If you are interested then there are churches, museums and history to discover.  There’s also glaciers, mountain lakes and gorges to explore.

 

Wider afield there is Annecy (the “Venice of the Alps”), Geneva and Montreux in Switzerland for festivals or into Italy and onto Turin for its architecture and history.

Exploring the Region

Apartment Balmat

 With four valleys, 14 villages, forests, mountain pastures, lakes, glaciers, granite peaks and legendary summits, the Pays du Mont Blanc area of the Alps also boasts a wealth of baroque and contemporary art. It is a crossroads of history and culture linking the Swiss Valais and Italy’s Aosta Valley.

 

Festivals, Churches and Art

Mid August (15th) sees the festival when all the guides come off the mountain and make an annual procession from the churches to the cemeteries! There are many lovely and interesting churches in the area. In Sallanches there are 16 baroque churches and chapels to be explored. 10 of which originate from the 14th to 17th centuries.  These can be visited during the summer, and the main church of St-Jacques, which has remarkable paintings and murals, is said to have the richest treasures in the Savoie.

 

Nearby Cordon, with its rounded bell tower, has 17th and 18th-century furniture and frescoes, but its neighbour Combloux St-Nicholas is thought to be the loveliest bell tower.

 

Many of these churches host music recitals and concerts during the season, so watch out for notices. If you want to escape from the summer heat you may be lucky enough to hear a rehearsal for free.

 

Glaciers and Gorges

If religious art is not for you then the wonders of nature are numerous.  Glacier des Bossons has the largest gradient in Europe – 3,500m long, accessible on foot or chairlift.  The 7km long 'Mer du Glace' can be visited by train from Montenvers.  The other tramway to the glacier of Bionnassay starts in Le Fayet with a stop at the small station in St Gervais and is the highest railway in France giving access to Carlaveyron where there is a nature reserve with small lakes and the Diosaz Gorges.

 

At Passy you can walk among limestone and crystalline gorges at the museum of geology, or perhaps you'd prefer to see the chamois, ibex, deer, wild goats (bouquetins), marmots and llamas at the Merlet animal park at Les Houches.  At Combloux there are remains of the granite quarries and the last working mine can be visited to see the granite cutters.

 

History and Crafts

Head for Megeve and the museum Haut Val d'Arly in an old farmhouse, where there are more than 600 objects tracing the history, agriculture, rural crafts and even winter sports of the area.  For those tempted to learn the alpine style of painting on wood, a shop in Megeve organises four-day courses.

 

Italy, Aosta Valley, Milan and Turin

The Mont Blanc tunnel gives you immediate access to Italy as the entrance is at Chamonix.  The Aosta valley is beautiful with its flowers and scenery.  It is not out of the question to drive on to Turin or Milan for an overnight stop before returning with time to look at the magnificent architecture or browse the shops.

 

Many people use Chamonix as a touring base and not just for the valley itself.

festivals, churches and art

glaciers and gorges

history and crafts

italy, aosta, turin and milan