The Fort des Têtes

de fr

In the footsteps of the military constructions of the Briançonnais region.

Details

n°4553
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.08 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 302 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 302 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,439 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,208 m
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Photos

Pont d'Asfeld, built in 1720 by the Marquis D'Asfeld
Pont du Chatelet
The Asfeld Bridge

Description of the walk

Park in the Parc de la Schappe car park in Briançon.

(S/E) Cross the Durance on the wooden bridge and turn right onto theGR®5, which leads through the woods to the steps in front of the Porte d'Embrun.

(1) Turn right, pass under the gate and head to Place Blanchard. Walk along the town hall building and take the uphill street to reach the gate leading to Pont d'Asfeld. Begin a short descent to reach the bridge.

(2) Cross it and continue along the wide track that winds upwards. Leave theGR® on your left at the second bend and continue along this track. You will then reach Fort des Têtes.

(3) Walk around it to reach the large car park, then walk along the shooting range. Descend the road to the Y junction.

(4) At the bend, take the path on the right (signposted Parc de la Schappe). Follow this path to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,208 m - Schappe car park. Cross the - La Durance
  2. 1 : km 0.69 - alt. 1,282 m - Porte d'Embrun
  3. 2 : km 1.29 - alt. 1,293 m - Asfeld Bridge
  4. 3 : km 2.8 - alt. 1,436 m - Fort des Têtes
  5. 4 : km 3.53 - alt. 1,394 m - Communication shift Y
  6. S/E : km 5.08 - alt. 1,208 m - La Schappe car park

Worth a visit

This is a historical walk where you can see all the major sites of Briançon. As already mentioned in the description, you must admire the great arch of the famous Pont d'Asfeld and the large complex of the Fort des Têtes. These military works contributed to the inscription of 13 sites in France, including Briançon, on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008. In addition to these two sites, Briançon has a large number of fortifications and forts built by Mr de Vauban. To add a touch of humour, I often say that this gentleman must have had a supersonic horse at the time, enabling him to work all over France, given the number of constructions attributed to him! Nevertheless, Vauban or not, these forts are truly beautiful, but unfortunately in ruins... and they are not ready to be restored.
When you are in the square in front of the town hall, don't forget to take a look at the Parc de la Schappe below, where the lakeside promenade has been redesigned.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 18 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
F13140
F13140

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk starting from Briançon. The fort was closed. Is this usual? Perhaps it should be mentioned in the description.

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Aline7075
Aline7075

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk along a perfectly maintained canal. A great opportunity to recharge your batteries!

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berthefreres
berthefreres

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

very nice route. A few directions are missing to complete the route description.

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PattyGB
PattyGB

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Not enough description to find certain directions. We ended up in a place where another couple with this app was looking for directions.
We ended up completing the loop via a different route, as we couldn't find the sign mentioned in the description.

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m30
m30

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely little walk

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Joëlle Farvacque
Joëlle Farvacque

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy hike offering interesting views of the Vauban city and allowing you to visit the forts (3 Têtes and Dauphin)

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Snowman05
Snowman05
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a family outing and escape to the heights of Briançon with magnificent views of the town and the Guisane valley.
pass by the Asfeld Bridge overlooking the Durance River

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gilloua73
gilloua73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very good description. However, go inside the fort because it's worth seeing. We pushed a little further when we arrived at the park. You can walk along the Durance river upstream to the Alfeld bridge, which you can admire from below. Magnificent. Great hike

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Sanndy
Sanndy

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An interesting route for exploring Old Briançon (in addition to the guidebook) and seeing the fortifications. We were able to spend some time in the Fort des Têtes. It was open.
Beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.
I read on a sign that the Fort site was going to be transformed. We were lucky enough to be able to enter the enclosure, which was easy to access.

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titine13620
titine13620

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful view of Briançon and the surrounding forts

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gisleinchristine
gisleinchristine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We set off on this hike after a five-hour drive, and it gave us the chance to see Briançon from above. It's a very beautiful route, but you do need to be in good physical condition. I highly recommend it

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Vincent L7.
Vincent L7.

Hello,
It seems that this is more of a GPS issue than a route issue (4.9 km +641 m - 648 m at the finish), except perhaps at the end where the trails become tangled, but we made it back safely after a pleasant walk! Thank you very much!
Kind regards

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Hello, and thank you for letting me know how the layout is average so that I can improve it.

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Vincent L7.
Vincent L7.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very enjoyable family outing.

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telem 71
telem 71

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 26, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello, The tourist office no longer provides information about the Le Fort Des Têtes trail. It is no longer maintained and some of the signposts are missing. It is becoming dangerous and passes close to a building that is being demolished, so be careful of flying debris. I followed the previous recommendations, such as entering the town through a gate (Embrun) and taking the path before the first houses. It's a shame that the fort cannot be visited, except during the holidays with an association. The army buildings are going to be converted into luxury hotels, and work is already underway.

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