Hotels in Gap

Gap is the highest prefecture town in France, sitting in a broad valley in the Hautes-Alpes where the Route Napoléon threads through on its way from Grenoble to the coast, and its main job has always been as a waypoint rather than a destination in itself. The old town has a modest historic core of narrow streets and a Wednesday and Saturday market worth timing a visit around, but be honest: there is little here to fill more than a day, and most visitors are passing through en route to skiing at Orcières-Merlette or hiking in the Écrins and Dévoluy massifs nearby.

Its real value is logistical, as a supply and transport hub for the surrounding mountains, with reasonable rail and road links given its remoteness. Stay near the town centre or the train station, since Gap is best used as a base for the mountains rather than a place to linger.