir.
Mont-DauphinSee the address book entries
A UNESCO-listed Vauban fortress.
La Casse Déserte
The mineral landscape of the Col de l’Izoard.
Col Agnel
On the Italian border.
Vars and RisoulSee the address book entries
The Forêt Blanche ski area.
The editorial selection
- Leisure activity
Leila'Venture
From Molines-en-Queyras, dog sledding in winter; climbing, via ferrata and canicross hiking in summer. Family-friendly.
Guillestrois & QueyrasView entry - School and instructor
ESF Vars
The French Ski School in Vars, on the Forêt Blanche ski area: skiing, snowboarding, freeride, freestyle, telemark, snowshoeing and speed-skiing initiation.
Guillestrois & QueyrasView entry - Accommodation
Les Perce Neige
A 20-bed group gîte in the centre of Saint-Véran, on half board, 200 m from the shuttle and 250 m from the slopes.
Guillestrois & QueyrasView entry
Latest stories
Hiking & trail running
Traversette Tunnel: the gate is shut until 2027
On the French side, the gate installed in 2023 once again bars the entrance to the oldest tunnel in the Alps, bored in 1480 beneath the Col de la Traversette. Winter has gripped the Upper Queyras since 18 October: no more hikers will pass through to Italy before late spring or early summer 2027.
Hiking & trail running
Lac Sainte-Anne: hike above Ceillac before the snow
Above Ceillac's last larches, a rocky bowl at 2,414 m holds the Queyras's largest glacial lake. The path is reported passable until 1 November, snow permitting: you have two weekends left to head up.
Your questions
Practical guides
Practical information
- Getting here
- Take the train to Montdauphin-Guillestre, then continue by road to the Queyras or the resorts.
- Where to stay
- Walking gîtes along the GR58, village guesthouses and resort apartments.
- Find out more
- The local tourist office can advise you on accommodation, conditions and current events.
Key organisations
Parc naturel régional du Queyras (new tab)
Management of natural areas, Maison du Parc in Arvieux
AstroQueyras (new tab)
Association operating the Pic de Château-Renard observatory since 1989
Source: Office de tourisme du Guillestrois et du Queyras (new tab)Réseau des sites majeurs de Vauban (new tab)
Mont-Dauphin, a fortified town entirely UNESCO-listed since 2008
Source: Ministère de la Culture (new tab)
Sources
- Le Sud en 10 records (new tab) · Comité régional de tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Dossier de presse Le Queyras été-automne 2023 (new tab) · Office de tourisme du Guillestrois et du Queyras · 2023
- Simon Billy flashé à 255,5 km/h et empoche le record du monde (new tab) · Eurosport · 22/03/2023
- Festival Rencontre en ciel pur (new tab) · Association française d'astronomie · 2026
- Cols réservés, la tournée des Grands Cols (new tab) · Office de tourisme des Hautes Vallées · 2026
- Briançon et Mont-Dauphin : patrimoine mondial (new tab) · Ministère de la Culture
- Observatoire astronomique de Saint-Véran (new tab) · Office de tourisme du Guillestrois et du Queyras
Figures checked on 19 October 2026. Event dates may change: check with the organisers.