The 7 prettiest villages to visit in the Southern Alps

Standing at an altitude of 2042 metres in the heart of the Queyras Regional Nature Park, Saint-Véran is the highest village in Europe and one of the most beautiful in France. Here, you can wander among the old traditional buildings (dating back to 1641), look up at the pretty churches, taste the home-made bread straight from the old oven and, once night has fallen, flirt with the stars from the Saint-Véran astronomical observatory (3000 m above sea level).

No luxury hotels or wooden chalets: in the Meije region, the friendly atmosphere of the Hautes-Alpes is all about stone. The houses, built on rock and with their slate roofs, are a real eye-catcher against the backdrop of the mountains. Nestling between the Oisans and the Col du Lautaret, La Grave is renowned for its splendid sunsets that will warm your body and heart. With its wild soul and high-quality snow, La Grave is also a meeting place for great mountaineers. Connected to the Girose glacier, the village chairlift takes you up to 3200m in 30 minutes, to the heart of the great glacial expanses.

Powder snow as far as the eye can see, sunshine as if it were raining, high altitude slopes with panoramic views over the valley, unspoilt areas where nature reigns supreme... Yes, Pelvoux-Vallouise is one of those (very) generous village resorts. Adjacent to the Ecrins National Park, it offers a vast playground for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding and ski touring. From an altitude of 1250 m to 2300 m, you'll be gliding like a happy family.

‘Of the whole region, Crévoux is the one that has managed to retain its old-fashioned character. ’ A blend of tradition and nature, the mountain village of Crévoux charms visitors with its rural feel and tranquillity. Perched at the heart of the Parpaillon massif, at an altitude of 1600 m, it is one of the oldest ski areas in the Southern Alps. People come here for the downhill skiing (of course), but also for the magnificent snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Its human scale, its regional know-how and its raw, sometimes capricious but never sulky nature will win over all families.

Bordered by larch forests and lulled by water flowing under the ice of the torrents, the village of Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye is also a bubble of reconnection. If it only had one name: decompression. Between the upper Ubaye valley and the old Ubaye valley, a 6km stretch of footpaths is ideal for a family breather. It's a fact: in Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye, you don't ‘just pass through’, you stay for the holidays and then you go back again and again.

With its generous amount of sunshine and its position on a plateau at 1350 m, the tiny village resort of Ancelle is the ideal place for a family holiday. Here, you can take your time on skis or snowshoes in the Rouanne valley, marvel at the architecture of the Alps, stop off to sample some ‘ tourtons “ or ” oreilles d'ânes ’ in a typical village restaurant and, quite simply, learn to breathe again. In slow motion, far from routine.

Just 70 km from Nice, on the road to the Grandes Alpes, in the Mercantour National Park, there's a picturesque village on the side of a cliff. What's its name? Roubion-Les-Buisses. Robust and charming, its ramparts dating back to the Middle Ages have clearly defied the test of time. What's around it? Pristine countryside, ancient barns with lauze roofs that punctuate the rural landscape with little touches, and a thousand hectares of woodland to relax in.