Where to go and what to do in
Savoie

The Combe de Savoie's swimming lake, a Pavillon Bleu laureate: free access, beach, play and picnic areas, supervised summer swimming 12:00–18:00.

An emerald lake among the warmest in France — up to 28 °C in summer — with not a single petrol-engined boat, protected as a regional nature reserve and home to one of the world's most respected rowing venues.

The Combe de Savoie's big swimming base, below the château de Miolans: free beach, two buoyed zones, summer supervision 13:00–19:00 — and over 30,000 visitors on July-August afternoons.

Mountain lake at Peisey-Nancroix, Savoie. Not a declared bathing site, unsupervised. What the official sources say — including where they contradict each other.

At 874 m in the lower Bauges, a small reed-fringed lake 'that has kept its charm and its wild side' — an easy 45-minute loop, regulated fishing, and a swimming question on which the sources disagree.

Dammed reservoir at Beaufort, Savoie. Swimming forbidden. What the official sources say — including where they contradict each other.

A natural lake with wild banks in Cœur de Savoie: swimming forbidden, but a genuine fishing ground — no-kill carp, rowing boats only — a wheelchair-accessible lake loop and a wetland where herons and bee-eaters nest.

In the heart of the resort, a glacial lake fed straight from the Grande Motte: swimming banned by permanent decree, but Acroland's diving boards, paddleboards, trout fishing, floating-stage concerts — and in winter, life on the frozen lake.

Mountain lake at Les Allues, Savoie. Not a declared bathing site, unsupervised. What the official sources say — including where they contradict each other.

In the lower Maurienne at 320 m, a sandy-beached lake where swimming is free and lifeguarded in summer — at the heart of a Natura 2000 plain, with a wildlife hide, fishing and a guinguette café.

Eighteen kilometres of water between the Dent du Chat and the vineyards: Lac du Bourget, which the tourist office presents as France's largest natural lake by volume, lines up lifeguarded beaches, marinas, cruises to Hautecombe and the east-shore greenway.

The great turquoise lake of the border plateau: 320 million m³ held by France's biggest rockfill dam, a water-sports base billed as 'Europe's highest', the five-hour walk round — and a swimming ban that is not negotiable.

A small departmental 'Grand Site' lake set in the vines below the Granier: a year-round lake loop, fishing, and swimming that is tolerated — never supervised.

Natural lake at Détrier, Savoie. Not a declared bathing site, unsupervised. What the official sources say — including where they contradict each other.

Two small glacial lakes at the foot of the Dent du Chat, ringed by marshes protected since 1990 — a place for family fishing, viewpoint walks and nature watching, freely accessible outside the summer beach.

The beach at Aiguebelette-le-Lac's Port: supervised daily 10:00–19:00 in season, pedalos, canoes and paddleboards for hire — and free outside supervision.

The Sougey leisure-base beach on the Lac d'Aiguebelette's west shore: supervised and paid from 13 June to 30 August, free the rest of the year — parking always free.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 30 August 2026, 13:00 to 19:00, on the Lac du Bourget. Free, water rated Excellent by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 30 August 2026, 13:00 to 19:00, on the Lac du Bourget. Free, water rated Excellent by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 30 August 2026, 13:00 to 19:00, on the Lac du Bourget. Free, water rated Excellent by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 30 August 2026, 10:00 to 19:00, on the Lac du Bourget. Paid entry from €1.70, water rated Excellent by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 27 August 2026, 12:00 to 18:00, on the lac de Saint-Jean-de-Chevelu. Paid entry from €2, water rated Good by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 30 August 2026, 13:00 to 19:00, on the Lac du Bourget. Free, water rated Excellent by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 30 August 2026, 13:00 to 19:00, on the Lac du Bourget. Free, water rated Excellent by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Supervised swimming 27 June to 30 August 2026, 13:00 to 19:00, on the Lac du Bourget. Free, water rated Excellent by the health agency for the 2025 season.

Aix-les-Bains' big municipal beach beside the Aqualac aquatic centre: free access, supervised swimming from 30 May to 30 August 2026, 10:00–19:00.

The beach on the Lac du Bourget's southern shore: paid and supervised from 13 June to 30 August 2026, free the rest of the year — and fully accessible without assistance.

From Place du Barioz, a waymarked loop of about 1h30 — 1.5 km, 100 m of climb, blue level — leads to the Fraîche waterfall at the gates of the Vanoise.

Beneath the three Vuzelle peaks, a fall of around a hundred metres protected since 1935 — reached by the Chambéranger trail, the other approach being closed since the winter's avalanches.

