Top 5 Hiking Routes near Serre Chevalier

The delightful region of Serre Chevalier is full of quaint villages and hidden valleys just waiting to be discovered. Although mainly known as a ski resort, the area has over 370km of incredible hiking routes and more than enough to make a summer visit worthwhile. The best way to explore them is to use a hotel in Serre Chevalier as a base for your exploration and go out and do as much or as little of them as you like. Here are our top five trails.

5. Reallon to Saint-Firmin – 104km

Reallon in the Parc des Ecrins

The stunning GR50 hiking trail traverses the valley from north to south, offering some of the best hiking in all of France. Reallon to Saint Firmin is perhaps one of its most jaw-dropping sections, with picturesque lakes, mountains and meadows along the way. Although its sharp elevations make it a relatively challenging route, the scenery is an almighty reward and well worth the effort. It is almost impossible not to find a picturesque village on the trail, with Saint Firmin in particular renowned for its beauty. 

St Firmin

4. Mizoen to Briançon – 71km

Mizoen

This stretch of the GR50 begins with the beautiful flower-filled village of Mizeon. From high up on its hill, the village has incredible panoramic views over the Lac du Chambon, the Meije, and the Romanche gorges and up to the Taillefer ridge. From here, the route meanders along the valley and offers up some incredible views of La Meije Mountain. Villages worth visiting along the way include Le Monetier les Bains and Saint Chaffrey. 

Briançon

3. GR54 – 176km

GR 54 

The GR54 loops around the higher parts of the Parc National des Ecrins, France’s oldest national park. Taking approximately 12 days to complete, the beautiful trail is regarded as strenuous but not difficult by the experts. There are many great refuges along the way serving traditional French Alp cuisine, but it is also possible to camp out on the route should you wish to bring a tent.

2. Briançon to Nice - 209km

Nice - Côte d'Azur

Briançon to Nice is one of the most famous and rewarding treks that one can do. The views are divine and even during peak season it is not unheard of to not see a single person for days at a time. There are several medieval Alpine hill villages perched high up in the mountains to stop and recharge while enjoying some delicious fare, including Fort Queyras and St Dalmas le Selvage. The journey takes roughly a week and is relatively easy in terms of difficulty.


1. Les Boussardes circuit – 8.4km

Serre Chevalier

The Les Boussardes circuit is ideal for a single days hike out from the hotel at Serre Chevalier and well worth including in this list. The route is marked with heavenly hamlets that make for a welcome break on this steep uphill climb. You’re rewarded for your effort at the halfway point where there is a beautiful glacial lake with incredible views out across the region. Definitely not to be missed.

Read More

Leonardo DiCaprio Unveils Luxury Eco-Resort in Belize

Image Attribution: CC 3.0, MyCanon

Leonardo DiCaprio has unveiled plans for a multi-million dollar eco-tourism resort on a tropical island off the coast of Belize.

Following a vacation in 2004 in nearby luxury resort Cayo Espanto, the Hollywood actor bought 104 acre island Blackadore Caye in 2005 with Cayo Espanto owner Jeff Graham for $1.75 million.

Read More

The World's First Luxury Yacht for Women

Monaco based designer, Lidia Bersani, has created a unique superyacht with an exclusive target audience. La Belle is an 80m long floating cruiser made by a woman for women.

Read More

The Brightest Star

Star is the latest superyacht design that promises to set the yachting world alight. The brainchild of yacht designer Igor Lobanov, and engineering and design collaborators BMT Nigel Gee and Alex Malybaev, Star is intended to blow conventional yacht architecture out of the water with its non-conformist design.

To that effect, many yacht industry professionals have complained of the stagnant nature of yacht designs when compared to other luxury sector goods such as supercars and building constructions. Lobanov agrees, stating that “Alex (Malybaev) and I exchanged some thoughts about yachting and came to the conclusion that to those outside the marine industry, all yachts look the same: It seems that modern architecture, product design and car design have no influence on yachts,” said Lobanov. There has been a noticeable reaction to this revelation, leading to an upsurge in creative yacht structures as Lesiure & Luxury reported in Sepetember. The likes of award winning architect Zaha Hadid has since attempted her first superyacht: a neo-futuristic mesh design.

Star is expected to measure 132 metres long and 60 metres high with its interior rooms and living spaces equalling 37,000 sq ft. Luxury features include an underwater viewing gallery at the depths of the ship’s hull, connected by lift to another viewing platform on the eighth deck. Star also features all electric architecture and fully azimuthing propulsion, meaning improved maneuvarabillity and the absence of rudders. The vessel’s maximum speed is 18+kts, with a range of 14kts of 5000+NM.

While Star has come under criticism by some for lacking unshaded outdoor deck space, the team’s designers have still managed to find room for a helipad. Any criticism to that regard however has been swiftly washed over as the superyacht’s stunning design continues to attract widespread acclaim. As its name suggests, the superyacht resembles the top half of a star and has an elegant lattice exterior akin to a snowflake.

BMT yacht design director James Roy, was keen to emphasise the importance of technological advances as the key factor responsible for Star’s unusual design. “STAR is a tangible view of a 21st century interpretation of art and science,” he said. “We are fortunate to live in an era where technology makes the delivery of bolder designs more possible”.

Original article by Luxisto

Read More

Top Cities For Multi-Millionaire Second Home Owners

According to new surveys, London is the new primary destination for buying second homes among multi-millionaires.

Read More