The village of Orcières and its hamlets

Discover the authenticity of Orcières and its hamlets, with their Alpine charm, living traditions and stunning scenery.

Orcières village

Situated at an altitude of 1400 m, Orcières village is the administrative centre of the Canton of Orcières. It offers a wide range of amenities all year round. Formerly known as “Oursières”, there were many bears in the village and even today, the bear is omnipresent in the decoration and names of establishments. The village of Orcières is a permanent centre of life, brought to life by the orsatus.

The village is nestled around the imposing Saint-Laurent church, which dates back to the 14th century and was completely renovated in 1997. Next to the church, you can discover the village’s distinctive bear-headed fountains.

A free shuttle service runs daily between the Base de Loisirs, Orcières Village and Orcières Merlette. It’s an easy way to take advantage of the facilities at Orcières Merlette 1850, 5km higher up, at an altitude of 1850m.

22 hamlets in the commune of Orcières

Orcières covers a vast area, occupying the entire upper valley of the Drac Noir. In addition to the village and the Orcières Merlette 1850 ski resort, there are more than twenty hamlets where you can rediscover authenticity.

Serre-Eyraud comes first: nestling in the heart of a forest at an altitude of 1450 m, Serre-Eyraud overlooks the Champsaur valley and offers a remarkable view of the Champoléon valley. Worth seeing: the chapel, the communal oven and, of course, the village resort in winter.

Further up the valley, at the end of the D474 road, you’ll find Prapic, a village full of character and well worth a visit for its authentic heritage, its exceptional location at the gateway to the Ecrins National Park and its gastronomic delights.

On the ubac (north-facing slopes), you’ll find postcard-perfect villages frozen in winter: Les Audiberts at an altitude of 1460m, with its breathtaking views over the village and the resort of Orcières; Archinard at 1600m, the starting point for a host of high-altitude excursions.

Along the way to the resort, between 1450 and 1850m, there is a succession of hamlets with many points of interest:

Les Marches: the hamlet is home to the Saint Roch chapel, renovated in 2007. You can do a loop from the resort to reach the hamlet, stopping off at Forest des Marches.
Les Veyers: the Sacré-Coeur chapel, restored in 1989, dominates the whole of the Haut-Champsaur opposite Les Audiberts and Archinard.
Les Estaris: at an altitude of 1700m, this hamlet offers unrivalled views of the peaks at the bottom of the valley. Higher up, the Forest des Estaris summer cottages were once used to herd cattle and make cheese.