On the Esseillon forts road between Aussois and Avrieux, the fall drops 90 metres beside the Saint-Benoît chapel. Picnic area, shade and grassy beaches at its foot.

On the last foothills of the Chartreuse, a stream that detaches completely from the cliff — a fall admired before you by Rousseau, Lamartine and George Sand.

From the Rosière lake, an hour's botanical trail through luminous forest leads to the pools of the Poux waterfall — free, waymarked, and to be avoided in heavy rain, as the sheet itself says.

The Morel torrent falls nearly 80 metres — a drop born of a diversion tunnel cut into the rock from 1902. The trail shows more than fifty falls.

A spring that never stops feeds this tufa waterfall of the Bauges, linked to the Tanne du Cochon — 825 metres of underground depth.

At the head of the protected Champagny-le-Haut valley, the Py waterfall drops 80 metres at Le Laisonnay — the valley's most spectacular fall, with a footbridge at its foot and, rarely for the Alps, access stated as wheelchair-possible unassisted.

Ten minutes from the Chambéry campus, the Nant du Pontet leaps three times between giant's kettles and little canyons — a 2 h 15 loop steeped in history, from the Nymphs' Bath to George Sand.

At the head of the cirque the Guiers Vif falls in four steps: Sources, Grande Cascade, Cascade Isolée and Pisse du Guiers. Two waymarked loops, 30 minutes or 1h30.

Closed for decades, the Sierroz canyon reopened in summer 2021: two walkways fixed halfway up the rock walls lead to the Grésy waterfall in at most an hour there and back.

The Doria falls 60 metres above the Chambéry valley. A one-hour loop reaches the viewpoint — corniche and cabled passage included, best avoided in the wet.

The Col de l'Iseran links Val-d'Isère, in the Tarentaise, to Bonneval-sur-Arc, in the Maurienne. It is the only road crossing inside the Parc national de la Vanoise. Its altitude is given as 2,770 m or 2,764 m depending on the page — including within one official site.

The Col de la Croix de Fer links the Maurienne, at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, to the Oisans, in the Isère. It must not be confused on any point with the Col du Glandon, three kilometres to the west, which shares its road until the last two hundred metres.

The Col de la Loze links Courchevel to Méribel at 2,304 m on a road closed to cars. Seven kilometres on the Méribel side, 6.5 on the Courchevel side, and a 23% wall.

The Col de la Madeleine links the Maurienne, at La Chambre, to the Tarentaise, at La Léchère, by way of Saint-François-Longchamp. Its altitude is 1,993 m per IGN, but the road signs and the stele read 2,000 m and the old signage read 1,984 m.

The Col des Saisies links the Beaufortain to the Val d'Arly, in the commune of Hauteluce. Inhabited and open all year, it does not close like the high passes.

The Col du Chaussy tops out at 1,533 m, but its fame comes from the Lacets de Montvernier below. Seventeen or eighteen hairpins, depending which source you read.

The Col du Galibier links Valloire, in Savoie, to the Col du Lautaret, in the Hautes-Alpes. Two roads, two altitudes, two opening dates: the tunnel at 2,556 m reopened on 29 May 2026, the summit road at 2,642 m on 5 June.

The Col du Glandon tops out at 1,924 m between the Isère and the Savoie, 2.5 km from the Croix de Fer. In 2026 its Savoyard side did not open before 19 June.

The Col du Mollard opens onto the hamlet of the same name above Albiez-Montrond, below the Aiguilles d'Arves. Forty-five hairpins, on a source nobody corroborates.

The Col du Mont-Cenis opens the upper Maurienne towards Italy above a reservoir. It is not a border crossing: since 1947 it has lain entirely in France.

The Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, at 2,188 m, links Séez, in Savoie, to La Thuile, in the Valle d'Aosta. Three different calendars overlap here: the road's, the Chanousia botanical garden's and the Hospice's. Do not conflate them.

The Col du Télégraphe crosses at 1,566 m between Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne and Valloire. Antechamber to the Galibier — and unlike it, open all year.

The Cormet d'Arêches crosses the Beaufortain at 2,107 m. The tarmac stops at Pichu: the last 3.2 km are a track at 8-9%.

The Cormet de Roselend crosses the Beaufortain–Tarentaise divide at 1,968 m. A car park, a view, and nothing else: no restaurant, no toilets.

The Signal de Bisanne looks over Les Saisies from 1,930 m. The Tour de France climbed it in 2016 — but stopped 207 m lower, at the resort.

