Saint-Bonnet-En-Champsaur: Local History and Culture

Saint-Bonnet-En-Champsaur combines historic buildings and a distinctive townscape with photography, local encounters and experiences in the surrounding landscape. When planning your stay, you can choose from a range of options: the medieval town centre, the story of photographer Vivian Maier, or a hike. Activities by the water offer another option.

Townscape and Historic Buildings

The town centre of Saint-Bonnet-En-Champsaur has medieval origins, and some of its buildings date from the 16th century. On Place aux Herbes, Tounes—vaulted houses—preserve a distinctive feature of the historic townscape. Place Grenette is home to a covered market hall. The town is also home to Château de Daillon, a fortified house dating from the 17th century.

Religious buildings include Chapelle des Petètes and Église de Charbillac. The chapel has been classified as a historic monument since 1994. Église de Charbillac is a small neoclassical church dating from the late 19th century; its notable furnishings are representative of the Champsaur Valley’s religious heritage. Guided tours of the historic town centre bring traces of its past to light.

Photography and Local Encounters

Maison de la photographie Vivian Maier is located in a traditional farmhouse and is dedicated to photography and emigration from the Champsaur. Through the work of Vivian Maier, an American photographer from the Champsaur, it offers insights into the 1950s. The house also hosts temporary exhibitions arising from photography residencies with a regional focus.

The market in the town centre offers local produce, local expertise, crafts and culinary specialities. Every two years, Rencontres Paysannes also takes place in the town centre in late September. The event promotes agricultural knowledge and skills; check the specific dates before travelling.

At Ferme de Coste Joffre, visitors can watch the animals being milked from 6 p.m. and talk with the goat and cattle farmers about their work and expertise. The farm produces farmhouse cheese from goat and cow milk and sells it directly from the farm.

Hiking, Landscapes and Water

The Pisançon et les Trois Croix hike starts in Saint-Bonnet-En-Champsaur and is 6.2 kilometres long. It leads to Maison de la photographie Vivian Maier and the Belvédère des 3 Croix viewpoint, which offers sweeping views over the bocage landscape. The Parcours trail le Château n°1 is a very easy 6.0-kilometre loop on paved and forest paths. The routes are similar in length: one is described as an easy loop with specified path surfaces, while the other is distinguished by its named destinations and the views from the Belvédère.

Lac de Barbeyroux offers views of the foothills of the Dévoluy, Col du Noyer, the Champsaur Valley and Col Bayard. The lake also offers opportunities for fishing and quiet contemplation. Another option is Centre aquatique du Champsaur, which has a 25-metre pool, a play pool with water fountains, a paddling pool and a solarium.

Getting Your Bearings Locally

The tourist office on Place Grenette offers a welcome, information, advice and free Wi-Fi. Saint-Bonnet-En-Champsaur is easily reached by road from Gap via Col Bayard. This gives you both a specific reference point for your journey and places to go for information in town.

Discover more destinations: Crévoux, La Saulce, Saint-Julien-En-Beauchêne, Sigoyer, Orpierre, Réallon, Ribeyret, Réotier.

See the broader travel overview: Hautes-Alpes.