Need Information about French Alps

Old Apr 25th, 2017, 01:57 AM
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Need Information about French Alps

Hello folks,
I want to visit french alps. Can you please give me some information
1. Which place in particular should I go? Chamonix, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains? somewhere else?
2. What is the best time to visit French Alps? Is this weekend 29,30 April fine?
3. Any other information that you can give?

Thanks in advance.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 04:55 AM
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Best time for what? I think end of April is not the best time as the snow isn't great for skiing and it is likely not hiking weather. It is heading into off season between the winter and summer seasons.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 06:20 AM
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April might be the wrong time to be there. Here is something I developed for the Alps

French Alps

This itinerary starts in Nice, then along the “Route des Grandes Alpes” to the
Mt Blanc/Chamonix area, then on to Annecy. It was developed for a friend. I suggest five different "bases" for exploring the Alps:

Entrevaux 3-4 nights
Embrun 3-4 nights
Cervieres near Briancon 5-6 nights
Domancy near Chamonix 4-6 nights
Annecy 4-6 nights

Maps & Books needed
Michelin Map #115 Cote d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes
Michelin Map #334 Alpes de Haute Provence, Haute Alpes
Michelin Map #333 Isere, Savoie
Michelin Map #328 Ain, Haute Savoie
Michelin Green Guide for the French Alps

The stars (0 to 3) next to the mentioned sites is the rating given to the site by the Michelin Green Guide

Standard warning about visiting cities & villages in France
Almost all non-food shops will be closed on Sundays, and many will be closed on Monday morning also. Some will open Monday afternoon around 2:30. Large grocery stores are often closed on Sundays. Most Mom & Pop groceries are open Sunday morning, but close around 1PM. Villages that almost solely depend on tourism may have shops open Sunday & Monday. Old Town in Briancon will have shops open. We never visit a large city on Sundays or Mondays. Annecy has a farmer’s market on Sunday – so some shops will be open in the area where the market is located (canal area), but most of the shops on the pedestrian shopping street will be closed.

Accommodations along the way
We stay in Gites while in France. Gites are "houses" that have a kitchen, dining room, multiple bedrooms, multiple baths, gardens, and sometimes a swimming pool (not for this itinerary, however). Gites are usually rented from Saturday to Saturday. As of 2016, we've rented 66 gites. I'll provide the link to the Gites where we've stayed for the suggested "overnight" locations in the itinerary. If there is a hotel or B&B nearby that we are familiar with - I'll mention that also. The Gite where we stayed in Annecy is no longer available.

The word “Col” is used frequently. In France, a col is a mountain pass. The “highest” point on a mountain road where the road stops going up & starts going down. Often there are monuments, cafes, and viewing platforms at cols.

Use Map 115
Head north of Nice on the M6202. Once out of the immediate Nice area, this is a very pretty drive. Stay on the M6202 as it swings west and becomes the D6202. The D6202 changes to the D4202 as you leave one department and enter another near Entrevaux.

Entrevaux
In early July of ’07, we stayed in a Gite just outside of the old town of Entrevaux* https://en.gites-de-france.com/holid...-04G33130.html . We've also stayed at the L'Avenue hotel in nearby Annot - and dined there twice. In this region, we explored the beautiful canyons, mountains, and small villages quite thoroughly. Entrevaux is only 1 hr from Nice along the Var River. The town of Entrevaux is quite remarkable. Look up Entrevaux in the Michelin Green Guide for the French Alps and you’ll see a picture of the town. This picture could have been taken from our Gite. However, Entrevaux is more dramatic than the picture shows. There is a huge rock spur that sticks up along the northern bank of the Var River. A Cathedral sits on top of the spur, with a fortified zig zag wall (built by Vauban) running down to the medieval village below – it’s quite a sight to see. For the best view of Entrevaux and the surrounding area, drive into the large parking lot (looks like a strip mall) that’s opposite the drawbridge entrance to medieval Entrevaux – on the opposite side of the D4202. The entrance to the lot is at the extreme west end of the lot. Immediately to your right as you enter, there is a restaurant/café and then a very steep road heading uphill just after the restaurant. Follow this road up & up – admiring the views of Entrevaux as you climb. There are several areas to pull out & take a picture – which you’ll want to do. Keep going till you can’t see Entrevaux anymore and then return to the “strip mall”, park the car, & walk over the drawbridge into the medieval village and explore Entrevaux. There are a few cafes for lunch there, but there are better ones just east in the town of Puget Theniers (village not worth exploring).

