Savoy

A premier skiing destination in the French Alps, home to Les Trois Vallées and Espace Killy, with lake excursions and high mountain pass cycling in summer.

Savoy is located in the Alps of southeastern France, bordering Italy to the east, with Chambéry as its capital. In winter, it is a world-renowned skiing paradise, home to famous resorts like Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens, and Espace Killy. Summer is perfect for hiking and cycling, offering challenges on high mountain passes like Col de l'Iseran and Col du Galibier, or visits to Hautecombe Abbey on the shores of Lake Bourget, France's largest natural lake. Chambéry's old town features the Castle of the Dukes of Savoy and the Fountain of the Elephants. The ski season runs from December to April, while June to September is ideal for mountain activities. The gateway is Chambéry railway station, from where you can take trains to valley stations and transfer to buses up the mountains.

Destinations

• Val d'Isère & Tignes
• Chambéry & Aix-les-Bains
• Les 3 Vallées
• Annecy
• Briançon

Itineraries

• Route des Grandes Alpes: Lake Geneva to Nice – Cross high mountain passes like Iseran and Galibier from Lake Geneva, heading all the way south to the Mediterranean.
• Vercors, Chartreuse & Savoie Lakes Tour – Drive from Grenoble into the Vercors balcony roads, then head north through Chartreuse to the lake district
• Lyon, Annecy & Chamonix Rail & Bus Tour – Connect Lyon Old Town, Lake Annecy, and Mont Blanc without a car, departing from Geneva
• Geneva, Haute-Savoie Lakes & Mont Blanc Self-Drive Loop – Drive from the villages of Lake Geneva over the mountains to Mont Blanc, returning via the Col des Aravis to Annecy