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Hautes-Alpes
Prefecture: Gap
Subprefecture: Briançon
Area: 5,549sq km (2,142sq mi)
Highest elevation: 4,101m (13,458ft)
Lowest elevation: 470m (1,540ft)
Population: 140,605
Hautes-Alpes - Discover Provence with Pure French Soaps
Follow the French soap trail & discover Provence with Pure French Soaps
Attracting visitors from all over Europe, Hautes-Alpes is prized by holidaymakers for its tourist destinations; both in winter for its ski resorts, and in summer for its wild landscapes such as the Queyras National Park, a high Alpine valley flanked by more than 100 peaks which is located in the eastern part of the département, and designated an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Located in the heart of the French Alps after which it is named, it is the highest département in France with an average elevation of over 1000m (3,280ft) and is surrounded to the north and west by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, to the south by Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and to the east, Italy and the Metropolitan City of Turin - capital of the Piedmont region.
Mont Barre des Écrins, the highest peak in the département at over 4102m (13,458ft),
Queyras National Park
Being renowned throughout the world for its mountainous terrain and vertiginous cliffs and home to the Barre des Écrins Mountain, the highest peak in the département at over 4102m (13,458ft), Hautes-Alpes is a paradise for mountaineers and climbers.
The landscape boasts fast-flowing cascading rivers including the Guisane, Buëch, Drac, Clarée and the Durance, which has been dammed to create one of the largest artificial lakes in western europe: the Lac de Serre-Ponçon. From its source in the Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon, the Durance flows for over 323km (201mi) and falls from 2,390m (7,840ft) to its confluence with the Rhône near Avignon. It is the least populated département of Provence having only three sizable towns which are Briançon, Embrun and Gap.
Pic du Château Renard
High Alpine Pass
Lac de Serre-Ponçon
Pic du Château Renard
Briançon, Embrun and Gap
Perched on a rocky spur, at an altitude of 1,326m (4350ft), Briançon is the highest town in the european union and thanks to its exceptional heritage has been designated “Ville et Pays d’Art et d’Histoire” (Town and Land of Art and History). It’s a charming town of colourful facades, ancient ramparts, narrow streets, steep paths and panoramic views.
Named the little Nice of the Alps due to its particularly mild and sunny climate, the town of Embrun, offers stunning views over the Durance valley with the peaks of the Embrunais mountains towering above. This Provençal-looking old town boasts a wonderful culture, a network of narrow streets lined with colourful houses, pretty squares with fountains, arched passageways and walls decorated with sundials.
Preserved in a natural setting, Gap is a lively town with cheerful pastel-coloured houses, traditional restaurants and a neo-gothic style cathedral. Popular with holidaymakers, it hosts many festivals, fairs and sports competitions throughout the year.
With spectacular mountain scenery, Haute-Alpes boasts a sublime heritage and some of the some of the most beautiful treasures of sacred art in the whole of France.
Marseille soaps have been produced by French artisan craft master soap makers using
traditional methods for over 600 years.
Uniting the rich organic produce of Provence with natural and ecological values, they create exquisite soaps with exceptional skin care properties.
Here you can discover their heritage and find out why they are internationally recognised
as some of the best soaps in the world.
* With the exception of soaps containing organic milk, all of our soaps are suitable for vegans.
* With the exception of soaps containing organic milk, all of our soaps are suitable for vegans.
