Villard de Lans
Why Villard de Lans Village?
- Short transfer time being only 35 mins from Grenoble Airport
- Excellent selection of summer activities
- Traditional pretty mountain village
Villard de Lans Village Information
Villard de Lans and Corrençon existed long before the development of tourist resorts. Even today, their tranquil village life goes on, following the seasons, as the two villages have managed to preserve their quality of life: busy local life, local products, new builds respecting tradition and the identity of the region.
Villard de Lans is a lively village - the largest market centre of the Vercors massif. At the foot of the Grande Moucherolle, the village has retained its architectural heritage and friendly atmosphere, both of which are a legacy from the early 20th century. Before winter sports took off in 1925, it was fashionable to come here for “healthy air and milk”. Today, the town has a population of over 4000, with pedestrian streets, a market, shops, a wave pool, an indoor ice rink, an exceptional sledging space, a bowling alley, a casino, a museum and other amenities that are busy round the year.
Villard/Corrençon ranks among the top 10 best-equipped resorts in France! And, for nature lovers, hundreds of kilometres of marked trails, a bike resort, a trail running resort and an 18-hole golf course popular with golf lovers awaits you.
An important page in the history of Mountain Biking was written at Villard de Lans in 1987. The village earned its reputation as the “Mecca” of Mountain Biking in France, following the success of the 1st Mountain Bike World Championships. For the 1st time, top-ranking American and European competitors gathered at the same starting line to vie for the title. 400 pioneers came head to head for two days and three different challenges, the first a downhill race from the summit of the gondola lift Cote 2000, a promotional race and a top challenge for world champions. The event contributed to the popularity of Mountain Biking and the Vercors region, which is perfectly adapted to this new discipline and draws the attention of cycling fans who wanted something off the beaten tarmac. The Descente and Enduro Bike Parks appear in the list of top ten French resorts and provide a global offering adapted to all levels of practice, nine itineraries with permanent downhill runs, four Enduro itineraries, one pump track and one Trial zone.
They are very proud of their ski champions, having trained for over 40 years here. Altitude and terrain have naturally made the two villages the homes of some of the best French winter sports athletes.
5km away from Villard de Lans you have the village of Correncon en Vercors, which stands against the backdrop of the largest Natural Reserve in France.
The Vercors Park boasts many prestigious AOPs (products with a protected origin) such as the famous Grenoble walnuts (since 1938), Picodon cheese (goats cheese), the Clairette de Die, and the Châtillons en Diois wines plus Fario trout. The favourite: the Blue cheese from Vercors Sassenage, produced here for over 600 years! "La Villarde" is a mixed breed of cattle from Villard-de-Lans that is raised as much for its quality meat as for its milk. This latter is used to produce the AOC cheese "Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage".
