Bessans
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Served 62.3/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 99 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Bessans (INSEE 73040) is in Savoie (73), part of CC Haute Maurienne Vanoise. Population 341 (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 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/73040-bessans
Vitality score
Vitality score 62.3/100 — Served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 99 % of the 18,029 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 | 0.71 | 25 | 17.74 |
| Social | 0.98 | 20 | 19.5 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 0.63 | 10 | 6.25 |
| Housing mix | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (BOULANGERIE DE L ALBARON). [3,4]
2 × Butcher (boucherie) (GERANTE SOC EXPLOIT BOUCHERIE BONIFACE · MAISON VINCENDET). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette). [3,4]
10 × Restaurant (SARL LE MONT ISERAN · SARL LE PONTET-LES CHAUDANNES · LA TORDO · LE CHALET DE SERAPHIN · LA LODZE). [3,4]
3 × Café / bar. [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE PUBLIQUE BESSANS). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE). [3]
1 × Swimming pool (PLAN D EAU DE BESSANS). [3]
1 × Hotel (HOTEL LA VANOISE). [3,4]
2 × Campsite (MAIRIE · LA GRANGE DE TRAVEROLE). [3]
Not found in the commune: Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | BOULANGERIE DE L ALBARON | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 2 | GERANTE SOC EXPLOIT BOUCHERIE BONIFACE · MAISON VINCENDET | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] | |
| 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 | 10 | SARL LE MONT ISERAN · SARL LE PONTET-LES CHAUDANNES · LA TORDO · LE CHALET DE SERAPHIN · LA LODZE | INSEE BPE 10 / INSEE SIRENE 10 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 3 | INSEE SIRENE 3 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE PUBLIQUE BESSANS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Pharmacy | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | LA POSTE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Swimming pool | 1 | PLAN D EAU DE BESSANS | INSEE BPE 1 [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 | 1 | HOTEL LA VANOISE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 2 | MAIRIE · LA GRANGE DE TRAVEROLE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
Market and village life
A market is recorded here, but no source gives the day. [5]
Trajectory
Population 336 (2012) → 341 (2023): 1.5 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 303 (1990) → 341 (2023): 12.5 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 954, of which 77.8 % second homes and 3.6 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Bessans): 0.1 km to the south-west (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Bessans): 0.2 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
GP (Val-Cenis): 9.6 km to the south-west (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Val-Cenis): 9.7 km to the south-west (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Bessans): 0.1 km to the south-west (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 0 days a year at or above 30 °C and 198 days at or below 0 °C, over 21 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the Bessans weather station, 0.1 km away at 1,713 m; the village itself is at 1,707 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at BONNEVAL-NIVOSE, 5.6 km away at 2,741 m, over 15 summers. [11]
That station sits 1,034 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.69 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [11]
An average of 836 mm of rain a year, spread over 108 days — about 7.7 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at Bessans, 0.1 km away at 1,713 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 73040/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2026-02— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/a73e7cf6-8283-383f-a547-158f050556ca— “Petit marché touristique”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 73040/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 73040/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 73040/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 73040
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 73290
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arvieux | 05 | 65 km S | 340 | 48.7 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 59 % · humidity 100 % |
| Beuil | 06 | 136 km S | 483 | 62.6 | Served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Crest-Voland | 73 | 65 km NW | 346 | 64.3 | Served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Molines-en-Queyras | 05 | 67 km S | 307 | 46.4 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 27 % · humidity 100 % |
| Abriès-Ristolas | 05 | 59 km S | 374 | 49.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 88 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Estables | 43 | 228 km W | 321 | 61 | Served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abriès-Ristolas | 05 | 59 km S | 374 | 49.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 88 % · humidity 100 % |
| Arvieux | 05 | 65 km S | 340 | 48.7 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 59 % · humidity 100 % |
| Crest-Voland | 73 | 65 km NW | 346 | 64.3 | Served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Molines-en-Queyras | 05 | 67 km S | 307 | 46.4 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 27 % · humidity 100 % |
| Beuil | 06 | 136 km S | 483 | 62.6 | Served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Estables | 43 | 228 km W | 321 | 61 | Served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
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 Bessans'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abriès-Ristolas | 05 | 59 km S | 374 | 49.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 88 % · humidity 100 % |
| Névache | 05 | 45 km SW | 362 | 56.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
| Enchastrayes | 04 | 108 km S | 399 | 42.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 99 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/73040-bessans