LE BOURG-D’OISANS
Capital of a canton in Isère (38)
Stage town for the 24th time
Population: 2,620 (Bourcats), 10,700 (Uissans) in the Oisans Community of Communes (20 communes).
Notable figures: Isabelle Blanc (Olympic medallist in parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City), Sylvain Miallet (bronze medallist in ski cross at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver), Jennifer Piot (member of the French team, 20th in the super-G at Pyeongchang 2018 in her first Olympics), Florian Jouanny (paracycling, triple medallist at the Tokyo Games), Pierre Puybaret (world record holder in the hacksaw), Jean-Marc Rochette (painter and sculptor).
Specialities: Farcis de l’Oisans (cabbage stuffed with pork), gratin dauphinois, crozets (potato gnocchi), génépi, goat’s cheese. Goodwin Brewery. Expertise: around fifty crystal miners extract minerals from the mountain walls and showcase them. There is a partnership with the Chamonix Crystal Museum.
Sport: around fifty clubs (1,200 members). Events: Vénéon Triathlon (mountain biking-canoeing-running, May), ‘Alpe d’HuZes’ (Dutch charity event, 5,000 cyclists, June), Raid Chauds Patates (multi-sport raid, June), Défi des 3, Villards en Oisans (mountain race, June), Look Marmotte Granfondo Alpes (cyclosportive, July), Trail de l’étendard (July), Final of the French Women’s MX Championship (motocross, July), Alpe d’Huez 21 (running race, July). Cycling Club: Union Cycliste Oisans (cycling club).
Economy: tourism, outdoor activities, crafts (the ‘Route des savoir-faire’ trail)
Culture: French Chainsaw Sculpting Championship (May), Mountain Image Festival with the Parc des Ecrins (June). “Vogue de la Saint-Laurent” (funfair, August), Grande Foire de Bourg d’Oisans (funfair, market, September)
Slogan: A plain in the heart of the mountains
Labels: Tour de France Cycling Town (3) / Classified Tourist Resort / Green Resort / Snow Village.
Websites FB / Twitter / Insta: mairie-bourgdoisans.fr / ccoisans.fr / bourgdoisans.com / oisans.com / isere.fr / isere-tourisme.com / bike-oisans.com / ecrins-parcnational.fr / plainedoisans.n2000.fr / facebook.com/mairielebourgdoisans / facebook.com/CCOISANS / facebook.com/otbourgdoisans / facebook.com/OisansTourisme / facebook.com/isere.le.departement / facebook.com/alpesishere / facebook.com/IsereAttractivite / twitter.com/oisanst / twitter.com/cdisere / instagram.com/bourg_d_oisans_animations / instagram.com/oisanstourisme / instagram.com/isere.le.departement / instagram.com/alpesishere
LE BOURG D'OISANS AND CYCLING
The peloton usually passes through Le Bourg d'Oisans before tackling the climb up Alpe d'Huez. The commune in Isère has also been the starting point for many historic mountain stages, such as the first time in 1952 with a demonstration by Fausto Coppi on his way to Sestrières. The Tour has left Bourg d'Oisans to head west six times, most often with Saint-Étienne as its destination. Mads Pedersen was the last winner on this route in 2022. Due to its location, Bourg d'Oisans is also the starting point for many Gran Fondo races, some of which are among the most popular in the world. In summer, tens of thousands of cycle tourists flock to Oisans to climb the legendary Tour passes. It was this vocation that led to the creation in 2017 of Cycling-Lab-Oisans, a laboratory for cycling professionals with the aim of making Bourg d'Oisans and the valley a testing ground for the cycling industry as a whole. At the last stage start in the town, in 2022, Mads Pedersen outmanoeuvred his breakaway companions Fred Wright and Hugo Houle to claim his first stage victory in the Tour de France at the foot of the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Étienne.
