Haute Maurienne Vanoise

Bessans in Summer:

From the Col de la Madeleine to the Rocher du Château, stretches the Bessans plain with the adjacent Ribon and Avérole valleys and numerous peaks and glaciers above 3,000 m in altitude. The hamlets of Villaron, Vincendières, Goulaz and Avérole around Bessans are worth a visit: stone chalets with slate roofs and narrow streets. A typical and rustic habitat that bears witness to difficult living conditions.

The Saint-Antoine chapel houses precious murals and the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church is in baroque style. A four-horned devil is enthroned in the village square. It will not be difficult to explain this local curiosity to you, everyone here knows the legend of the Devil!

Take advantage of an altitude -1,750 m- and pleasant temperatures to vary the pleasures and activities for the whole family: fishing and swimming lakes, Espace Ludi’lacs, laser shooting and rollerblading on the biathlon stadium, Nordic walking, hiking and glacier trekking, botanical path, via ferrata and climbing, mountain biking on the brand new developed area of Chantelouve.

Find your route with the R-Bikes application

Take advantage of the summer shuttle to Avérole to get closer to the border peaks, the routes once used by peddlers and horse traders. Go to the Vallon mountain pasture where Sébastien shares his life as a farmer with you. Your children will love to participate in milking the cows, sleep in the chalet and wake up to the sound of clarinets while watching ibex, chamois and marmots.

Don’t leave Bessans without having admired the traditional costumes during the 15th August feast and without having tasted the “Jambon cousu”, a Bessanese speciality from the Pontet butcher’s shop!