Savoie combines great lakes, high valleys, mountain villages and Baroque heritage. Lake Bourget and Aix-les-Bains, the Maurienne, the Tarentaise and the Vanoise massif offer very different landscapes a few hours' drive apart.
This itinerary groups the best-rated sites in the catalogue into three geographically coherent days. Distances are short on the map, but mountain roads are slow.
The map shows the numbered stops in visiting order, with one colour per day. The line follows the roads where available; otherwise it joins the stops as the crow flies. Distances and times are approximate (by car, without traffic).
This day brings together 4 sites close to each other: waterfalls, lakes and towns and cities. It passes through Aiguebelette-le-Lac, Saint-Jean-d'Arvey and Aix-les-Bains. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Driving for the day: about 60.6 km, or 1 h 10 behind the wheel in total (excluding visits).
The "La combe du Grenand" path, starting from the commune of La Bridoire, takes you to discover river erosion, to meet gorges, giants' kettles and waterfalls.
View full page →↓ 6.8 km · about 11 min by car to the next stop
The 3rd largest natural lake in France, with emerald waters, largely private and closed to motor boats, at the foot of the Épine mountain.
View full page →↓ 26.8 km · about 29 min by car to the next stop
A stone's throw from Chambéry, the Doria waterfall falls about sixty metres in the heart of the Bauges massif, at the end of a short shaded hike from the Chaffardon car park.
View full page →↓ 26.9 km · about 30 min by car to the next stop
A spa town renowned since Roman times, nestled on the shores of Lake Bourget, the largest natural lake in France.
View full page →This day brings together 5 sites close to each other: natural wonders, waterfalls and lakes. It passes through Pralognan-la-Vanoise and Val-d'Isère. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Driving for the day: about 209.8 km, or 3 h 41 behind the wheel in total (excluding visits).
The Fraîche waterfall measures about 80 metres high in total. It is at 1,420 metres' altitude in the commune of Pralognan-la-Vanoise in the Vanoise national park.
View full page →↓ 4.3 km · about 24 min by car to the next stop
This mountain lake nestled in the commune of Pralognan-la-Vanoise spreads on a high-altitude shelf of the Vanoise national park. Framed by rocky summits, it is among the favourite stops of hikers using the massif's paths.
View full page →↓ 158.9 km · about 2 h 28 by car to the next stop
One and a half kilometres after the village of Aussois, leave the departmental road that leads to Sardières to take the direction of the "Monolithe de Sardières".
View full page →↓ 33.1 km · about 35 min by car to the next stop
At 1,835 metres' altitude in one of the most beautiful glacial ensembles of the French Alps, Bonneval is the highest commune in Maurienne.
View full page →↓ 13.4 km · about 14 min by car to the next stop
At 2,764 metres, the highest road pass in the Alps, between Val-d'Isère and Bonneval-sur-Arc, on the legendary Route des Grandes Alpes.
View full page →This day brings together 3 sites close to each other: natural wonders and waterfalls. It passes through Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves and Valloire. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Driving for the day: about 189.4 km, or 2 h 53 behind the wheel in total (excluding visits).
From its source, the Guiers Vif tumbles down a cliff in four successive waterfalls: the first is called "la Cascade de la source", the second "la Grande Cascade", then comes "la Cascade Isolée" and finally at the foot "la Pisse du Guiers".
View full page →↓ 107.5 km · about 1 h 31 by car to the next stop
At 2,067 metres, a spectacular pass surrounded by the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses and Arves massifs, famous for its iron cross and its neighbour the Col du Glandon.
View full page →↓ 81.9 km · about 1 h 22 by car to the next stop
At 2,642 metres, one of the most legendary passes of the Tour de France, between the Maurienne and the Briançonnais, offering a 360° panorama over the glaciers of the Vanoise and the Écrins.
View full page →Summer is the best time for the mountains and hiking, from June to September. The lakes can be visited from spring to autumn. In winter, Savoie is one of the biggest ski areas in the world, and many passes are closed.
A car is the simplest way to link the valleys, but traffic can be heavy on winter weekends. Trains serve Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains and the main valleys. Check that the passes are open before you go.
At 2,517 metres' altitude, this high-mountain pass links the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys in the heart of the Vanoise national park. A legendary stage of the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise, it offers a striking panorama over the surrounding summits.
The surroundings of Aix-les-Bains, blessed by nature and patiently enhanced by people, offer wide potential.
The Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park was created on 7 December 1995. It groups 65 communes of which 46 in Savoie and 19 in Haute-Savoie, plus 6 gateway towns.
Lac du Bourget is the largest natural lake in France, 18 km long, surrounded by the Épine massif, La Chambotte, the Mont du Chat, Mont Revard and the Bauges.
A cave sculpted by glacial waters, where vast halls follow one another, riddled with giants' kettles.
The Saint-Benoît waterfall is in the commune of Avrieux, in the Maurienne Valley, in the heart of Savoie and the Alps.