Villar-d'Arêne
A school and somewhere to eat or drink, but no food shop.
Partly served 49.5/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 97 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Villar-d'Arêne (INSEE 05181) is in Hautes-Alpes (05), part of CC du Briançonnais. Population 300 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Rural à habitat dispersé (level 6). [2]
Data vintages: INSEE BPE 2025 · INSEE SIRENE 2026-09 · INSEE census (RP) 2023 · INSEE COG 2026 · INSEE density grid 2026.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/05181-villar-d-arene
Vitality score
Vitality score 49.5/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 97 % of the 17,873 communes of a similar size.
Compare this with communes of a similar size. The score measures how well a place is served relative to its own size band, and larger communes score higher as a rule — so it reads meaningfully against another village, and misleadingly against a town.
Measured but not scored in this model: Market. See the methodology for why.
| Component | Value (0–1) | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily food | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Social | 0.81 | 20 | 16.25 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Housing mix | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A school and somewhere to eat or drink, but no food shop. [3,4]
5 × Restaurant (CAFE DE LA FERME · LA ROULOTTE · REFUGE ADELE PLANCHARD · LA BRICOLE). [3,4]
1 × Café / bar. [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE LA MEIJE). [3]
1 × GP (médecin généraliste) (SANDRINE CLOT, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PROPHARMACIE DR CLOT). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (VILLAR D ARENE AP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE VILLAR-D'ARÈNE). [3]
3 × Hotel (HOTEL LES AGNEAUX · AUBERGE AUX TROIS FRENES · LE FARANCHIN). [3,4]
2 × Campsite (CAMPING GCU 05 VILLAR-D'ARÈNE · CAMPING DE VILLAR D'ARENE ARSINE). [3,4]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle). [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Supermarket | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Restaurant | 5 | CAFE DE LA FERME · LA ROULOTTE · REFUGE ADELE PLANCHARD · LA BRICOLE | INSEE BPE 5 / INSEE SIRENE 6 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE LA MEIJE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 1 | SANDRINE CLOT, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PROPHARMACIE DR CLOT | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | VILLAR D ARENE AP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE VILLAR-D'ARÈNE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 3 | HOTEL LES AGNEAUX · AUBERGE AUX TROIS FRENES · LE FARANCHIN | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 2 | CAMPING GCU 05 VILLAR-D'ARÈNE · CAMPING DE VILLAR D'ARENE ARSINE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 310 (2012) → 300 (2023): -3.2 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 178 (1990) → 300 (2023): 68.5 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 393, of which 52.9 % second homes and 8.7 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (La Grave): 2.3 km to the west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (La Grave): 2.3 km to the west (straight line). [8]
GP (Villar-d'Arêne): 0.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Villar-d'Arêne): 0.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Villar-d'Arêne): 2.5 km to the south-east (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 1 day a year at or above 30 °C and 179 days at or below 0 °C, over 20 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the VILLAR D'ARENE weather station, 2.5 km away at 1,665 m; the village itself is at 1,643 m. [10]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [10]
Humidity measured at VILLAR D'ARENE, 2.5 km away at 1,665 m, over 20 summers. [10]
An average of 895 mm of rain a year, spread over 102 days — about 8.8 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at VILLAR D'ARENE, 2.5 km away at 1,665 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [10]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05181/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05181/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05181/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05181/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 05063
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 05181
- Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
Villages like this one
Matched on size, density, second homes and which everyday shops and services are present — not on the score, so a village of the same kind that is doing better or worse shows up rather than being hidden.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rémuzat | 26 | 104 km SW | 318 | 33.9 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 3 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Béat-Lez | 31 | 510 km SW | 385 | 45.2 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 69 % · winter 0 % · humidity 86 % |
| Île-d'Houat | 56 | 760 km NW | 219 | 48.2 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.summer 97 % · winter 0 % |
| Lanuéjols | 30 | 255 km W | 341 | 36.1 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 82 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Le Lauzet-Ubaye | 04 | 69 km S | 229 | 35.6 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 49 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Île-d'Arz | 56 | 756 km NW | 321 | 51.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 90 % · winter 0 % · humidity 79 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Lauzet-Ubaye | 04 | 69 km S | 229 | 35.6 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 49 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Rémuzat | 26 | 104 km SW | 318 | 33.9 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 3 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Lanuéjols | 30 | 255 km W | 341 | 36.1 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 82 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Béat-Lez | 31 | 510 km SW | 385 | 45.2 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 69 % · winter 0 % · humidity 86 % |
| Île-d'Arz | 56 | 756 km NW | 321 | 51.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 90 % · winter 0 % · humidity 79 % |
| Île-d'Houat | 56 | 760 km NW | 219 | 48.2 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.summer 97 % · winter 0 % |
Sort and compare these on the full list →
…and in much the same climate
The same match on size and services, narrowed to communes whose summers, winters and summer humidity are all close to Villar-d'Arêne's. All three are required, so this section is absent for the 11.8 % of communes with no humidity station near enough to measure: two temperature axes alone cannot tell a muggy coast from a dry one.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiguilles | 05 | 51 km SE | 369 | 49.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
| Arvieux | 05 | 44 km SE | 340 | 48.7 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Véran | 05 | 57 km SE | 160 | 43 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 93 % · humidity 100 % |
| Montgenèvre | 05 | 33 km E | 461 | 65.8 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 89 % · humidity 100 % |
| Abriès-Ristolas | 05 | 54 km SE | 374 | 49.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Cervières | 05 | 36 km SE | 205 | 21.9 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 85 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/05181-villar-d-arene