Surrounded by mighty starburst-shaped ramparts, Briançon’s hilltop old town looks much as it did centuries ago, its winding cobbled lanes lined with Italianate, pastel-painted town houses. The steep main street, the Grande Rue – also known as the Grande Gargouille (Great Gargoyle) because of its gushing rivulet – was laid out in 1345. You can walk all the way around the interior of Vauban's upper ramparts, enjoying spectacular views, by following the streets marked as the Chemin de Ronde .
Facing the tourist office, the sombre, neoclassical Collégiale Notre Dame et St Nicolas , designed by one of Vauban's military engineers, is worth a look inside for its Baroque painting.
