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Portion of the Alps mountain range within France
Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The French Alps are part of the large European chain of mountains known as the Alps. They are primarily attractive for outdoor activities, such as Alpine Skiing and mountaineering. Less famous but still popular sports, in the region, include mountain bike (cross-country, Downhill), white water rafting and paragliding. The region is also noted for its stunning beauty, including many alpine lakes, the largest being Lake Geneva (Lac Leman), Lac d'Annecy and Lac de Bourget; these lakes are year-round attractions for their beauty and access to numerous water sports.
The French Alps are well connected to the rest of the country. The nearest international airport is Grenoble Isère Airport. Lyon and other cities have a direct TGV (fast train) to Paris.
Read in the guideOne of the best ways to get around the Alps is renting a car. It gives you the freedom to go wherever you please while you're there and take in all the wonderful scenery.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Caselle Torinese (TO) · International · TRN
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Savoie is in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in southeastern France. The area is known for its numerous ski resorts and contribution to French cuisine, with culinary specialities such as fondue savoyarde, tartiflette, génépi, as well as various sorts of saucisson.
Annecy, in the north of the French Alps, is called "the Venice of Savoie" — a well-deserved title. The medieval town centre built around a 14th-century chateau is dissected by small canals and streams running out of Lac Annecy, which is clean, fresh and a wonderful azure colour.
Chambéry is a beautiful town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France and the birthplace and historic capital of Savoie.
Grenoble is a city of around 158,000 inhabitants in 2017 (550,000 taking into account the metropolitan area) in the French Alps. The climate is quite cold in winter, with days of snow almost every year.
Alpe d'Huez is a winter ski resort city in the French Alps. It is a popular resort for cycling fans as in many years one of the most important stages of the Tour de France ends at the ski station.
Brides les Bains is a town in Savoie.
Chamonix (officially Chamonix-Mont-Blanc) is a resort in the Haute-Savoie region of France, bordering Italy, at the foot of Mont Blanc. It's regarded as the birthplace of mountaineering and as one of its capitals.
Courchevel is a city in Savoie, France. The most chic alpine resort in France, Courchevel features 11 luxury five stars hotels, 6 restaurants awarded with the Michelin star, jet-set and royal clientele, luxury boutiques, exceptional spas in the heart of the 3 Valleys, the world's largest ski domain, with 372 mi (599 km) of trails and slopes and 198 lifts.
La Clusaz is a town in the French Alps. Together with the neighboring town of Grand Bornand, La Clusaz forms the center of the Aravis ski area.
Haute-Savoie (Upper Savoie) consists of the small nook of France, bordering Switzerland, across Lake Geneva to the north, and Italy to the east. It is a department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Les Arcs is a ski resort in Savoie, France. Les Arcs includes the resort villages of Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950, Arc 2000, Peisey and Villaroger.
Les Deux Alpes is a ski resort town in Isère.
Les Trois Vallées is in Savoie and is one of the large interlinked Alpine skiing areas of the French Alps. It claims to be the largest ski area in the world with 600 km of interconnected slopes and 180 ski lifts, offering unparalleled skiing opportunities for all levels of skiers or boarders.
Meribel is a group of three villages in the Savoie department of France.
Megève is a ski resort in Rhone-Alpes, in the Mont Blanc massif. It has extensive skiing and is easily reached from Geneva airport, so it's a popular package-tour destination suitable for all grades of skier.
Portes du Soleil is the name for a massive international ski area that straddles the French and Swiss borders.
Risoul is one of the many ski resorts in the French Hautes-Alpes. The resort, which is 12 km above the original village of Risoul, is also known as Risoul 1850 or Risoul Station.
Tignes is a famous resort in the French Alps linked to Val D'Isere. Tignes is a winter resort for skiing, and a summer one for hiking, mountain biking, and summer skiing on the glacier.
Val Thorens is a ski resort in Savoie, France. Val Thorens is the highest Alpine Skiing resort in Europe, with the town itself at 2300m above sea level.
Annecy, in the north of the French Alps, is called "the Venice of Savoie" — a well-deserved title. The medieval town centre built around a 14th-century chateau is dissected by small canals and streams running out of Lac Annecy, which is clean, fresh and a wonderful azure colour.
Aix-les-Bains is a town and lakeside resort in the French Alps, in the department of Savoie. With more than 30,000 inhabitants, this tourist and thermal spa resort welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors each year.
the Societe Nautique de Geneve and the mercenary team of Alinghi hold the America's Cup.
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