Château-Queyras

Location. From Château Queyras village, the road goes northeast up the Guil valley past Chateau-Ville-Vieille (3 km), Aiguilles (7 km), Abriès (12 km), Ristolas (15 km) and Ristolas-L'Echalp (19 km).

Chateau Quyeras village is marked by the impressive Vauban fortress rising out of the top of an island-rock at a narrow gap of the Guil valley. The road passes through a gorge there, and through the center of the upper village. A church, a few buildings, lavoir-fountain, and a café are crowded against the road, hemmed in by the mountains.

A "lower" part of Chateau Queyras village sits just below the upper part, invisible from the road here. About a km east of the center, a lower road comes back along the narrow plain beside the river. Most of the village houses are here, and the village church, very pretty with a double-tier bell tower.

The 13th-century Chateau Queyras Fortress is available from the upper village, and is open for visits. The visiting times are 10h-14h during July and August only.

Ville-Vieille village sits at the junction of the Aigue Blanche Torrent and the Guil river, and the junction of the road northeast up the Guil valley and the road southeast towards Moline-en-Queyras and Saint Véran.

Ville-Vieille (the name means "old village") has a few houses, an old church with a sundial, and a few shops for the passing visitors.

Sundials

There are some wonderful sundials in Château Queyras village and Ville-Vieille village. The one shown here is from Château Queyras village.