Discover Chambery France
By TDF. Filed in Uncategorized |
Chambery, located in the heart of the French Alps is the once
capital of Savoie. It sits just near Lac du Bourget (Bourget Lake),
looked upon by the Alps that surround it. Chambery is a city that can
be both visited in the winter and summer. In the winter there are a
number of ski resorts within easy driving distance. In the summer those
same Alps that were skied, become hiking and backpacking trails and
campgrounds.
The center of Chambery is the ‘old town’ it includes a Chateau,
once the residence of the dukes of Savoie, a 15th century Cathedral and
a fine arts museum. There is also a ‘Fontaine des Elephants’ (Elephants
Fontaine) built in honor of the Comte de Boigne, who bestowed upon the
city much wealth. A large portion of his personal wealth came from
India, hence the Elephant Fontaine.
The center of Chambery offers not only tourist attractions but
also many shops for buying your favorite French goods. If you are lucky
it might be market day and you can buy some fresh local produce. Like
so many cities in France Chambery is not only charming, it is also
small enough to be walked comfortably. You will be able to see the
center without getting sore feet! But if you do have that fear there is
a tourist ‘train’ that will take you through the center and let you
visit with as little walking as possible.
Chambery makes a good base for exploring the French Alps
especially during the winter as it is within easy driving distance of
such ski resort towns as Grenoble, Albertville, La Clusaz, Courchevel,
Alpe d’Huez, Chamonix and Val d’Isère. In the summer other outdoor
activities are possible including hiking and camping. As Chambery is
close to three national parks, Parc national de la Vanoise, Parc
Naturel Régional de Chartreuse and Parc Naturel Régional du Massif des
Bauges. Other close natural attractions include, Lac du Bourget and Lac
d’Aiguebelette. Two other popular summer lakes are Annecy Lake, within
an hour’s drive and Lake Geneva, two hours’ drive.
Getting to Chambery is easy as it has a modern airport; the
official name is Aéroport de Chambéry. The airport code is CMF. At the
moment there are a number of ‘no thrills’ airlines like Flybe and Jet2.com
that have regular service to Chambery. These ‘no thrills’ airlines fly
from selected major European destinations like Amsterdam and Bruxelles
along with such UK destinations as, Birmingham, Exeter, Manchester and
Southampton.
Chambery can also be accessed by car from the A41 Autoroute
Exit 13, Chambery Nord. Chambery is a little over an hour’s drive from
Lyon and about a seven hour drive from Paris. Chambery also has train
access. If you plan on coming from Paris the best thing to do is take
the TGV (high speed train), it only takes about an hour and a half and
then transfer to a regional train in Lyon that goes to Chambery.
Chambery can also be used as a base to visit other European
cities and countries like Geneva, Switzerland and Turin in Italy. Each
are within in a two hour drive.
