Capital of the Haute-Savoie, Annecy is a city of Art with a magnificent architectural harmony. Walking around Annecy old town is a real delight. With its charming canals, its flower-bedecked banks, its small delightful bridges and its beautiful houses with colourful facades, Annecy carries really well its nickname of Savoyard Venice. How pleasant it is to stroll along its canals or walk around the lovely narrow pedestrian streets!

In the heart of the old town, the Île palace, a former prison and the Palais de Justice (law courts), is today home to the Annecy History museum. Near this symbolic building of the 12th century, the Sainte-Claire street is also an unmissable place during the visit for its beautiful arcaded houses. Towering over the town, the museum-castle, former residence of the counts of Geneva and the dukes of Genevois-Nemours, is dedicated to archaeology, ethnology, art, history and alpine lakes.

To complete this beautiful visit, there's nothing like a walk on the edge of the magnificent Annecy lake. Not to be missed! The Europe gardens, the Amours bridge spanning the Vassé canal, the Albigny avenue lined with plane trees and the Champ de Mars are magnificent sites great for relaxation. For the best way to discover the lake and surrounding mountains, visitors can take a trip on tourist boats or hire pedalos and small motor boats.

The Fier gorges are a remarkable natural curiosity of France, in Haute-Savoie: a very narrow and deep gorge that can be visited thanks to a footbridge set on a rocky slope, built in the middle of the 19th century.

With a surface area of 27.4 km² and 80 metres deep, Lake Annecy of glacial origin is Europe's cleanest lake. Its idyllic, crystal-clear water is perfect for numerous water sports and sports activities, such as swimming, sailing, diving, boating, fishing, or waterskiing. A real paradise! Furthermore, its beaches will delight fans of lounging around. With its pleasant shores, walkers and cyclists are also catered for. On the edge of the lake, the village of Talloires is a renowned resort combining relaxation, leisure activities and water sports.

From the Col de la Forclaz pass, the panoramic view of the lake is amazing. For a really magnificent, breathtaking view, there is nothing better than paragliding over the lake. You're guaranteed a thrilling and awe-inspiring experience!

La Clusaz, a winter sports and summer resort of the Aravis massif, is a friendly village that has preserved its traditions and its typical chalet architecture.

For the gastronomes, a Reblochon festival takes place in August.

This park, which extends over 81,000 hectares, protects impressive limestone cliffs as well as beautiful landscapes of forests and alpine pastures (high meadows).

The Bauges massif is a great area for Nordic skiing. The Savoie Grand Revard ski area connects small resorts, such as le Revard, la Féclaz and Saint-François-de-Sales, and is an important centre for cross-country skiing with its 140 kilometres of pistes.

Famous for its hot springs with recognised beneficial properties, Aix-les-Bains is the number two spa town in France. Dedicated to well-being, the town enjoys a lovely location between lake and mountains and offers numerous attractions. It caters comprehensively for both hydrotherapy patients and holidaymakers, with Roman remains, museums, a luxurious casino, pedestrian shopping streets, balneotherapy centres, beautiful Belle-Époque hotels illustrating the town's prestigious past, as well as a sandy beach and a pleasant esplanade lined with plane trees on the edge of Bourget lake.

This pre-Alps massif offers a combination of plateaux, coombs, cliffs, alpine pastures (high meadows) and peaks exceeding 2,000 metres. At the Col des Aravis pass, at an altitude of 1,486 metres, the view of the Aravis mountain range and the Mont Blanc mountain range is superb.

It is in the Aravis massif, specifically in the Thônes valleys, that the famous unpasteurised cheese Reblochon is made.

Several village resorts of the massif, such as La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt and Manigod, are perfect for winter and summer sports.

Towering over romantic Bourget lake, Hautecombe royal abbey enjoys an enchanting location. The former burial place of the princes of the House of Savoy, today the abbey is occupied by a religious community. The Gothic troubadour church there is nevertheless open to visitors.

Monday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Tuesday: Fermé
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM, 02:30 PM – 05:30 PM

With a surface area of 44 km², the Bourget lake is the biggest natural lake of glacial origin in France. Surrounded by hills and mountains, this unspoiled lake offers numerous water sports activities. Moreover, it is surrounded by a few sailing and fishing ports, such as that of Aix-les-Bains or Bourget-du-Lac.

From the mount Revard situated in the Bauges massif, the view of the lake and the spa town of Aix-les-Bains is wonderful!

Every year in late September/early October, the Romantic Nights festival of the Bourget lake is a great classical music event.

On the hills of Albertville, Conflans is a pleasant stopping point, with its flower-bedecked main square featuring a fountain and the Maison Rouge (Red House), a beautiful 14th-century brick-built building home to the Ethnography and History museum; its high street with forged iron shop signs on facades, its Baroque church, and its charming garden protected by the Sarrazine tower.

Albertville is world-famous for having hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 16th Winter Olympic Games in February 1992. Recounting the sports events that took place during this prestigious period, the Maison des Jeux Olympiques museum is an essential stop for anyone staying in Albertville. Place de l'Europe square, the location of a very modern cultural centre, offers a beautiful view of the hilltop village of Conflans.

Historical capital of the Savoie, Chambéry is a City of Art and History boasting numerous treasures. The old town is admirably restored and a great place to stroll around, with mysterious lanes and many covered passages, mansions, trompe-l'oeil facades, charming internal courtyards, Saint-François-de-Sales cathedral, a castle – the former residence of the Dukes of the Savoie – pedestrian streets and the famous Elephants fountain.

