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From St-Nizier the road winds up through a steep wooded gorge before coming out into a wide valley full of hay meadows towards Lans-en-Vercors and VILLARD-DE-LANS , 18km southwest of Grenoble. Villard makes a very good base for exploring the Vercors further. There is a tourist office (daily 9am-12.30pm & 2-7pm; tel 04.76.95.10.38, www.ot-villard-de-lans.fr ) with information about walks and skiing. Accommodation in town includes the welcoming Villa Primerose , 147 av des Bains (tel 04.76.95.13.17, closed Nov; 160-220F/?24-34), with self-catering facilities available in a communal kitchen; the inexpensive Hotel du Centre , rue Gambetta (tel 04.76.95.14.12; 220-300F/?34-46; closed part June, Oct & Nov); and the smart Hotel Le Pre Fleuri , 509 rue Albert Pietri (tel 04.76.95.10.96, fax 04.76.95.56.23; 300-400F/?46-61; closed May & Oct-Nov). For food , Jack Burger , 45 rue de la Republique, has an interesting selection of gourmet burgers from 40F/?6.10. Moving on from Villard, turn right onto the Pont-en-Royans road into the Gorges de la Bourne . The gorge becomes rapidly deeper and narrower with the road cut right in under the rocks, the river running far below, and tree-hung cliffs almost shutting out the sky above. Take a left fork here and climb up to a lovely green valley before descending to St-Martin and LA CHAPELLE , where there's the reasonably priced Hotel de la Poste (tel 04.75.90.73.12; under 160F/?24), and the more comfortable Le Mistral (tel 04.75.01.22.42, fax 04.75.51.01.04; 220-300F/?34-46). From La Chapelle the road climbs again to the wide dry plateau of Vassieux , bordered to the east by a rocky ridge rising from thick pine forest and to the west by low hills covered with scrubby vegetation. Underground is interesting too: stay on the road to Pont-en-Royans and you will come to the over-popular Grottes de Choranche , renowned for the beauty of its gigantic stalactites. Part of the complex, the Grotte de Coufin, can be visited by guided tour (daily roughly hourly: April, May, Sept & Oct 9.30am-noon & 1.30-6pm; July & Aug 9.30am-6pm; Nov-March 10am-5pm; 43F/?6.56).
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