Saint-Véran sits at over 2,000 metres in the upper Queyras and is one of the contenders for highest permanently inhabited village in Europe. The houses cling to the southern slope of the valley for maximum sun, and the traditional architecture — stone bases with wooden upper floors and balconies — survives in remarkable quantity.
The village is labelled one of the "Plus Beaux Villages de France" and gets enough visitors in summer to support a handful of cafés and small hotels. Walking and ski trails radiate out into the surrounding peaks.