The visit continues with the Savoie museum, exhibiting archaeological and ethnographical collections, and the Fine art museum home to a large number of Italian paintings. The Saint-Léger square, very lively, is a place not to be missed in the town for a stroll or to relax on a café terrace. The city also offers a large number of cultural events, with the Espace André Malraux cultural centre located in the Curial district, and the Charles Dullin theatre.

For lovers of water sports, Chambéry benefits from the proximity of two natural lakes: the big Bourget lake and the Aiguebelette lake, with an emerald colour.

Located in Pays de Gex not far from the Swiss border, Ferney-Voltaire Castle, built between 1758 and 1766 by François Marie Arouet, also known as Voltaire, on the site of a former fortified house, is famous for having been the residence of the famous Enlightenment philosopher for the last 20 years of his life.

Open to the public from early April to late October, this elegant building (a listed historic monument) is now a genuine commemorative site that immerses the visitor in the memories of the writer. It was here that Voltaire, who called himself the "Innkeeper of Europe" at the time, welcomed many famous figures from all over Europe. This is also the place where the philosopher fought against intolerance by writing major works in defence of human rights, such as the Treaty on Tolerance and the Philosophical Dictionary.

The visit is completed by a park adorned with a French-style garden, a terrace with a view of the Alps and an arbour where Voltaire liked to stroll.

Monday: 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 05:00 PM

The birthplace of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, the famous French gastronome and author of the famous Physiology of Taste, the town of Belley, the historic capital of Bugey and bishop's palace from the 5th century onwards, has a rich religious past. Its neo-gothic style Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, largely rebuilt in the 19th century, has retained the northern door of the old 12th-century cathedral. Boasting a tall bell tower with a porch reaching a height of forty metres, the building contains beautiful 19th-century murals, a 15th-century chancel, an 18th-century marble statue of the Virgin and a reliquary containing the relics of St. Anthelme, Bishop of Belley in the 12th century.

Near to the cathedral stands the old Episcopal palace, an elegant building in the classical style dating from the 18th century, which nowadays contains the municipal library. This pretty park is ideal for a leisurely stroll and offers a beautiful view of the chevet of the cathedral and the roofs of the old town.

Then head to Place des Terreaux, with its 19th-century fountain, and Grande Rue, with its old houses, including the birthplace of Brillat-Savarin and the Hotel du Bailliage, the headquarters of Belley Lower Bugey Tourist Office.

Lovers of regional produce should not miss Belley market, which takes place every Saturday morning on Grande Rue and Place des Terreaux!

The highest point in Bugey, the Grand Colombier, located to the south of the Jura Massive near Culoz, has an altitude of 1534 metres. Accessible via a footpath, twenty or so minutes' walk from the car park near the pass, this fantastic natural site, adorned with a metal cross and panoramic table, offers an exceptional panoramic view of the Rhone Valley, the lakes of Bourget, Annecy and Leman, the Alps and the Mont-Blanc massif. The stuff that dreams are made of...

Considered as one of the toughest passes in France, the Grand Colombier Pass, open from April to November, is a real challenge for cyclists, with its western ascent - from Artemare - reaching a maximum gradient of 22%!

Surrounded by mountains with limestone cliffs, Nantua Lake in Haut-Bugey is a stretch of water of glacial origin, covering 141 hectares and supplied by many springs. Ideal for nautical leisure activities, its deep water ranges from blue to dark green in colour and is suitable for fishing, sailing and pedalo boating, as well as bathing. Bathing is supervised in the summer - in July and August - at the water sports centre.

Not far from the lake, in Nantua town centre, be sure to take a tour of the Abbey Church of St. Michael, with its high altar adorned with marble angels, a famous painting by Eugène Delacroix depicting the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, and its 19th-century organ by Nicolas-Antoine Lété.

During your stay in Nantua, remember to try the famous local speciality, pike dumplings...with Nantua sauce!

Nestling at the heart of the Jura Massive in a clearing surrounded by pine trees and spruces, Lake Genin, a listed natural site, is known as the little Canada of Upper Bugey. At an altitude of 831 metres, in the communes of Charix, Échallon and Oyonnax, this lake has a surface area of 8 hectares and looks superb amid unspoilt countryside which is ideal for walking.

Its fish-filled water will delight fans of carp, trout and pike fishing. As well as this peaceful activity, you can swim there in the summer and take advantage of the many surrounding paths to enjoy a hike.

In the winter, you're sure to be thrilled by activities such as ice skating on the frozen lake, diving under ice and snowshoe walking!

This village in the Pays du Mont Blanc area offers a combination of hydrotherapy, mountain and alpine sports. It is from the village of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains that the Mont Blanc tramway departs. In the summer, this highest train in France offers magnificent views of the Mont Blanc mountain range all along the route. It takes passengers up to the Nid d'Aigle at an altitude of 2,372 m, as well as the Bionnassay glacier. In winter, this train takes skiers up to the Bellevue plateau.

Megève is both an authentic village and a smart winter sports resort that is renowned for its sophisticated sports facilities, its designer clothes shops, its luxury hotels, its fitness centres and its famous gastronomic restaurants.

This village resort with wooden chalets is a pleasant and restful destination, in summer as in winter. The Nature reserve of Les Contamines-Montjoie, covering 5,500 hectare, attracts walkers and nature lovers. The resort of Les Contamines-Montjoie is connected to the vast ski area of Evasion Mont-Blanc, offering 440 kilometres of pistes and connecting the other resorts of the Mont-Blanc country, such as Megève, Saint-Gervais and Combloux.