The Romanche () is a long mountain river in southeastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
. It is a
right tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
of the Isère. Its drainage basin is .Bassin versant : Romanche (La) Observatoire Régional Eau et Milieux Aquatiques en PACA Its source is in the northern part of the
Massif des Écrins
The mountains of the Massif des Écrins (; Écrins Massif) form the core of Écrins National Park in Hautes-Alpes and Isère in the French Alps.Dauphiné Alps. It flows into the Drac in
Champ-sur-Drac
Champ-sur-Drac () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, at the confluence of the Romanche and the Drac. Its population was 3,007 in 2017. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (a ...
, south of
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
. The road from Grenoble to
Briançon
Briançon (, ) is the sole subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an altitude of , based on the national definition as a community conta ...
over the
Col du Lautaret
Col du Lautaret () is a high mountain pass in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France.
It marks the boundary between the valleys of the Romanche and the Guisane, a tributary of the Durance which has its source at the col. The valleys are link ...
runs through the Romanche valley. There are several mountain and ski resorts in the valley, including
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 department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
It is part ...
,
La Grave
La Grave (; oc, La Grava) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.
It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geogra ...
and Les Deux Alpes.
The Romanche flows through the following departments and towns:
*
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,22 ...
:
La Grave
La Grave (; oc, La Grava) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.
It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geogra ...
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 Brianç ...
Vizille
Vizille (; frp, Veselye) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France.
Population
Sights
Vizille is the home of the Musée de la Révolution française, a rich depository of archival and rare materials devoted to the Frenc ...