Savines-Le-Lac: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

Savines-le-Lac lies on the left bank of Lac de Serre-Ponçon. After the Serre-Ponçon dam was built, the village was completely rebuilt at this location. The lake, which can also be accessed from Savines-le-Lac, is France’s largest artificial lake. The Pont de Savines crosses the reservoir. It is part of the Serre-Ponçon hydroelectric complex, which consists of three structures, is located partly in the municipalities of Rousset and Savines-le-Lac, and was awarded a label by the competent regional commission on 28 November 2000.

Culture and history

The more recent history of the village includes the Church of Saint-Florent: it was rebuilt in 1961 together with the village according to plans by the architect Achille de Panaskhet and is now an important stop for pilgrims travelling to Rome and Compostela. On 23 June 2011, the regional commission for heritage and sites supported awarding the «Patrimoine du XXème siècle» label to the village of Savines-le-Lac.

The CIAP XXe is the first French CIAP dedicated to this heritage theme. It presents a permanent exhibition on cheerful modernism in the mountains. The CIAP XXe also includes an outdoor tour between the village and the Le XXe cultural centre.

Water and leisure

Supervised swimming is available at Plage des Combettes in July and August. The bathing area has a recreational jetty with a slide and diving board and is a five-minute walk from the centre of Savines-le-Lac. Savin’Plage is also a five-minute walk from the town centre. The beach is described as the only sandy beach on Lac de Serre-Ponçon; in fact, it consists of pinkish pebbles.

The excursion boats of Serre Ponçon Tour depart from Plage de la capitainerie on Rue du Stade in Savines-le-Lac. At the Capitainerie of Savines-le-Lac, visitors can enjoy sailing, boat hire with or without a licence, stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing, pedal boating, towed tubes and even electric surfing. The Capitainerie du lac de Serre-Ponçon has a reception area with a permanent exhibition and digital resources for discovering the lake.

The Club Nautique Alpin operates a base in Savines-le-Lac and offers skipper-led trips on a ten-person community sailing boat or a four-person sport sailing boat. The Base nautique La Voilerie/Ecole de voile offers sailing and windsurfing courses for all levels from the age of six, as well as catamaran and windsurfing equipment hire. In July and August, Savines-le-Lac hosts the «Mercredis de feu», during which fireworks are set off over the lake.

Nature and activities

Hiking on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback is possible in the Forêt de Morgon; there is also a botanical educational trail. In the canton of Savines, anglers can benefit from special services offered by providers and shops that have joined a quality charter for better support for anglers.

Arteralya offers pottery workshops for children and adults by appointment. Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Savines-le-Lac can select this location as the destination when planning their accommodation.

Other places in the same area: Eyguians, La Bâtie-Montsaléon, La Freissinouse, Laragne-Montéglin, Baratier, Vallouise, Eygliers and Trescléoux.

For the higher-level travel overview: Hautes-Alpes.