Village Spirit | Vars: Hautes-Alpes ski resort

Esprit Villages

The mountain way of life

On snowy days, shall we talk about them? Some people see it as bad weather… but here, when the snow falls and a hushed, white silence blankets the countryside, your mind wanders easily before running wild! So we head outside, make snowballs, let the flakes settle on our faces whilst trying to catch a few in our mouths. The village lanes turn into paths where we can leave our tracks, feel the fresh snow crunching beneath our feet… it’s such a treat: we then return with rosy cheeks and a blissful smile to warm up by the fireside, with a steaming hot drink, whilst we wait for the sun to return and enhance the new landscape that unfolds before us…

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Chutes de neige abondantes dans les villages de Vars
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Rémi Morel

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Cœur du village de Vars Sainte Catherine sous la neige
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Rémi Morel

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Chutes de neige dans les villages de Vars
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Rémi Morel

A warm and welcoming atmosphere

From sunrise to sunset, each of the hamlets is bathed in light: Vars Saint Marcellin and Vars Sainte-Marie glow in the east, whilst the midday sun illuminates every area; it is Vars Sainte-Catherine that enjoys the much-sought-after golden rays right up until the very end of the day.

The Mediterranean atmosphere is evident in the warm welcome and the friendly, comforting ambience at the heart of a setting characterised by the beauty of the delicately jagged peaks that encircle the Chagne torrent valley. It shares its route with the Route des Grandes Alpes, which winds beyond the Col de Vars to reach the Mediterranean.

The altitude provides pure air, perfect for recharging your batteries beneath the majestic gaze of the Eyssina ridges, or the Vars ridges, with the peaks of the Ecrins and their eternal snows perched like a balcony in the distance…

Discover the villages

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2020 071220123301 Rémi Morel Ot Vars
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Rémi Morel - OT Vars

Les villages de Vars vêtus de leur manteau blanc — ©
Entre bleu et blanc, les lendemains de chutes de neige offrent de merveilleux paysages
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Vue Aérienne de Vars Sainte Catherine sous la neige
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Vars Saint Marcellin sous la neige
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It is the picture-postcard atmosphere of the three mountain hamlets that complement the bustling heart of the resort of Les Claux: Vars offers its visitors all the facets of a valley steeped in history, boasting an ancestral heritage where time savours a way of life upheld by the men and women who have shaped this region.

The most curious visitors will be able to discover, as they wander, all those distinctive features that give Vars its unique village spirit.

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Le clocher de l'église de Vars Saint Marcellin sous la neige
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Rémi Morel

Vars Sainte Catherine, le lavoir et le four banal sous les chutes de neige — ©
Chutes de neige en cours recouvrant le four et le lavoir, témoin du passé de Vars Sainte Catherine.
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Rémi Morel

This unique character is also reflected in the warm, typically mountain-style welcome extended by the locals, who breathe life into the villages by bringing to them the fruits of their labour – a tradition sometimes passed down through several generations: hotels and restaurants are places of comfort and culinary delight, steeped in the history of the old farmhouses that house them. The rhythm of daily life unfolds in the narrow streets – known locally as ‘charrières’ – where sundials bearing wise sayings can be seen here and there. The wash houses serve as a reminder that they were once the very heart of social life.

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Lever du jour sur Vars et son beau manteau blanc — ©
Les chutes de neige offrent toujours de somptueux paysages
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Vue sur la vallée enneigée depuis Vars Sainte Catherine
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Chutes de neige sur les villages de Vars
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Vars entre automne et hiver — ©
Le changement de saison dévoile de somptueux paysages, entre orange, blanc et ciel azur.
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Rémi Morel

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Chutes de neige abondantes sur les villages
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Temple protestant à Vars Saint Marcellin — ©
Vars Saint Marcellin recèle des trésors patrimoniaux dont le temple et l'église
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Chutes de neige dans les villages
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Fontaine enneigée au cœur des villages
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Vars Saint Marcellin paré de son beau manteau blanc
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Réveil après une nuit de chutes de neige à Vars — ©
Ouvrir ses volets, ses rideaux après une nuit de chutes de neige reste un moment magique
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Chutes de neige abondantes en cours sur les villages de Vars
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Les villages varsincs se parent de leur beau manteau blanc
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Chutes de neige abondantes en cours à Vars
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Rémi Morel

Esprit Villages

Make the most of it

Vars and its Villages

Find out more about the different villages in Vars to help you choose where to spend your next holiday in the mountains!

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Shuttle bus timetable

A free shuttle service to make it easier for you to travel between the villages

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Accommodation

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Map of the Villages

Our map of the villages will help you find your way around and get about once you’re there.

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The great outdoors

Vars is much more than just a ski resort. Set off to explore our great outdoors and discover the mountains in a different way from that offered by the ski lifts.

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