Immediately to the west and southwest is the Parc National des Ecrins, with peaks of the Massif des Ecrins rising to nearly 4000 m. The village has narrow streets between old buildings with lovely facades and wooden balconies. The Place de la Mairie has pink-marble fountains, and some vestiges of the ancient fortifications remain. In Les Guibertes, just to the south is a fortified chateau from the Templiers . The surrounding mountains are magnificent, and the views are breathtaking.
Local fauna includes chamois, marmottes and snow hares, and the alpine flora is extremely rich.
From the Briancon train station, the SNCF runs a shuttle bus to Monetier, costing 25 F and taking 30-40 minutes. The shuttle runs every hour or two, from 6h40 to 18h15. The surrounding mountains are full of hiking trails.