LE BOURG D'OISANS
Galta Museum
Housed in the attic of Saint Laurent Church, the museum of minerals and fauna of the Alps, now the Galta Museum, occupies a privileged and original space. The richness of its mineralogical collection and the dynamic presentation of the fauna make it a wonderful place to discover the natural and cultural heritage of Oisans. As the visitor centre for the Écrins National Park, the museum transports visitors to the heart of the park through projections. Renovated between 2023 and 2025, the museum now offers a sensory and interactive scenography.
Roman road of Rochetaillée
The road carved into the Rochetaillée cliff, with its corbelled path overlooking the hamlet, is there to remind us that this name is no coincidence. The origin of this road carved into the rock is lost in the folds of local history. Whether it was a Roman road or a road carved into the rock at a time when the valley was covered by a lake, the mystery remains. In any case, the history of the commune is closely linked to the tumultuous hydraulic life of the plain. The ancient Roman road allowed people to travel between Gaul and Italy along Lake Saint Laurent, which covered the Bourg d'Oisans plain until 1219. This Roman road is also listed in the Peutinger Table.
The "Colette-Anne" organ
Installed in the Saint-Laurent church in Bourg-d'Oisans, the Resurrection organ found its place in the complex architecture of the building at the end of 2015. The adventure of its creation is the result of what drives human beings forward today: audacity, imagination, inventiveness and open-mindedness. Shaped like a skylight, the instrument was also named the Colette-Anne organ, after the organist Colette Oudet, whose husband financed the work. The organ was built by the organ builder Giroud based on plans by architect Martin Bacot.
http://orgues.free.fr/bourgdoisans/index.html
The lakes
Whether it's Lauvitel, accessible by hiking (part of which is classified as a nature reserve), Petites Sources-Lac Bleu, or Buclet, Bourg d'Oisans stands out for the exceptional natural environment of these areas. With their deep turquoise blue waters, or frozen in winter, these natural areas are real gems of the commune.
https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr/thematique/reserve-integrale-du-lauvitel
Gaspard le Cristallier, giant of Bourg d'Oisans
This is a traditional giant, carried in the same way as those found in northern France, Belgium, Spain and many other parts of the world. However, he is the only giant carried in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Named in 2018, in reference to Gaspard de la Meije (mountaineer) and the profession of crystal hunter, which is still present in the town, he is a real attraction but also a promotional tool for the area.
The Vernes factory
Founded: 1918
History: the Vernes hydroelectric power station is a model of prestigious industrial architecture. Today, only three listed hydroelectric power stations are still in operation. Its exceptionally rapid construction (two years) was intended to contribute to the war effort. The celebration of its centenary provided an opportunity to honour its creator, Charles-Albert Keller, a great industrialist who played a major role in shaping the Val de Livet, but who also wanted to demonstrate that hydroelectric power and tourism were compatible.
Listed as: Historic Monument since 1994.
https://www.oisans.com/patrimoine-culturel/centrale-des-vernes/
Écrins National Park The Écrins National Park is one of France's 10 national parks. With a core area of 91,800 hectares (protected zone), it is home to a rich and diverse natural heritage, including many rare or endangered species. The fauna and flora can be discovered in the museum area of the Maison du Parc in Bourg d'Oisans or in the field with the help of guides or high mountain guides. The "Rando Ecrins" website offers around a hundred online itineraries with descriptions of more than 800 illustrated heritage features.
http://rando.ecrins-parcnational.fr
DRINK
Goodwin Beers
Goodwin Brewery, which opened at the end of 2015, is the first brewery in the Oisans region, nestled in the valley below the resorts of Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d’Huez, at the start of one of the Tour de France’s legendary climbs.
It produces British-style beers (ales), combining ingredients from around the world with the very pure water that flows from the surrounding mountains. The brewery produces four varieties of beer: Red Herring (dark ale), Scallywag (Irish pale ale), Codswallop (pale ale) and Last Straw (wheat beer).
www.goodwinbrewery.com
