Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage, Alpes-Maritimes – Alpine Village on the GR5

Stone Houses, High Pastures, and Mountain Routes in the Upper Tinée

Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage is a small alpine village in the upper Tinée Valley in the Alpes-Maritimes, set within Mercantour National Park near the Italian border. Sitting at around 1,470 metres, it lies between Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, the Col de la Bonette, and the upper Mercantour valleys.

The settlement is built from stone houses and narrow streets clustered along the valley floor beside the Tinée River. Meadows and pasture surround the village, with forested slopes and higher rocky ground rising quickly on both sides. The setting feels enclosed and mountainous, with long views toward surrounding summits and cols.

Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage provides basic services including accommodation and seasonal places to eat, making it a practical base or overnight stop for multi-day routes. A road reaches the village from Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, while marked trails continue into the surrounding mountains.

The GR5 (Grande Traversée des Alpes) passes directly through the village, connecting it north over the Col d’Anelle toward Bousiéyas and the Col de la Colombière, and south toward Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée. Paths also climb toward the Bonette area and higher Mercantour terrain. Walking ranges from valley tracks and pasture paths near the village to steeper, rockier alpine routes on the passes.