A three-day multi-activity break in the Southern French Alps, combining canyoning, via ferrata and e-biking with time to relax at Lake Serre-Ponçon.
Three very different Alpine adventures:
We have chosen three of our favourite activities in the Southern French Alps, each offering a different way to experience the mountains. The activities are spread across three days, with a free half day to relax at Lake Serre-Ponçon or try an optional watersport.
During your three-day adventure you will:
- Go canyoning: Follow a mountain stream through a natural canyon, sliding down smooth rock chutes, jumping into clear Alpine pools and abseiling beside waterfalls. Your guide will adapt the route and challenges to the group and conditions.
- Climb a via ferrata: Make your way along an equipped mountain route using fixed cables, ladders and footholds, cross airy bridges and finish with an exhilarating series of Tyrolean zip lines.
- Explore by e-bike: Discover the mountain tracks, forest trails and easy singletrack around Gap by electric mountain bike. The motor takes some of the effort out of the climbs, giving you more energy to enjoy the riding and the surroundings.
- Enjoy a free afternoon at Lake Serre-Ponçon: Spend some free time by the lake to swim or relax on the beach, with the option to hire a kayak or paddleboard, or book activities such as waterskiing or tubing at an additional cost.
Each guided activity takes around half a day and is spread across the three days. You will be collected from your hotel in Gap and returned afterwards, leaving your evenings free to enjoy the town's restaurants, bars and outdoor terraces.
Your base in Gap:
Gap is an excellent base for an active break in the Southern French Alps, with several mountain areas and Lake Serre-Ponçon within easy reach.
Your hotel is in the town centre, a short walk from the pedestrianised old town, where narrow streets, small shops, squares and café terraces create a lively atmosphere in the summer evenings. There are plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from, as well as regular markets, concerts and events during the warmer months.
We will give you our local recommendations for places to eat, drink and explore so you can make the most of your time in Gap between activities.
Your Guides:
For the via ferrata and canyoning your guide is a fully qualified and highly experienced UIAGM high mountain guide local to the area, who speaks French and English. For the e-biking, your guide is a fully qualified and experienced local mountain bike guide who know the tracks and trails like his back garden and who also speaks French and English. Your safety and enjoyment are our top priority for all the activities.
You also have a free afternoon at the lake where you can choose to do your own thing. You can sunbathe, swim or choose one of the many water sports available at the lake (supplement to pay for any additional activities).
You will make your on way to Gap to arrive by lunch time. We have arranged for you to be able to leave your bags at the hotel where you will be sleeping tonight after your first adventure. For those of you travelling from afar, we recommend either travelling the day before and adding on an extra night at the hotel or getting the night train from Paris the evening before to arrive early this morning. Please ask us about this when you book so we can help you choose the best option.
Your guide will collect you from the hotel at 14h00 to take you off canyoning. You just need to make sure you have a pair of trainers that can get wet, your swimsuit and a towel. We will provide you with the wetsuit, harness and helmet and other technical equipment you will need for your canyoning adventure!
Once at the site, you'll change into your canyoning kit and off you go for a full on canyoning adventure of fun, fun and more fun!
Plunge into crystal-clear alpine pools, abseil down spectacular cascading waterfalls, and slide down natural slides carved by millennia of rushing water. Enjoy the rush of cool water and the thrill of navigating through nature's playground. A high-octane adventure and wild ride of adrenaline and water thrills.
After canyoning, the guide will take you back to the hotel where you can unpack and relax.
We suggest meeting up in the lobby of the hotel with the others at around 19h00 to share your experiences over dinner in a local restaurant. We can help you choose and book a good restaurant.
Today we will collect you at 8h30 and take you to meet your electric mountain bike guide at the Serre Ponçon lake. You will need to be dressed for biking with a small rucksack to carry your water and spare clothes and take a small kit bag with your swimmers and towel for the day. Standard helmets are provided but you are welcome to bring your own. If you want to use clip in pedals, then please bring your own shoes and pedals and let us know so we can let the guide know.
Your guide will take you on an adventurous but accessible tour of the mountains above the lake and give you tips on how to get the most fun out of your electric mountain bike and shred those trails safely! Expect forest trails and some fun single track challenges with spectacular views and to discover the thrill of an e-bike in the mountains!
You will finish at the lake where you have the option of eating at one of the restaurants there or picnicking on the beach. After that you have a free afternoon at the lake before we take you back to Gap.
