L'Oisans () is a region in the French Alps, located in the

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

s of l'

Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.

and

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population ...

, and corresponding to the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the River

Romanche The Romanche () is a mountain river in southeastern France. It is a right tributary of the Drac, itself a tributary of the Isère. Its drainage basin is .Livet-et-Gavet Livet-et-Gavet () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France. Population Geography Livet-et-Gavet is located in Oisans on the Romanche river, halfway between Grenoble and the win ...

and

Le Bourg-d'Oisans Le Bourg-d'Oisans () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is located in the Oisans region of the French Alps. Le Bourg-d'Oisans is located in the valley of the Romanche River, on the road from Grenoble to Brianço ...

, the Romanche forms a deep gorge.

Description

Its geographical definition coincides almost exactly with the former cantons of

(Isère) and

La Grave La Grave (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominat ...

(Hautes Alpes). The Oisans covers parts of the massifs of Belledonne, Taillefer,

Grandes Rousses The Grandes Rousses () are a massif in the French Alps located in the departments of Isère and Savoie. Oisans covers part of the massif. Geography Location The massif is oriented north–south. The eastern slope, although it is sometimes c ...

, Arves and Écrins. The highest point in the region is the mountain of ''Pic Lory'', a subpeak of the

Barre des Écrins The Barre des Écrins () is a mountain in the French Alps with a peak elevation of . It is the highest peak of the Massif des Écrins and the Dauphiné Alps and the most southerly alpine peak in Europe that is higher than 4,000 metres. It is the ...

which reaches a height of 4,088 metres, but the most symbolic peak is

la Meije La Meije is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins range, located at the border of the Hautes-Alpes and Isère '' départements''. It overlooks the nearby village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort, well known for its off-pis ...

which is nicknamed the "Queen of the Oisans". The Oisans is a remarkable territory, thanks to its numerous mountain chains, valleys, rivers, streams and plains. The Oisans is a very touristic region, both for winter and summer sports. Oisans regularly hosts the Tour de France as well as many major sporting events on a European scale (Super-Biker, World of Snowboarding, Skiing World, the Bike Festival, Andros Trophy or the Criterium Cyclist of Dauphiné Libéré). The provincial road 1091 (formerly RN 91) is the main access road into this area, beginning in the town of

Livet-et-Gavet Livet-et-Gavet () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France. Population Geography Livet-et-Gavet is located in Oisans on the Romanche river, halfway between Grenoble and the win ...

. In recent years, the RD1091 has been significantly upgraded, with various ring roads that provide faster access and more enjoyable access to the Oisans. The town of Bourg d'Oisans is the equivalent of the capital of this territory because this town is at the centre of six valleys. The main towns are

Bourg d'Oisans Le Bourg-d'Oisans () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is located in the Oisans region of the French Alps. Le Bourg-d'Oisans is located in the valley of the Romanche River, on the road from Grenoble to Briançon ...

Les Deux Alpes Les 2 Alpes () is a ski resort in the French '' department'' of Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The village sits at and lifts run to . It has the largest skiable glacier in Europe and is France's second oldest ski resort behind Chamonix. It h ...

and

Huez Huez () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. The mountain resort Alpe d'Huez is located in the commune. L'Alpe d'Huez is often an ascent on the Tour de France. Population Twin towns Huez is twinned with: * Bormio, ...

Winter sport resorts

L'Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in Southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is part of the Gr ...

* Auris-en-Oisans *

la Grave La Grave (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominat ...

* Villard-Reculas * Oz-en-Oisans * Le Col d'Ornon *

Mont-de-Lans Mont-de-Lans () is a former commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Les Deux Alpes.Vaujany Vaujany () is a commune in the canton of Oisans-Romanche, in the Isère department in southeastern France. The village is picturesque, with excellent views of the Grand Galbert mountain at the head of the valley. Population Economy The hyd ...

* La Garde-en-Oisans * Venosc

Villages in Oisans

Allemond AllemondCommune d'Allemond
INSEE (; spelled Allemont by the local counci ...

* Le Freney-d'Oisans * Mizoen * Clavans-en-Haut-Oisans *

Oulles Oulles () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is at on the Taillefer massif. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of ...

Ornon Ornon () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère. The communes cooperate in t ...

Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans (, ) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Climate Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Is� ...

* Besse-en-Oisans *

Villard-Notre-Dame Villard-Notre-Dame () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère. The communes c ...

Villard-Reymond Villard-Reymond () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère. The communes coop ...

Villar-d'Arêne Villar-d'Arêne (; ) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France, between Grenoble and Briançon. It is in the French Alps, in Massif des Écrins. Near this village located in the Romanche valley, there is La Grave a ...

* Venosc *

Vaujany Vaujany () is a commune in the canton of Oisans-Romanche, in the Isère department in southeastern France. The village is picturesque, with excellent views of the Grand Galbert mountain at the head of the valley. Population Economy The hyd ...

* La Garde