Department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Ypsilonatshared at wts wikivoyage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
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.
Grand Massif Accommodation Specialist
A range of self-catering chalets, apartments and hotels in Samoens, Morillon, Les Carroz d'Araches and Sixt-fer-à-Cheval. Accommodation sleeping 2-20, lift passes, ski school, equipment hire can be arranged. Bookable from the UK.
By train
Haute-Savoie is easily accessible with a 1-hr-30-min ride from Lyon, by high speed train (train à grande vitesse, TGV).
By car
The drive to Annecy from Lyon is about 2 hours on the autoroute, which is tolled. Savoie can be reached from Italy in 15 min through the tunnel under Mont Blanc, entering France at Chamonix.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Geneva · International · GVA
Loading places around the airport…
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.
Annemasse is a city in the Haute-Savoie region of France, directly across the border from Geneva, Switzerland. Many of its inhabitants work in Geneva and travel home every day.
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.
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.
Chatel is in the Haute Savoie region of France. Chatel is a picturesque ski resort at the heart of the giant Portes du Soleil region of France and Switzerland.
Evian (French: Évian-les-Bains) is a small town on the east shore of Lake Geneva, in the French département of Haute-Savoie.
Flaine is in Le Grand Massif ski area in the Haute Savoie department, in the Rhône-Alpes of Southeastern France. It was designed by Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer in the 1960s, has one of Europe's fastest gondolas and is known for being an eco-friendly car-free ski resort.
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.
Menthon St. Bernard is a small resort town in Haute-Savoie.
Samoëns pronounced (saa-mwans) is a commune of the Haute-Savoie département in France. The town of Samoëns is in the Vallée du Giffre in the French Alps and carries the designation of a "ville fleurie", meaning its gardens and public greenery are particularly good.
Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval is classified amongst the "Most Beautiful Villages of France" with regard to its rich 9-century-old architecture. Sixt's ski area is linked with Grand Massif (265 km of alpine ski trails) via the fabulous "Piste des Cascades", a 14 km blue trail from the resort of Flaine (1700m of vertical descent) to Sixt.
the northern border of Haute Savoie. This lengthy body of water provides an opportunity for sailing as well as a picturesque scene for a lakeside picnic.
the tallest peak in the EU.
a small ski resort with 60 alpine pistes of all levels, 60 km of Nordic pistes, and several hiking trails.
Articles and travel topics about Haute-Savoie and France.
Understand travel insurance for a Schengen visa in 2026. Learn mandatory €30,000 medical coverage, zero deductible rules, and embassy-approved policies.
7 min read
Estimate your Europe trip cost for 2 weeks in 2026. Compare realistic budgets for lodging, Eurail trains, dining, and sightseeing across three styles.
8 min read
Spot and avoid common tourist scams in Paris, including Montmartre string bracelets, petition clipboards, fake airport taxis, and metro fare traps.
9 min read
Plan the best day trips from Paris by train. Discover travel times, stations, fares, and tips for Versailles, Giverny, Reims, and Mont-Saint-Michel.
7 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.