©
2020 160720095646 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

Heritage celebrations

The authentic mountain

A bit like family reunions, the heritage festivals take you into the thatched cottages of history, the past and mountain traditions. Conviviality, sharing, encounters and know-how are all part of the programme at these heritage festivals in the heart of the Varsincs villages.

©
2019 150819114919 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2019 150819112640 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2018 190718105003 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

Heritage

a strong history

They say you had to be born there to stay there: living in the high mountains meant a life of hard work, with the harsh climate and farm chores. But it was a life that was always marked by humanity and solidarity. A population that was cut off from the world for months at a time and had to organise itself: making bread in the communal oven, carpentry, carpentry… in the words of an old-timer: “We didn’t know how to do anything but we did everything ourselves” (Paul Rostollan).

©
2020 160720092823 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2020 160720100144 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2020 160720101203 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2018 190718105144 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2019 150819110914 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2019 150819102832 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2018 150818113044 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

©
2018 240818102956 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
|
Remi Morel

Villages and encounters

A curious stroll through the valley will give you an idea of what life was like in days gone by: Vars was not always the summer and winter sports resort it is today. It is above all a valley with a centuries-old history: take a look behind the scenes. On a fine summer’s day, take the time to stroll through the villages of Vars. Watches used to be sundials: look up and search the walls of the old farmhouses for these sundial markers with mottos full of meaning: time makes love pass, but love makes time pass.

There are no washing machines, but there are laundries in every village where women used to wash their clothes in water at room temperature: give it a try! The church and temple of Saint Marcellin bear witness to the sometimes turbulent religious history of the Alpine valleys, and the wooden crosses that line the villages are decorated with the attributes of the Passion of Christ.

©
Alpesphotographies.com Vars Sainte Catherine (60)

Thursday 23rd July 2026

Relive the traditions that have marked mountain life.

The communal oven in Vars Sainte Catherine was used to bake bread for the whole village, and each village had its own oven. Today, only this oven remains, and it’s fired up again every summer, producing bread with a unique flavour.

The bakery comes back into service twice a summer to make bread in the traditional way. From the kneading trough to the sale of the loaves, it’s a tradition that has risen from the ashes, offering a moment of sharing and entertainment in the heart of the Varsinc village.

The programme for the day will be available soon.

Saturday 15 August 2026

A not-to-be-missed event in the Varsinc summer, 15 August is the day when the village celebrates its patron saint: workshops, village tours, entertainment and dance shows, garage sales, pétanque competitions – it’s a popular festival par excellence, full of tradition and conviviality, with a religious procession and a ball at the end of the day, topped off with a fireworks display.

The day’s programme will be available soon. Stay tuned!

Tuesday 21st July 2026

Around the Chabrières hut, restored in the spirit of the old summer pastures, Vars en Fête invites you to take an authentic look at the daily lives of shepherds and breeders. The event showcases pastoral skills, the upkeep of mountain pastures and the traditions that shape mountain landscapes.

The young farmers of the Hautes-Alpes region will also be offering discovery workshops and a convivial meal to help you discover today’s alpine agriculture.

Access from Les Claux via the Chabrières cable car, then an easy 15-minute walk.

I prepare