Le Monêtier-les-Bains is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Hautes-Alpes

Hautes-Alpes

Hautes-Alpes is a department in southeastern France named after the Alps mountain range.- History :Hautes-Alpes is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...

 department in southeastern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Population

Skiing

Monetier's slopes are a part of the extensive Serre Chevalier

Serre Chevalier

Serre Chevalier is one of the major French ski resorts. Located in the southern part of the Alps, close to the Parc National des Ecrins, in the Hautes-Alpes department of the French Alps, it enjoys a large skiing area and very sunny weather, boasting 300 days of sunshine a year...

 ski area. There are 7 chairlifts and 4 drag lifts with the highest skiing in the domain at 2760m.

Geography

Le Monêtier-les-Bains is the highest village of the French ski resort of Serre Chevalier

Serre Chevalier

Serre Chevalier is one of the major French ski resorts. Located in the southern part of the Alps, close to the Parc National des Ecrins, in the Hautes-Alpes department of the French Alps, it enjoys a large skiing area and very sunny weather, boasting 300 days of sunshine a year...

 at 1,500m. Le Monêtier-Les-Bains has two hot-water springs, one at 34°C and one at 38°C, and the village has been a thermal spa since Roman times. The village is on the periphery of the Ecrins National Park

Écrins National Park

Écrins National Park is one of the nine French national parks. It is located in the south-eastern part of France and consists in a mountainous region of the Dauphiné Alps, south of Grenoble and north of Gap, shared between the départements of Isère and Hautes-Alpes.It rises up to 4,102 m at the...

.

Tour de France

The village lies on the Col du Lautaret

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 linked by national route 91...

 and is regularly used in the Tour de France

Tour de France

The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

. It has featured recently in the tours of 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005

2005 Tour de France

The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...

, 2007

2007 Tour de France

The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...

 and 2008

2008 Tour de France

The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage...

.In the 2011 Tour it was also passed through with about 20km to go on the 18th stage.

See also

• Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department
• organ of Monêtier les Bains : http://www.dalest.org