The Clarée Valley: a filming location for “Alex Hugo”

Many filming locations for the Alex Hugo series are located in the Clarée Valley. This detective series has been broadcast on television since 2014 in France, Belgium and Switzerland. In 2024, the 10th season is being broadcast. Samuel Le Bihan plays Alex Hugo, a former inspector of the Marseille judicial police who holds a position in the local police. He is accompanied by his colleague Angelo Batalla (Lionel Astier). Together, they solve different cases in the village of Lusagne. Each 90-minute episode traces an investigation whose intrigues take us into magnificent mountain landscapes.
Where is Lusagne located? Where to visit the filming locations?

Alex Hugo: Where is Lusagne?

The valley and the village of Lusagne do not exist and were created by the screenwriter and director of the series Alex Hugo for the needs of the scenario. These are in reality different real filming locations located in France in the Hautes-Alpes: the Clarée valley and the villages of Nevache and Val-des-Pres.
The series is also filmed in the upper valley of Cervières and other mountain villages near Briançon (La Grave or Abriès) therefore far from the France 2 and France 3 studios.

Alex Hugo: a mountain enthusiast

The character of Alex Hugo is passionate about mountains. The exterior scenes are also filmed in the countryside, in real settings. More than a simple background, nature and the high mountains in particular are almost a central character in this fiction. They participate in the plot.
THEactor Samuel Le Bihan who plays Alex Hugo was himself captivated by the filming locations including the Vallée de la Clarée.
He says it best: “I am Breton, from a family of fishermen. Water is my element. But I discovered the mountain and I fell in love. Filming takes place in the summer, at an altitude of more than 2 meters, in real high mountain conditions. The sun is shining, the storms are violent. We have already been surprised by snowstorms…” (Le Figaro).

Want to see it for yourself? Visit the filming locations of the film!

Is the series “Alex Hugo” filmed near the hotel?

Many people ask us this, so we answer you here: yes, the series is filmed close to the Chalet d’en Hô.

To find out where to visit the filming locations of the Alex Hugo series, ask us! Indeed, since the episodes of the second season, the series has been filmed near our hotel Chalet d'en Hô in Névache. For confidentiality reasons, we do not have the right to put images from the series here, but we will be able to tell you the filming locations chosen by the writers. Hamlets, trails, mountain pasture chapels and shepherds' huts... This year, your hikes will be unforgettable! Because walking is the best way to discover the filming locations of the series.

Delphine Wautier, historical producer, chose the Hautes Alpes for their green and wild landscapes. Indeed, in the first pilot TV film, the main character leaves the Marseille region in order to isolate himself and find calm. Cast and film crews (actors, cameraman, sound recordists, etc.) immersed themselves in this atmosphere.

Anecdotes about the filming locations of the Alex Hugo series

For more than 10 years, the Clarée Valley and the Cervières Valley welcome the filming trucks from the Alex Hugo series. Here are some anecdotes that we can remember:

• Filming lasts between 3 and 5 weeks per episode, not counting the scouting days carried out beforehand by the film teams.
• To benefit from good light, filming takes place mainly from June to October. But the producer of the series, Delphine Wautier, recognizes that in the high mountains the weather is constantly changing.
• Each episode of the series is directed by different directors.
• There are around 50 people on location, including many extras.
• Some actors and crew members have experienced altitude sickness while filming at altitude.

And it's not over !

In 2023, during the filming of the 10th season, the producer announced that the series would continue. It is one of the most popular French series in recent years and each episode broadcast breaks audience records by bringing together millions of viewers.