Top 5 gourmet trails to do in the Southern French Alps! Top 5 gourmet trails to do in the Southern French Alps!

A hike to La Table Ronde, for foodie lovers

Set off from the village of Colmars-les-Alpesnfilez vos raquettes à la station de ski de Ratery 17001 on the Canal de l’Adroit interpretive trail. This 4-km balcony loop offers a bird’s eye view of the fortifications of Colmars. The walk up through the forest will work up an appetite: luckily for you, La Table Ronde is open for lunch or dinner. The Pays Gourmand-approved traditional restaurant in Colmars3 guarantees made-to-measure food according to the season and the whims of the chef. On the menu, good, generous simmered dishes like our grannies used to make, not forgetting the cheeses and charcuterie from local producers. The winter must is without a doubt the “fondue colmarsoise”. Beef, araignée de porc with herbs, little sauces and homemade fries. Enjoy!

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Une publication partagée par colmarsverdontourisme (@colmarsverdontourisme)

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Une publication partagée par @saintdalmasleselvage_officiel

A snowshoe and foodie weekend just next to the French Riviera

Set off for a weekend in the mountains in a sumptuous, entirely renovated chalet, just above Saint-Dalmas Le Selvage and right in the heart of the Mercantour National Park. Proposed by the Argo Rando5 hiking agency, this cosy hut guarantees you’ll be totally “unplugged”. On Saturday, you’ll discover the high-mountain chalet with a meal followed by a 4-hour snowshoe outing for a really invigorating breath of fresh air. When night falls, warm yourselves up with a local fondue and wine for a mountain evening. And last but not least, on Sunday, enjoy a copious breakfast with local products before setting off on another great snow-shoe outing. This time it’s with a picnic basket to enjoy after all the effort you’ve put in. The must: the landscapes of the Mercantour and Haute Tinée which provide you with some marvellous moments to watch wildlife.

Join Les Drailles, traditional Bistrot de Pays

In the summer, hike along the Circuit de La Grosse Pierre in the Vallée de la Blanche which covers 6 km and takes you to a 500-tonne geological curiosity, which was deposited there over 20,000 years ago! The view over the valley is well worth the effort. After 2 hours of hiking, head for the rustic Les Drailles restaurant6 in the charming mountain village of Selonnet. You’ll get a great greeting from the owners, Daniel and Marie-Ange. From pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven, the dishes of the day with accents of Haute-Provence, and the slowly-simmered dishes, there’s no lack of choice. Try one of the specialities like the fillet of trout filled with goat’s cheese, chicken supreme and young spinach with cream and chanterelle mushrooms, or the veal scallop with morel mushrooms. In summer it’s lunch on the terrace in the meadow and in winter in a cosy decor inside under wooden beams. Added bonus: the superb view of the peaks of La Blanche.

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Une publication partagée par Station de Chabanon Selonnet (@station_chabanon.selonnet)

A 5 day’s ramble with the flavours and scents of the Alpine territory

Ready to scour the Hautes-Alpes? Take a 199-km roadtrip around the leading Organic department in France. The adventure begins in Sisteron with the arrival planned in Château-Ville-Vieille in the Queyras Natural Park. From producer to producer, from the orchards of the Vallée de la Haute-Durance to the vineyards of the Vallée de l’Avance, from the Alpine pastures of the Dévoluy and from the Queyras to the hedgerows of the Champsaur, all sorts of great encounters and discoveries that you’ll find it hard to forget! The PGI are all there: meat, cured meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit, wine, beer and liqueurs… And lots of opportunities to try them. Our best memories are breakfast surrounded by the herd at La Ferme Flouka, the tasting in the Fromagerie de la Durance and the visit to the Guillaumette family enterprise which makes génépi. A shot of sheer happiness!

Set out from the Chalet Gourmand in Pra Loup

In Pra Loup, the Chalet Gourmand lives up to its name. This shrine to food, also known as “chez Titou” to friends, proposes traditional mountain and home-made dishes. On the menu, fondue au champagne ou morilles, ravioles de cèpes et truffes, and more refined dishes such as grilled foie gras. All on a table covered with a checkered cloth. The sound of the wooden chairs being pulled out, the rustic decoration, everything points at it being a refuge for epicureans in search of an authentic venue. Our favourite sweet touch: the tarte choco-caramel, simply delicious! For the digestive hike, the discovery trail of the Boucle du Bachelard takes you to a viewpoint overlooking the hamlets and reveals some of the secrets of Uvernet’s landscapes, such as the grinding of grain with the old millstones or the wheels which used to be used for silk-making.

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Une publication partagée par PRA LOUP (@pra_loup)