Col de Vars France

Day 84 Monday 27 July 2026

Have we mentioned how much we love the mountain areas of France… it’s so beautiful and there is so much to see and do. Of course we can’t do it all but we are enjoying what can manage to experience in the short time we have left. Even in the places we have been before we are still seeing some different things. 

We drove past the highest castel in France, Chateau Queyras, also known as Fort Queyras. It is a dramatic medieval castle and military citadel perched on a rocky cliff above the Guil River in Château-Ville-Vieille, France. It features 13th-century medieval towers combined with famous defensive fortifications designed by the royal engineer Vauban in 1692.

The drive down the morning through the gorge de Guil was fantastic… how blue was the water here..

We managed to get a parking spot so we could walk around the market and historic centre of Guillestre. The Old Town centre had narrow medieval streets, a 16th-century Notre-Dame-d'Aquilon church, and lots of old fountains.

It was pretty chaotic but fun to see a market in full swing. 

We drove a little further to visit Mont Dauphin  which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by the military engineer Vauban in 1693, the 17th-century fortress sits on a high plateau. Built as a dual space containing military barracks, powder stores, and an arsenal alongside civilian homes and straight streets to house people. There were plenty of panels explaining the various buildings and the views of the valleys and mountains were great.

We back tracked a bit to go over the Col de Vars (2109m alt) for the first time. 

We then descended into the valley 

and drove up towards the Col de la Bonette, the highest road pass in Europe! (Previously done in 2014). 

On the way up we spotted a lovely meadow just before the lake where we had stayed at last time and decided to pull in and stay. What a gorgeous spot right next to a mountain stream and surrounded by an amazing landscape. A perfect end to the day.

104km