From one of the finest balconies over Lac du Bourget — the belvedere restaurant's roof terrace is freely accessible — a 4.7 km 'digestive walk' through forest, via Mont Corsuet and the Chambotte hamlet.

An hour's 'Comfort Walk' around a forest lake and its footbridge, stroller-friendly — and in winter the same loop changes name, length and grade: both sheets are quoted.

The ancestral path running village to village, from Modane to Bonneval-sur-Arc: mid-altitude, progressive climbs, yellow waymarks — a whole valley's family route.

Four kilometres at water level along a once-inaccessible shore of the Lac du Bourget — a green-easy comfort walk, wheelchair accessible without assistance.

The landmark overlooking Chambéry, reached from La Féclaz's Plateau Sud: a shaded 9.2 km summer loop — and a waymarked winter snowshoe version, with different figures.

The Lac du Bourget's totem summit at 1,390 m: three waymarked approaches — one short, from the relais du Mont du Chat — and an exposed final section the tourist office advises against for children.

Crossing the lake on its line of stone slabs is Pralognan's signature image: 8 km round trip from Les Fontanettes, +680 m, on the old salt-and-pedlars road.

In the Sardières pine forest, a cargneule spire of nearly 93 metres rises between the trunks — a family loop, a climbing monument first ascended in 1957, and the national park's dog ban to respect.

At the head of a preserved Menuires valley, a 900-metre 'very easy' walk around a pond of frogs and dragonflies — a site the national park itself lists among its accessible-to-all facilities.

Land-art works in natural materials, renewed each spring around the Hautecour lake: the 4.3 km Liberté loop, or a 700 m comfort walk.

On the boardwalks of the largest acid moss bog in the Alps, a figure-of-eight where you pick your loop — 1.2, 1.8 or 4.2 km — and where straying off the path is the one thing you must not do.

The real lake circuit on foot is a trek: 3 days, 60.4 km, +2,467 m, from Lépin-le-Lac's station. The 'easy' 17 km loop bearing the same name is a cycling route.

Two sections above the village — fairly difficult, then very difficult — on a route where a municipal decree makes helmet, twin-lanyard harness and shock absorber compulsory.

The Perce-Neige climbs from Val Claret to the Grande Motte glacier through 3,490 m of tunnel. Summer 2026: 20 June – 31 August — one of five end dates published for this site.

The Champagny gondola opens the high ground at the gates of the Vanoise. Closed on Saturdays, and stopped for an hour and a quarter at midday.

The Pointe de la Masse gondola climbs to 2,804 m above Les Menuires. It runs Sunday to Wednesday only — the rest of the area opens every day.

The Roche de Mio gondola climbs from Plagne Bellecôte to 2,739 m. A new machine since December 2025, running every day except Saturday.

The Solaise gondola climbs to 2,560 m above Val-d'Isère, free for pedestrians. Mountain bikes, however, are not allowed on it.

The Glaciers gondola extends Roche de Mio above 3,000 m. Pedestrians only, closed Saturdays, and weather-dependent.

The Mont Vallon gondola arrives at 2,952 m above Méribel, in the commune of Les Allues. Three lifts to chain from Méribel-Mottaret to get there.

The Orelle – Cime Caron link climbs from the Maurienne to the summit in two sections. It replaces the 3 Vallées Express, withdrawn after 25 years.

The Téléphérique de l'Aiguille Rouge rises to 3,226 m per its operator, above Arc 2000. A 360° panorama, a suspended footbridge, and the start of the descent to Villaroger: 2,000 m of vertical over 7 km.

The Olympique cable car is the Val-d'Isère lift that takes mountain bikes. Free for pedestrians, 09:45–16:45 with no break.

The Téléphérique de la Cime Caron climbs from 2,320 m to the summit ridge above Val Thorens. The installation dates from 1983; its two cabins, destroyed in November 2024, were replaced and the cable car reopened on 22 November 2025.

The Téléphérique de la Grande Motte climbs from 3,034 m to 3,456 m above Tignes, at the top of the Funiculaire Perce-Neige. In 2026 summer skiing runs only from 20 June to 15 July — check that before you go up.

The Téléphérique de la Saulire climbs from 2,077 m to 2,710 m above Courchevel. The installation was entirely rebuilt by POMA and reopened to the public on 6 December 2024 — every figure predating that is stale.

The Mont-Bochor cable car climbs from Pralognan to the promontory and its orientation table at 2,023 m. In June it runs only three days a week.