After visiting Entrevaux, drive through the very scenic gorges in the area. We made several drives along these gorges – taking advantage of the sunlight at various times of the day. These gorges are quite spectacular and different from the gorges closer to Nice. The sheer walls are red slate – a very dark red-rust colored rock. From Entrevaux, take the D6202 west. Then head north on the D902 (which changes to the D2202 when it crosses into the Alps Maritimes dept) through the Gorges de Daluis**. The views are better going north than south. As you exit the gorge at Guillaumes, head east on the D28 to Valberg, then on to Beuil. Drive south through the Gorges du Cains*** on the D28. Visit the cute village of Riguald near the south end of the Gorge. When the D28 hits the D6202, take the D6202 east to Touet sur Var*. You will see Touet perched up above the road, but you’ll have to drive past the town to find the access to the town. Drive up to Touet & explore this picturesque village. Continue east on the D6202 & then take the D26 to Villars sur Var. This town has some very interesting passageways. After visiting Villars, continue north on the D26 and visit the cute town of Bairols, and then the town of Clans. These are all miniscule villages, and you’ll be surprised that they are even inhabited today – we enjoyed visiting them. Continue north on the M2205, then east on the 2565 to St Martin-Vesubie*.

Other villages that we’ve visited & enjoyed in the area are Annot*, & Roubion*. Castellane* is a popular town and a center for exploring the Gorge du Verdon. It has good “bones” but is very touristy. The main street through town has some of the tackiest stuff that I’ve seen this side of Mt St Michel. Villages that were mentioned in various guide books, but we didn’t find that interesting were St Sauveur sur Tinee, & Roure.

On to Embrun
Switch to map 334
Leave Entrevaux or Annot, heading north on the D908 past Mealles to Colmars. Meailles* is interesting, but more picturesque from the outside than inside. Visit Colmars** (see the Michelin Green Guide). This is a very interesting town to explore – one of our favorites in the region. We were there on market day - which was quite lively.

Continue north on the D908 to Barcelonnette*. This is a nice town – perhaps a little touristy, but there are some worthwhile shops (including 1 home décor shop with lots of color-themed display rooms), and the main square is very pretty.

Now, head to Embrun. From Barcelonnette, head west on the D900 to Lauzet-Ubaye. Then follow the D900, D954, the tiny D7 to see the Demoiselles coiffees* rock formations, then the N94 to Embrun.

Embrun* can be a little touristy mid-day, but the main square & the streets through town are worth visiting. We stayed in the gite Le Pigeonnier. http://www.pigeonnier.net/sitegb/index.php . They also have B&Bs. If you have trouble finding the B&B, call the proprietor and she will meet you. She speaks English. Spend some time in the park close to the hotel, which overlooks the valley.

Saturday is Market day in Embrun. It is not a huge market, so it won’t take much time.

Drive on the small roads that are just east of the Embrun, but way down below town. There are some very good views looking “up” at Embrun from this vantage point. You will probably have to get a map of Embrun from the tourist office or from the B&B proprietor to find these roads. The view is only good in the morning – so make sure you do this in the morning.

Take a driving tour of Lake Serre-Poncon***. This is a “man made” lake – and quite scenic. See the Alps Green Guide. Drive along the road that circles the lake clockwise. There are several viewing platforms along the way. Some are even down short roads. Our favorites were belvedere Ivan-Wilhem and the view from Sauze de Lac. Make sure that you drive on the D954 on the east side of the lake. You may have to do an “out & back” on this.

Ride the ski lift in St Orres.

