Hotels in Chorges

Chorges is a small town in the Hautes-Alpes, useful mainly as a base for Lake Serre-Ponçon, the vast reservoir on its doorstep that ranks among the largest man-made lakes in Western Europe and draws sailors, windsurfers and swimmers all summer. With a permanent population of only around two thousand, the town itself is modest — a church, a market square, a golf course — and most of what happens here revolves around the lake and the surrounding mountains rather than any real urban interest.

Be honest: outside the June-to-September season this is a quiet, half-shuttered place, and travellers wanting nightlife or museums should look elsewhere in the Alps. What it does offer is space, clean air, and easy access to hiking and cycling routes that have featured in the Tour de France, plus winter skiing at nearby resorts. Stay close to the lakeshore rather than in the town centre, since that's where the views and the actual reason to visit are.