The mountains
Explore the Vercors
Nature, history and lesser-known roads
40 minutes to 1 hour by car, depending on your destination.
200,000 ha
area
2,341 m
Grand Veymont
2,800 km
waymarked paths
40 minutes to 1 hour
from the cottage
Less than an hour from the cottage, the Vercors feels like a world of its own.
From Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye, the first mountain slopes are within easy reach, with several routes to choose from depending on the season and the time you have.
Here, nature is something to experience as well as admire.
The landscape
An extraordinary plateau
Within a few kilometres, the plain gives way to mountain slopes. You feel the altitude, the views open up and the pace changes.
Over 200,000 hectares between Isère and Drôme, rising to 2,341 m at Grand Veymont.
Designated a Parc Naturel Régional in 1970, the Vercors is a place where the terrain shapes the villages, roads and natural spaces.
Remembrance & history
The Vercors and the French Resistance
These forests were a refuge, a battleground and a last line of defence.
In July 1944, thousands of Resistance fighters held the plateau against the occupying forces. The reprisals that followed left a lasting mark on local villages and families.
- Vassieux-en-Vercors: the understated, powerful Mémorial de la Résistance
- Malleval: a hamlet in the forest, ruins and a distinctive stillness
- Gorges des Écouges: where the landscape speaks for itself
Three places, three ways to encounter this history. Each leaves its mark.
Scenic roads
Carved into the limestone cliffs
The Vercors roads had a history long before they gained their reputation.
Between 1897 and 1907, Combe Laval was cut out with pickaxes and black powder. Eight kilometres suspended above the valley, built without machinery or safety nets.
The gorges de la Bourne and col de la Bataille bear the same traces: people opening up a landscape that the terrain seemed determined to keep closed.
Travelling these roads today is a way of encountering that history, too.
Walking
Walking in the Vercors, at your own level
More than 2,800 km of paths, from the gorges to the high plateaux, with something different in every season.
- Waterfalls and caves in spring
- Wild high plateaux in summer
- Beech forests in autumn
- Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter
By motorbike
The Vercors by motorbike: roads to remember
Challenging, spectacular and memorable.
- Combe Laval: 8 km of balcony road, among France’s most scenic routes
- Col de la Bataille: the most technical route, with closely linked bends
- Col de Rousset: a long succession of bends climbing from the Drôme
- Gorges de la Bourne: a balcony road above the river
Motorcyclists are welcome at L'Hospitalier, with an enclosed garage on site. Find out more about the cottage
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit the Vercors?+
Can you explore the Vercors by motorbike in a day from Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye?+
What was the maquis du Vercors?+
Where can I stay to explore the Vercors?+
The Vercors rewards a longer stay.
L'Hospitalier is your base for exploring the Parc Naturel Régional.