At the lake there are paddle boards, kayaks and pedalos to hire, water skiing, tubing, a large water splash park and even a high ropes adventure, so if sunbathing and swimming are not for you, there are plenty of other activities to do to fill your afternoon! Please note any additional activities at the lake are payable as extras.
We will collect you at 17h00 to take you back to the hotel in Gap, where you can enjoy another evening in the summer sun on the terraces!
You will need to check out of your rooms today unless you have chosen to stay an extra night. We can arrange for you to leave your bags at the hotel.
Your guide will collect you at 8h30 today and take you off to do one of the most spectacular via ferratas in the French Alps, La Grande Fistoire, an exhilarating vertical adventure. The route is safely equipped with steel cables, ladders, and bridges, allowing for a thrilling yet secure climb. As you ascend, breathtaking panoramas of the surrounding mountains and valleys unfold before you.
The descent adds another layer of adrenalin with three long zip line descents. These zip lines offer a heart-racing return to the base, providing an aerial perspective of the landscape you've just traversed.
Your guide will take you back to Gap at the end of the via ferrata adventure in time to catch an afternoon train or transport back home. You will be back in Gap by 14h at the latest.
Who will love this trip?
This trip is ideal if you enjoy being active outdoors, like trying new things and want to experience several different mountain activities during a short break.
For canyoning, you need to be able to swim and be comfortable putting your head under water. For the via ferrata, you should be reasonably comfortable with heights and exposed situations. You do not need previous canyoning or via ferrata experience.
For e-biking, you need to be confident riding a bicycle and have some previous experience riding on unsurfaced tracks or easy mountain-bike terrain. The riding includes forest tracks, trails and some accessible singletrack, but it is not designed for experienced technical mountain bikers.
You should also have a good general level of fitness. None of the individual activities is especially demanding, but with three active days in succession, you should be used to regular exercise such as walking, cycling, swimming, running or going to the gym.
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- Restaurant evening meals and drinks in Gap in the evenings
- Picnic or restaurant lunches (some days will include the possibility of a restaurant lunch and others will require a picnic)
- Your journey to and from Gap
- Tips for the guide
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You need to get to Gap, in the Hautes Alpes department of France for this trip. Gap has a train station on the French SNCF train network and there are also buses from various other transport hubs to Gap.
From Gap train station, you can walk to the Mon Hotel accommodation option (about 5 - 10 minutes walk).
WE OFFER A 3% DISCOUNT TO ANYONE TRAVELLING BY TRAIN INSTEAD OF PLANE TO GAP FROM OUTSIDE OF FRANCE. To claim your 3% discount, you will need to show us proof of train travel for an international train route of over 3 hours that could have been taken by plane. Please ask when you book.
BY TRAIN / BUS:
Have a look at our blog on getting to Gap by train
There is a regular coach service which operates from Aix-en-Provence TGV directly to Gap. Plan your journey here
There are also direct train links to Gap from Grenoble TGV station and there is also an overnight sleeper train from Paris to Gap.
You can plan your train journey using the Oui SNCF website. This works from all major European cities.
BY PLANE:
The nearest airports are Marseille and Grenoble. From Marseille airport there is a regular coach service directly to Gap every two and a half hours.Plan your journey here. From Grenoble you would need to get the airport shuttle to the train station and then a train from Grenoble to Gap - this is a bit more faffy than the links from Marseille which are direct and regular..
Please ask us about transport options when you enquire as we have become pros on getting people to this beautiful region!
Sustainable Tourism:
We are a Travelife-certified tour operator and aim to ensure that your trip benefits the local community while keeping its environmental impact as low as reasonably possible.
For this holiday, we work with local guides and independently owned accommodation so that more of the money you spend stays within the local economy. We also choose partners who share our commitment to responsible tourism.
Your hotel is taking practical steps to reduce its environmental impact, including using environmentally friendly cleaning products, introducing water-saving measures, improving energy efficiency and giving guests the option to reduce unnecessary linen and room cleaning.
Our local guides use modern, well-maintained vehicles and have a strong connection to the landscapes in which they work. They will help you enjoy these environments responsibly and minimise the impact of the activities on the places you visit.
We have also designed this trip so that you can travel to Gap by train and enjoy the holiday without needing your own car. You can find more information in the Getting Here section.
We have used a carbon calculator tool called Carmacal. Have a look at the full carbon report for this adventure weekend or look at the summary below. We will also plant a tree on your behalf to help offset your carbon footprint for this trip.
3-Day Multi-Activity Adventure in the French Alps
A three-day multi-activity break in the Southern French Alps, combining canyoning, via ferrata and e-biking with time to relax at Lake Serre-Ponçon.
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