Test your head for heights on this four-day short break exploring a selection of the best via ferratas in the southern French Alps! Accommodation, equipment, guiding and transport included.
- 4 nights bed and breakfast accommodation in a choice of hotel
- 4 days guided via ferrata with fully qualified UIAGM high mountain guide
- All specialist via ferrata and safety equipment provided
- Transport to and from the via ferratas
- A tree planted on your behalf to help with your carbon offsetting
- Restaurant evening meals and drinks in Gap in the evenings
- Picnic or restaurant lunches (some days will include the possibility of a restaurant lunch and others will require a picnic)
- Your journey to and from Gap
- Tips for the guide
Climb vertical cliffs, traverse wire bridges over gorges and zip down giant tyroleans as you explore the vertical world of the steep Alpine mountains in the southern French Alps! A veritable via ferrata fest!
Holiday Summary:
The southern French Alps boasts the highest concentration of via ferratas in France and we have selected some of the best routes for you to discover and explore on this via ferrata short break! Find out more about via ferratas by reading our ultimate guide, what is a via ferrata?
You will climb the first ever French via ferrata built in 1988 in Freissinières through to the famous Grande Fistoire via ferrata with its giant tyrolean zip line descents on this trip.
Your base for this holiday is the beautiful town of Gap, nestled in the heart of the southern French Alps on a large plateau surrounded by majestic mountains. This fabulous central location gives access to a wide range of via ferratas in the Alps and you'll be able to spend your evenings exploring the bars, restaurants and cafes spilling out onto pedestrianised squares decorated with fountains.
Each morning your guide will come and collect you at your hotel and you'll go off for a day in the mountains exploring a different valley and selection of via ferratas.
- Experience a selection of the best via ferratas in the Alps in a weekend
Small groups, quality experiences with maximum of 8 people per guide
Explore a variety of landscapes from deep gorges to sheer cliff faces
Climb on limestone and granite
Safe and secure with a qualified guide at all times
Discover the beautiful town of Gap, the capital of the southern French Alps!
Travel with an ethical travel company
If you thrive on the adrenalin of a vertical challenge, you will absolutely love this trip! You don't need any previous experience of via ferratas to enjoy this trip but a head for heights is a must and any climbing experience is an advantage. You need a moderate to high level of fitness to be able to manage a full day out in the mountains climbing but this is a fun trip, not a military challenge. If you participate in any sport on a regular basis whether that be gym fitness, hill walking, running, climbing or football, you will be fine. Minimum age is 14.
Challenge grade:
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You will be going out each day to experience the best of the via ferratas in the French Alps with your guide. He will collect you each morning from your hotel and drop you back off afterwards so you don't have to plan anything else for your trip!
The grading of the via ferratas we will be using on this trip will vary from easy to difficult. We have saved the most challenging routes to towards the end of the trip so you have the opportunity to develop your skills and head for heights gradually! Some of the routes start with an easy section and become progressively more difficult with options for opting out so there is flexibility to adapt to different levels in the group without penalising anyone!
For your evenings in Gap, there are a wide range of restaurants and bars so you can taste the local gastronomy! We can advise you on our favourites when you are here and book them on your behalf if you wish.
- Day : kayak
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You will make your own way to Gap and check into your hotel today. We can help you plan your journey here - we have become experts at this! We suggest meeting in the hotel reception at 18h30 to meet up with other participants on this holiday before going out to dinner in town.
We can also recommend and book restaurants for you in advance. Your rooms will be available for checking in from 16hrs but depending on what time you arrive, we can arrange for you to leave your bags in the hotel so you can go and explore Gap. Gap is a beautiful Alpine town with a Provencal feel.
There is a charming pedestrianised area with bars and restaurants spilling out on the the streets and squares and narrow lanes with boutique shops and treasures to explore.
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Your trip is based in the town of Gap which is served by an SNCF train station with links to the major TGV train stations and airports.
From Gap train station, you can walk to the Mon Hotel accommodation option (about 5 - 10 minutes walk). The Olivades is a 10€ taxi journey way and we can help organise a local taxi for you.
WE OFFER A 3% DISCOUNT TO ANYONE TRAVELLING BY TRAIN INSTEAD OF PLANE TO GAP FROM OUTSIDE OF FRANCE. To claim your 3% discount, you will need to show us proof of train travel for routes of over 3 hours that could have been taken by plane. Please ask when you book.
BY TRAIN/BUS:
- There is a regular coach service which operates from Aix-en-Provence TGV directly to Gap. Plan your journey here.
- There are also direct train links to Gap from Grenoble TGV station and there is also an overnight sleeper train from Paris to Gap.
- You can plan your train journey using the Oui SNCF website. This works from all major European cities.
BY PLANE:
The nearest airports are Marseille and Grenoble. From Marseille airport there is a regular coach service directly to Gap every two and a half hours. Plan your journey here.
From Grenoble you would need to get the airport shuttle to the train station and then a train from Grenoble to Gap - this is a bit more faffy than the links from Marseille which are direct and regular.
Please ask us about transport options when you enquire as we have become pros on getting people to this beautiful region!
To reduce our impact on the environment, we limit the group size to a maximum of 8 people and group transport in a modern minibus. We also stay in one accommodation base rather than moving each day reducing the impact from multiple linen washing and cleaning and also enhancing your comfort by not having to pack and unpack each day!
Your guide is a local guide from the area and both hotel options are locally owned, independent hotels so you can be sure your money is going straight back into the local economy. All our suppliers have signed our code of conduct for sustainable tourism to work with us.
You will learn and discover first hand the culture and evolution of via ferrata in the mountains and will have an opportunity to see the wildlife living in the cliffs.
We will also plant a tree on your behalf with our partners Mossy Earth to help offset your carbon footprint from this trip.
We have used Carmacal, a tool which calculates the Green House Gas (GHG) CO2 emissions for tourism products by combining emissions from flights and land transport, accommodation and activities. Please have a look at the summary below or read the full carbon footprint report.
