If you want to camp surrounded by mountains – and who doesn't? – then it’s hard to beat Huttopia’s Vallouise location in the Hautes-Alpes, a large campsite just outside the titular village that occupies a riverside stretch in the centre of the valley. Overlooked by the impressive peaks of the Pays de Ecrins, it feels like the last sanctuary of flat space among a landscape full of dramatic inclines. A platform designed for camping.
Situated at an altitude of 1,200m, and bordered by the two picturesque Onde and Gyr mountain rivers, Huttopia Vallouise is the perfect place for anyone who loves the crisp clean air and stunning mountain scenery that this eastern corner of France affords. As well as regular pitches for tents and campervans, it has a number of pre-erected canvas-and-wood tents sleeping four or five people – some with wood-burning stoves – along with more substantial chalets sleeping up to six.
Of course, it’s the location that you really come here for, but the site is also extremely well-equipped, with a brand-new heated pool and a range of activities that include tennis, petanque, table tennis and volleyball. Naturally you’ll also be tempted (even if your kids aren’t!) by the excellent hiking in the mountains that surround, in particular in the wilds of the nearby Écrins National Park.
Vallouise itself is a beautiful Alpine village, famously decorated with sundials in this almost constantly sunny part of France. An array of shops, cafés and restaurants all proudly showcase the abundant local produce and the parasols of riverside terraces pop-up every morning to entice you and your appetite inside. From there you can sit and survey the mountainous surroundings, picking a peak to conquer and spreading a map across the table. Or you can just go back and lounge by the pool. Either one.