Haute Maurienne Vanoise

Surrounded by the superb landscapes of the Vanoise National Park, a symbol of mountain protection since its creation in 1963, take to the hiking trails to open this magnificent picture book with your children.
With easy access, most of the sites offer panoramas of incomparable beauty: Orgère, Fond d’Aussois, Saint-Pierre d’Extravache, Plan du Lac, Petit Mont-Cenis, Avérole, Ecot, Oulietta…
The fauna and flora of the Vanoise National Park is very rich and varied if you just take the time to observe the mischievous marmot, the agility of the ibex and chamois, the graceful flight of the bearded vulture, the gentians, the edelweiss, and so on…

Become a naturalist with the Park’s ambassadors and wardens, share the life of the farmers in the mountain pastures, experience a night in a refuge and feel happiness at its purest!

You won’t have time for everything, that’s for sure!

Haute Maurienne Vanoise is an exceptional playground accessible to everyone, whatever their age. Hiking and mountain biking are the most popular activities for mountain holidays, but did you know that you can also enjoy diving in the mountain river or lake, canyoning, rafting, hydrospeeding, fishing, climbing, via ferrata, paintball, laser shooting, rollerblading and even skiing?

Fly over the valley in a microlight or paraglider, enjoy the thrill of the Diable and Paradis zip lines, go horse riding, or walking with a donkey or sled dog, and learn a little more about nature, animals, and flowers.

A holiday in the mountains doesn’t have to deprive you of swimming! Take advantage of the outdoor activity centres of La Norma, Aussois and Bessans, or the swimming pools in Modane, Aussois and Val Cenis Lanslevillard, or simply enjoy the pleasure of dipping your feet in a stream, by a waterfall.

With your children, have a go at trampolining, bowling, scroll sawing or origami. Visit the “Porte des Secrets” and enter the world of escape games in Aussois, Avrieux or Val Cenis. Take to the treetops at the Diable or Accroparc treetop adventure parks.

After all that effort, or just because you want to unwind, visit the spas and wellbeing centres of Haute Maurienne to enjoy a magical atmosphere and quality treatments. Hatha yoga, sophrology, kinesiology, naturopathy, reiki, relaxation… recharge your batteries and get the Zen attitude!

Discover Vanoise National Park

There’s so much to learn from this land!

Populations have settled in Haute Maurienne Vanoise since prehistoric times. Their traces are still clearly visible in the Lozes archaeological park at Aussois, on the cup stones at Bonneval sur Arc and the footprint stone at Val Cenis Lanslevillard. Plunge into this period by visiting the archaeology museum of Val Cenis Sollières and share moments with your children at the various workshops available. Immerse yourself in the history of this valley on the Promenade Savoyarde discovery trails, “In pursuit of Hannibal” and “The Esseillon forts”.

Although Savoie has only been French since 1860, Haute Maurienne has always been a passageway to Italy, especially the road over the Mont-Cenis pass designed and built by Emperor Napoleon. Did you know that the pass was crossed by stagecoach and later by train?

As in many high Alpine valleys, religious fervour has always been omnipresent in the lives of the inhabitants. This is evidenced by the oratories, chapels and churches, most of which are part of the “Chemin du Baroque” and are listed in the national inventory of historic monuments.
Haute Maurienne, a land of combat in every era, invites visitors to discover its fortifications (Esseillon Forts, Maginot Line) and means of communication (Chappe telegraph).
Architecture, science and technology are also part of the Haute Maurienne heritage: chalets, watermills, dams and hydroelectricity, astrophysics…

In every village you will find a museum, exhibition or site to visit, and thus add a cultural dimension to your holiday. Proud of the richness of our land and traditions, we are happy to tell you about them and share them with you.

Make the most of the holidays to improve your knowledge!

Haute Maurienne Vanoise hosts all kinds of shows, plays, conferences, concerts, festivals and traditional celebrations. The region’s 4 cinemas screen the latest films, the Laurent Gerra Auditorium in Val Cenis welcomes artists from all cultural backgrounds, and the interpretive centres offer the chance to discover and gain better understanding.

You can attend some outstanding concerts in our baroque churches with the Fêtes musicales de Savoie and take part in the “Andiamo” event, organised by the Scène nationale Malraux of Chambéry. Through a series of free artistic events for young and old alike, ANDIAMO invites you to discover at a leisurely pace the splendours of the valley and the local heritage on both sides of the French-Italian border.

Find all the events you simply must not miss in the “Scènes Estivales” cultural events calendar of Haute Maurienne Vanoise!