On to Cervieres/Briancon

Lets pick up part of the “Route des Grandes Alpes” – but first a stop in Mt Dauphine*. Read about Mt Dauphine in the Green Guide to see if this interests you. My wife is a big Vauban fan – so we visited this site. From Embrun, head northeast on the N94 and follow the signs to Mt Dauphine. As I recall, it was somewhat scenic getting there. After Mt Dauphine, take the D902 past Guillestre. We explored all these roads in the Queyras*** region on the way from our Gite in Embrun to our gite in Cervieres. Drive to Ceillac, then the Combe du Queyras. Visit Chateau Queyras* then visit St Veran** - the highest village in Europe. It will take about 1 hr to visit this quaint village. Take your time. Then drive along the D947 – out & back.


Get on the D902 heading north. When you get to the top of the Col d’Izoard**, get out of the car & walk around a bit. Enjoy the views. Now drive down the Col to Cervieres. As you approach Cervieres, note that there is a left turn that heads to Briancon. At this left turn, go straight (don’t follow the left turn) over the bridge into Cervieres. Take a road up & look for the gite. It is not too far past the bridge. https://www.gites-de-france.com/loca...-05G10205.html . This gite has fabulous views of the mountains - you may never want to leave the Gite There are no groceries or restaurants or really any commerce in town. I think there is a restaurant between the Col & Cervieres – very close to Cervieres. We've also stayed in Briancon at La Chaussee, and dined 3 times at Le Peche Gourmand. We've also dined at Le Rustic in Old Briancon & had beer & fondue. It's a tad touristy, but we enjoyed the evening.

Vallee de la Claree**. This is a very restful drive on a lazy Sunday. We stopped at either Val des Pres or Nevache and explored the town a bit & had a nice lunch out on a lawn. Continue on this drive until the road narrows too much.

See The Michelin Green Guide for scenic drives in the Brianconnais**.

Other days – depending on weather:
Tour 1 – do this on a very clear day. It was the most spectacular gondola ride & views in the region
Map 333
See the Green Guide for a description of L’Oisans*** region
Glaciers de la Meije*** Chairlift 1 hr 10 min RT do not miss
Oratoire du Chazelet***

Tour 2 - clear day
Col du Lautaret** See the Green Guide
Route du Galibier*** See the Green Guide

Tour 3
Briancon** Europe's highest town (as opposed to village). Market day is Wed – but it is not in the old section of town. It is in a parking lot on your right as you follow my suggested route to other sites.
Brianconnais - Route 4 in the Green Guide
Chair lift to le Chalvet** 10:30 to 6:30

Tour 4 - clear day
Cable car from Chantemerle**

On to Mt Blanc

Take the N94 northeast of Briancon, cross the Italy border, and then the R23, S24 north to the A32 to Modane. Take the A43 west, then north to the A430 to Albertville. Briancon to Albertville should take 2 hours.

We actually stopped along the way from Albertville to Mt Blanc to visit the very scenic Beaufort area**. We mostly drove through this region & got out of the car a couple if times to walk through a town (Hautluce), or to just admire the views. Conflans* next to Albertville is an interesting village to explore. Then take the D925 northeast to Beaufort. We didn't wander through Beaufort - but it looked interesting. Then take the D218 south to Areches (another interesting looking town we didn't walk through), and then on to Boudin to admire the views**. We then returned to Beaufort, and took the D218B to Hautluce and we wandered in town and admired the view of Mt Blanc. Then we continued on the D218B to Flumet, then to D1212 through Megave and then to Sallanches and then the D1205 to Domancy.

As I stated earlier, we've rented 66 gites in France, so far. The Gite in Domancy had the best views of any of them. https://en.gites-de-france.com/holid...74G103018.html

Finding the Gite in Domancy is easy. Take the D1205 from Sallanches and get off at the Domancy exit and head uphill past some sort of automobile or truck rental place (the only commerce in Domancy) and the follow the main road to the Gite. On the Gites de France Web page for the gite in Domancy, the very first picture is what the gite looks like from the road you take to get to the gite. There is a green Gites de France sign on the side of the building that faces this access road. Park in front of the gite. There is actually a smaller/quicker road from Megave to Domancy - but take the D1205 from Sallanches to Domancy when you first arrive at the gite. If you need to go to or from Megave later in your stay, then use this other road (the D199).

