Queyras enjoys one of the best climates of all the Alpine regions. There are approximately 300 sunny days per year, and very often the mountains lie under a clear blue sky with uninterrupted views. Hill fog occurs less frequently than it does further north. Summers are warm, but because of the high altitude, they rarely become uncomfortably hot. Rainfall is relatively low, although low cloud and violent storms can occur in these mountains at any time, and the walker should be well prepared. The air temperature can change very rapidly in the Alps at altitude, and it can snow above about 2000m (6560ft) at any time of year, but for the most part, sunny, warm, settled weather is the general pattern through the summer months. The area does not suffer from the very hot and dry conditions experienced further south towards the Mediterranean. This combination of landscape and climate makes the Queyras an ideal area for high-mountain walking.
Briançon
Snow usually remains on the high passes until June, and even into early July in some years. Heavy winter snows return any time from mid-October onwards, so the season for the summer hill walker lasts from about mid-June until the end of September. Only the experienced and well-equipped mountaineer or cross-country skier should venture on this route between November and May.
Many of the gîtes d’étape and refuges do not open until mid-June (see Appendix 1). The majority of the French take their holidays between 14 July (Bastille Day) and 15 August (Assumption), so gîtes d’étape, refuges and hotels are likely to be very crowded during this period. The second half of August and the first half of September are possibly the best periods to go walking in these mountains. Snow is by then usually absent from even the highest cols and peaks, the weather tends to be warm, sunny and fairly settled, and the gîtes d’étape and refuges have relatively few guests, but still remain open.
On the descent to Les Fonts de Cervières (Stage 8 – Alternative Route)
After about the second or third week of September, several of the gîtes d’étape and refuges close for the year (Appendix 1), so if travelling after the second week of September it may be advisable to carry a small tent, although sometimes a closed refuge will have a permanently open shelter attached, as is the case at the Refuge de Furfande. Finally, those who wish to see the best of the Alpine flora should go towards the end of June, when the Queyras is one mass of flowers (but beware of snow on the high passes and peaks).
Travelling to the Queyras
For those flying to the French Alps, there are five main airports – Nice, Lyon, Grenoble, Geneva and Turin – all well served from several British airports by budget and other airlines.
From Nice Airport Take the airport bus or a taxi directly to Nice railway station and catch the train to Marseilles. The train follows the coastal route along the Côte d’Azur, passing Antibes, Cannes and Toulon, to arrive in Marseille after about 2½ hours. From here there is a connecting train to Montdauphin-Guillestre. This journey of about four hours is an attractive one, as the train heads northwards towards the Alps, via Sisteron and Gap. Taking an early morning flight from the UK to Nice also makes it possible to arrive in Montdauphin-Guillestre by the early evening.
From Lyon Airport Take a bus or taxi into the city centre. There are several trains a day to Valence, which connect with the Briançon trains via Gap to Montdauphin-Guillestre. The total journey time is around 4½ hours. Note that there are two main railway stations in Lyon – Lyon-Perrache and Lyon-Port-Dieu. Lyon-Perrache has the more frequent service to Valence.
From Grenoble Airport Take a bus or taxi to Grenoble railway station, from where there are several trains a day to Gap, which connect with trains to Montdauphin-Guillestre. The train journey time is approximately 3½ hours.
From Geneva Airport Mainline trains operate from the airport terminal. There are two options:
1 Take the train to Grenoble (approximate journey time 1¼ hours) from where a bus service operates to Briançon (a journey of about 3½ hours). From Briançon there are several trains a day to Montdauphin-Guillestre, journey time approximately 30 minutes.
2 Take a bus or train to Lyon-Perrache and continue the journey as described above.
From Turin Airport From the city there are several westbound trains a day to Modane, a journey of about 2 hours. There is no direct train line from here south to Briançon and beyond, so you will need to either take a local bus to Briançon and then pick up the train to Montdauphin-Guillestre, or take the very long train route via Grenoble and Gap to Montdauphin-Guillestre.
On the descent to the Lac de Lauzet (Stage 1)
Another possibility is train via Eurostar (or train and cross-Channel ferry) from London to Paris (or flight to Paris), followed by train to Montdauphin-Guillestre. There are several trains, TGV and other express trains, daily from Paris to Valence and Gap, from where another train connects to Montdauphin-Guillestre.
Train Travel in France
Timetable and booking information for French Railways (SNCF) is easily obtainable online (see Appendix 3). French Railways are generally fast, clean, reliable and offer good value for money. Prices of rail tickets tend to be reasonable (and not exorbitant when buying tickets from the railway station itself on the day of departure, as can be the case in the UK). Booking tickets in advance is advisable if travelling on French public holidays or during the main summer holiday period, but otherwise not usually essential for journeys to the Queyras.
If you are over 60 years of age, be sure to tell the person selling you the train ticket, as you are entitled to a significant reduction, usually 30% off the normal price of the ticket (you may be asked to show your passport). Also, remember that when travelling by train in France, you must validate your ticket by date-stamping it before boarding the train. This simple task is performed using the orange-coloured machines (composteurs) located on the concourse of nearly every French railway station. Failure to do so may result in a fine.
View looking north while on the climb to the Col de Furfande (Stage 11)
Coach or Car
There are two other methods of reaching the Queyras – long-distance coach and private car. Long-distance coach services operate to Geneva, Lyon and further south in France from Victoria Coach Station in London (see Appendix 3). Remember that if driving a private car from Britain to the Queyras, it will be necessary to find somewhere to securely park the vehicle for the duration of the walk. If your first and last nights are booked in a hotel, it is sometimes possible to negotiate with the owner/manager to leave your car in the hotel car park.
Local Transport
Public transport within the Queyras is reasonable for an Alpine region. A main-line train service (SNCF) operates along the Durance valley, north to Briançon and south to Embrun, Gap and beyond. Buses reach several parts of the Queyras, including Guillestre, Ceillac, Saint-Véran, Ristolas, Château-Queyras, Brunissard and Abriès, but services tend to be rather infrequent. Taxi services are available at Montdauphin-Guillestre railway station and in several villages and towns.
Baggage Transfer Service
Transports Petit