The Vanoise Express crosses the Ponturin valley without a single pylon, between Plan-Peisey (1,612 m) and Montchavin (1,548 m), in two double-decker cabins carrying 200 people each. In summer 2026 it runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only.

Fifteen asphalted kilometres along the Isère, from Aime to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, on a gradient so gentle you ride it without noticing — and a bathing lake halfway.

Along the Isère, the V62 links Albertville to Montmélian through the Combe de Savoie — an easy cycle route alternating car-free greenway with shared sections, marketed with the V63 as 'La Belle Via'.

Forty-five kilometres from Chanaz to Les Marches via the Lac du Bourget and Chambéry — with a gap in the chain the official site owns up to: between Chanaz and Aix-les-Bains you take the train or the boat.

The bank of the Rhône by the Champagneux dam, on the one Savoie greenway an official source explicitly says can also be done 'with a pushchair'.

In the Chautagne, the ViaRhôna (EuroVelo 17) follows the Rhône to Chanaz, at the mouth of the Canal de Savières — the Savoie portion of the great Lake Geneva-to-Mediterranean cycle route.

Chambéry to Challes-les-Eaux almost car-free — 7.7 flat kilometres, 39 m of ascent, open all year: the commute as much as the Sunday ride.

On the south shore of Lac d'Aiguebelette, a reserved greenway links Sougey to La Combe — the car-free heart of the lake loop, one of the easiest family routes in Savoie.

Between Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry, a car-free greenway runs along the eastern shore of Lac du Bourget on smooth asphalt — the Savoie stretch of the V63, also known as 'La Belle Via' or 'Avenue Verte Nord'.

A short valley-floor stroll along the Isère, opened in 2024, green-graded and flat — with an official listing that, unusually, refuses animals.

Over 1.6 km of treetop courses above the Sougey beach, open from age 3, on a continuous lifeline — and a ten-metre free fall.

A stone's throw from Albertville, the Grignon lake offers a beach and free lifeguarded summer swimming, facing the mountains.

In the Maurienne, the Lac Bleu pairs a lake with a free-access beach and a large outdoor pool, with pedal boats, a pump track and an adventure course.

In the heart of the Bauges at Lescheraines, two lakes and a beach with summer lifeguards: swimming, water play, pedal boats and a long list of free-access sports facilities.

Six stacked courses above the Combe des Moulins, and the thing almost no park publishes: the height threshold for every single course, from yellow at 90 cm to red at 1.30 m.

At the hamlet of La Borgé, 75 workshops over six courses — and a single threshold, 1.30 m, that decides both the course and the price.

7,000 m² of suspended nets climbed without a harness from age 2 and 80 cm — the lowest threshold in Savoie — alongside a treetop zipline course that starts at 8 years and 1.25 m.

Around the Fort Marie Thérèse, 240 workshops and 30 balance courses — and a rule too many parks leave vague: under 15, an adult stays in visual contact.

In the Tarentaise, the Bozel lake offers free lifeguarded afternoon swimming, two pools and pedal boats, in a family leisure park.

Two cable tows, inflatable water games, a water jump and a treetop course whose 150 m zipline crosses the lake — entry is free, and swimming is not allowed.

The Bauges' 'Little Canada', 30 minutes from Chambéry: 150 km of cross-country over a three-gateway plateau — the Nordic area Savoie Nordic calls France's busiest.

A Haute Maurienne village facing full south toward the Vanoise glaciers — 55 human-scale kilometres of runs, and the Monolithe Nordic domain shared with Val Cenis.

Six villages staged from 1,100 to 1,850 m, linked ski-in or by free shuttles, 150 km of home slopes — and the gateway to the domain Courchevel presents as the world's largest.

Eleven villages from 1,200 to 2,100 m, 225 km of runs climbing to 3,080 m, sixteen free beginner lifts — and France's only Olympic bobsleigh track.

Haute-Tarentaise's Franco-Italian resort: over the Petit Saint-Bernard pass, the Espace San Bernardo links La Rosière to La Thuile — 156 km of runs across two countries.

At the geographic centre of the 3 Vallées, chalet villages staged from 1,100 to 1,750 m, 150 km of runs half of them green-and-blue — and a genuine list of free things, from the Doron sledge run to the evening shuttles.

A true Savoyard village at the heart of the Vanoise massif, 70% of its land inside the national park — a human-scale ski area, and the Olympic rink of the 1992 Games' curling.

Five villages between 1,550 and 2,100 m around the Grande Motte glacier, 300 km linked with Val d'Isère — and Savoie's first snow, from 21 November.