We dined at several Michelin starred restaurants in this region. Some were quite expensive, and a little too pretentious. A good choice in Chamonix is Atmosphere, which sits on one of the rivers flowing through town and is quite popular (reserve ahead). We also liked 1920 in Megave - which is a Michelin two star restaurant, and Le Serac in St Gervais - a Michelin 1 star.


Things to do & see. Use map 328

1. Montenvers mountain railway***. Train up to the foot of Mt Blanc (not to the top of Mt Blanc). See the Green Guide for a description of this train. Also this site http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/f...s-mer-de-glace . Take the first train up - which departs a little after 10:00. This is a very scenic train ride. You can get breakfast at the train departure station. See the green guide for the location of the train departure station in St Gervais. Many other people on the train will be loaded with gear to climb Mt Blanc - but don't be intimidated (but take a warm jacket with you). When you get to the top, wander around a bit and then take the next train back or the second train back (which we took). If you take a later train to Mt Blanc, they will hand out "tokens" at the top that you'll need to use to "queue up" for trains back to St Gervais. You may have to wait longer than you would like - that's why I recommend that you take the very first train from St Gervais.

Lifts to viewing stations - in order of preference.

2. Le Brevent*** pg 260. This was fabulous!!!. There is an outside restaurant at the top of this lift. We had both breakfast and lunch at this restaurant. The views were breathtaking. Only do this on a clear day (same with all trains & lifts in the area). It was hard for us to leave. We got to the lift at 9:00 and didn't depart until 12:45. See the Green Guide to determine where to catch the lift to Le Brevent.

3. Aiguille du Midi Cable Car***. This is "THE" lift up to Mt Blanc (but we enjoyed the Le Brevent more). This goes up in two stages. We took it about 10 years ago - and I don't think there is a large viewing area with concessions like there is in Le Brevent. See the Green Guide and the "upper" map to determine where to catch this lift.

4. Aiguille des Grandes-Montets*** . This departs from Argentiere - which is on the other side of Chamonix close to the Italy border. This lift probably had the best views. But it was freezing the day we went up there (after a snow). Dress warmly.

5. Le Bettex** . There is a "back way" to get to this lift - without going through St Gervais. Head towards Megave on the D199/D1212. Then take the D909 road toward St Gervais.

Non-mountain lift activity.

6. Chamonix is actually an interesting town to wander though. It's a relatively "new" resort - so there is no "old world charm". We had dinner there, and it was enjoyable to get to Chamonix around 6:30 to watch the evening activity in town.

7. St Gervais is also an interesting town - and older. We drove through it several times to get to restaurants & start of lifts - but never really explored it thoroughly.

8. Hauteluce is a little over 1 hr from Domancy, and Beaufort is 10 mins from Hauteluce. So you could visit this scenic area if you missed it on the way to Domancy from Briancon.

9. Other interesting villages near Domancy are Cordon*, Combloux*, and Megave. But we concentrated on the Alps in this area - not the "cute little villages" - so we did not visit them.

Annecy

The most scenic way to get to Annecy is to take the D1212 through Megave to Flumet. Then take the D909 northwest through the Gorge de l'Arondine, over the Col des Aravis**, then take the very lovely D16 west through Manigod to Thones. Then the D909 to Annecy. We drove this route to Manigod from Domancy, and also while we stayed in Annecy several years ago.

The Annecy market is on Sunday morning– one of the best in France according to the Green Guide - but we've visited much better ones elsewhere in France.

