Briançon

Only 10km from the border with Italy, the town of Briançon sits on a rocky outcrop 100km east of Grenoble, is one of the highest cities in Europe, and shares the regions boast of 300 days of sunshine per year! The fortified old city guards the Roman mountain pass leading to Italy, the Col de Montgenèvre at 1850m above sea level. The Romans improved on the original Gallic settlement in order to safeguard one of their most important routes back to Italy, the road from Vienne to Milan.

Briançon attracts alot of tourists in the summer. The upper Vieille Ville (old town) was built first on the hilltop and overlooks the Ville Basse (lower town) that gradually grew down the slopes as Briancon expanded over the years. The two parts of town are connected by the avenue de la République where you will find many of the cities bars and restaurants.  As well as a large selection of eateries you will find art galleries offering free entry, churches and the old fort ruins to explore.  The town also has lots of shops selling local crafts and is a great place to pick up souvenirs and gifts to take back home.

Briançon also sits at the base of the Col d'Izoard which we tackle on day 4 of the tour.