Three gateway villages linked ski-in beneath the Mont-Cenis pass, 125 km of runs including Europe's longest green — and two entirely free Nordic domains.

A village at 1,850 m below the Col de l'Iseran, a domain linked with Tignes skiing 'between 1,550 m and over 3,400 m' — and one of the Alps' longest seasons, 28 November to 2 May.

Europe's highest ski resort, semi-pedestrian, six quarters crossed in twenty minutes — where snow holds from November to May and the 2026-27 season opens as early as 21 November.

Between the Col du Télégraphe and the Col du Galibier, a Maurienne village sharing with Valmeinier '160 km of runs spread over 5 mountainsides' — 70% of them above 2,000 m.

A pedestrian village street at the head of the Aigueblanche valleys, a 165 km Grand Domaine shared with Saint-François-Longchamp — and a free village-heart sledge run, lit after dark.

Four altitude sites above Bourg-Saint-Maurice, a funicular up in 7 minutes, 200 km of runs beneath the Aiguille Rouge (3,226 m) — and the Vanoise Express across to La Plagne.

In the heart of the Belleville valley, a resort at 1,850 m that publishes in black and white the list of its ten free lifts — from the covered Bruyères carpet to the Preyerand cable car — at the foot of the 3 Vallées' 600 km.

On the pass between the Beaufortain and the Val d'Arly, the 1992 Olympic cross-country domain — 120 Nordic kilometres open from 11 November, and the six-village Espace Diamant for alpine.

Working abbey, open to visitors at Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, Savoie. Paid, Published season — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

A listed fortress on its rock spur above the Combe de Savoie: 12th-century keep, the dukes' state prison — the Marquis de Sade was locked up here — and a panorama from Mont Blanc to the Vercors.

A residence of the counts of Savoy begun in 1248 on the shore of the Lac du Bourget, ruined by fire, listed in 1983. Free courtyard year-round, museum tower in summer.

Seat of the counts then dukes of Savoy, now home to the préfecture and the Département. The interiors — including the 15th-century Sainte-Chapelle — open on guided tours only.

Fortified medieval quarter at Albertville, Savoie. Free, All year, every day — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

Built in 1876 by 600 Italian workers to command the Albertville square, the fort is free to visit: the Tour du Fort trail, a picnic area and three belvederes.

Séré de Rivières fort at Valloire, Savoie. Price not established, Contested: four sources, four answers — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

Sardinian fort of the Esseillon barrier at Aussois, Savoie. Free, All year, every day — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

The most imposing of the Esseillon's five Sardinian forts, built for 1,500 men. Free wandering all year — though the access road closes with the snow.

One of the five forts of the Esseillon barrier, built by the Kingdom of Sardinia in the early 19th century — now an interpretation centre, wheelchair-accessible without assistance.

Seven medieval towers — five still visible, says the Parc des Bauges — rise from the vines of Chignin. No ticket office: a very easy 3.3 km trail passes at their feet.

Ruins of a medieval castle at Villard-Sallet, Savoie. Free, All year, every day — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

The aluminium museum tells over 100 years of the valley's industry: self-guided visit at €8, audio-guide, guided tours — and a fully accessible building.

Iron and mining museum at Saint-Georges-d'Hurtières, Savoie. Paid, Published season — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

The house where Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived, on chemin des Charmettes: free entry, €1 audioguides, and gardens open freely all year.

Museum of art and history at Albertville, Savoie. Paid, Calendar with no year on it — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

Museum of vine and wine at Montmélian, Savoie. Paid, Calendar with no year on it — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

On place du Palais de Justice, the permanent collections are free to visit; temporary exhibitions cost €5.50, and everything is free on the first Sunday of the month.

Museum of filmed rural life at Argentine, Savoie. Price not established, Contested: four sources, four answers — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

Nearly 700 m² devoted to the Savoyard knife invented by Joseph Opinel, in the heart of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Free entry, 9:00–18:30 non-stop.

The cave bear that occupied the Balme à Collomb more than 28,000 years ago has its museum in Entremont-le-Vieux — open in seasonal windows, holidays and summer.

The museum of Savoie's history and cultures, on place Métropole, with free entry. Closed Tuesdays; guided tours and workshops are paid.

Interpretation centre on the resort's own history at Val-d'Isère, Savoie. Free, Two published periods, two unpublished windows — and what the official sources do not say, said as such.

The legacy of the 1992 Winter Games — the Maison des Jeux Olympiques collections, interactive modules, 500 m² of exhibition — inside Albertville's Halle Olympique.