Gorges du Fier** see the Green Guide open 9:15-5 www.gorgedufier.com

Tour 1– do on clear day and get an early start (8-9am) so the sun won’t be in your face for the most scenic part.
Take the N508 southeast from the south part of Lake Annecy. Go to Ugine. Take the D109 northeast from Ugine to Flumet. Now the most scenic part starts. Take the D909 northwest from Flumet over the Col des Aravis**. If you want to hike, the Col des Aravis would be a good place for one. Just past the Col, take the D16 west through Manigod to Thones. Then back to Lake Annecy on the D909. Once on the lake, take the lake road clockwise. Stop & visit Talloires (it is on the east side of the lake). Then continue clockwise back to your Gite.

Tour 2 – Route de la Forclaz*** see the Green Guide. Do this on a clear day and in the morning. It will only take a half-day
Head southeast on the N508 again. Take the D42 (just past Doussard) north over the Col de la Forclaz. Stop at the Col for great views. Continue north & follow the road back to the lake. Head clockwise, and visit Talloires if you have not visited it yet. The views from the east side of the lake are better in the morning.

Tour 3 – best in the afternoon. Perhaps visit Annecy in the AM
The Semnoz** . Follow the route in the Green Guide

Other things you might want to do:
- Boat trip on the lake – but you can see everything from the shoreline.
- Drive around the lake – but you will probably do this going & coming from your tours
- Chateau de Menthon* close to Annecy. We enjoyed this chateau. Nice views.

We visited Lake Annecy in '06 and stayed in a gite in Tailloires for 2 weeks (Gite is no longer available). We've also stayed at Le Cottage in Tailloires on a multi-day visit, and also at a "business" hotel in Annecy itself. In '06 our best meals were in Annecy at La Ciboulette, and Auberge de Savoie.

Getting home
- Take the TGV to Paris and last dinner at the Train Bleu in the train station http://www.le-train-bleu.com/uk/index.php or
- Drive to Geneva and depart from there by air

Stu Dudley ([email protected])
San Mateo (San Francisco)
1/10/17
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 06:33 AM
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Thanks jamikins. I just want to visit for sight seeings. I don't know how to ski. Hiking would be interesting though. Do you think you can give me some more inputs on this?
Good place to stay in?
How about travelling from one place to other?
Public transport as I have no car.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 06:40 AM
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Chamonix would serve you great. St-Gervais is not in high Alps. for lots on transports once there check www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com. Trains are great getting to Chamonix and once there too plus gondolas.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 07:18 AM
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I cant help you as I have only spent a week there and it was at a cooking school.

We have spent some time in Switzerland in the off season and I wouldn't do it again. We also spent a week in the Dolomites just at the end of the summer season and things were already shutting down.

Restaurants close down, stores are closed and there could be potential lift closures if you are looking to go up the mountains. You will need to do some research as this is based on experiences in Switzerland and Italy.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 08:36 AM
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In April I'd stay lower down unless you are experienced in the terrain. Somewhere like the Jura (just north of the Alps) with Mont Blanc in sight would be fine. The meadows will be waking up and flowers abundant.

Pontarlier is the big town but lots of little places like Les Fourgs are nice
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 09:15 AM
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There isn't a big difference between Chamonix and St. Gervais. Both are in the same valley.
St. Gervais is the starting point of the famous Tramway du Mont Blanc. It remains closed until mid June like most other mountain railways and lifts in the Chamonix Valley.

The weather forecast for next weekend isn't bad. Snow line around 1800 metres. Many good hikes are possible, but all mountain restaurants and lifts will be closed.
Some hotels and restaurants down in the valley will be open.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 10:50 AM
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There isn't a big difference between Chamonix and St. Gervais. Both are in the same valley.>

And to me the comparison ends there -having visited both.

Chamonix has glaciers in view from town center. It is surrounded by peaks on all sides -not so S-Gervais though -lacks as much wow factor as Chamonix. Well that is IME.
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Old Apr 26th, 2017, 02:41 AM
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Palen, if you are talking about glacier views, you are perfecty right. Argentiere would be even better.
I rather meant the fact that at both places, more than half of all hotels and touristic infrastructure are closed.
BTW: last night, the snow line came down again and there is more snowfall announced for today.
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