An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the French Alps allows you to experience one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the world, stretching from Lake Geneva in the north almost 230 miles south to Provence. Offering probably the finest skiing and snowboarding on the planet, the Alps are nevertheless a holiday destination for all seasons: when the snow melts, the lakes and mountains, meadows and valleys transform into a delightful summer playground for walkers and hikers.
Divided into two distinct regions - Savoy and Dauphiné - the chain reaches its 15,782ft zenith on the junction of its borders with Italy. Here, the snow-capped summit of Mt Blanc is the highest mountain in Western Europe. Backdrop to a foreverness of chocolate box villages and picture postcard towns, the Alps offer a fantastic setting for a holiday, whether you're into skiing and walking, mountain-biking and river rafting, or simply travelling about in stunning scenery. Towns like Meribel, Chamonix, Courchevel and Val d'Isere are well known holiday destinations for their skiing and summer hiking, but the Alps also have some of the prettiest towns in France which you don't have to be active to enjoy, including Annecy, Chambery and Grenoble.
Spectacularly situated against an amphitheatre of peaks at the confluence of the Drac and Isere rivers, Grenoble is the ‘capital of the Alps', with a bustling university town ambience and superb modern art museum; at the northern end of the French Alps, Annecy is a beautiful lakeside town, with a stunning old town, 13th century castle, and wonderful boat trips to medieval villages around the lake.
From the gentle southern shores of Lake Geneva, to the clear, dark waters of Lake Annecy, from pretty alpine pastures to the rugged mountain peaks that culminate in Mont Blanc, the Alps is a land of dizzying beauty. In the summer you`ll appreciate the scent of alpine flowers by the roadside as you wind your way along mountain passes, the sound of cowbells in the distance, the odd ibex disappearing into the crags, and of course, the famous hillside vineyards. Hiker or not, there's something here for everyone to fall in love with during a holiday in the French Alps.
We have selected a range of luxury hotels in the French Alps which provide the perfect location from which to explore the region. A self-drive touring holiday of the French Alps offers a wonderful opportunity to explore and discover the diversity of this stunning region.
Divided into two distinct regions - Savoy and Dauphiné - the chain reaches its 15,782ft zenith on the junction of its borders with Italy. Here, the snow-capped summit of Mt Blanc is the highest mountain in Western Europe. Backdrop to a foreverness of chocolate box villages and picture postcard towns, the Alps offer a fantastic setting for a holiday, whether you're into skiing and walking, mountain-biking and river rafting, or simply travelling about in stunning scenery. Towns like Meribel, Chamonix, Courchevel and Val d'Isere are well known holiday destinations for their skiing and summer hiking, but the Alps also have some of the prettiest towns in France which you don't have to be active to enjoy, including Annecy, Chambery and Grenoble.
Spectacularly situated against an amphitheatre of peaks at the confluence of the Drac and Isere rivers, Grenoble is the ‘capital of the Alps', with a bustling university town ambience and superb modern art museum; at the northern end of the French Alps, Annecy is a beautiful lakeside town, with a stunning old town, 13th century castle, and wonderful boat trips to medieval villages around the lake.
From the gentle southern shores of Lake Geneva, to the clear, dark waters of Lake Annecy, from pretty alpine pastures to the rugged mountain peaks that culminate in Mont Blanc, the Alps is a land of dizzying beauty. In the summer you`ll appreciate the scent of alpine flowers by the roadside as you wind your way along mountain passes, the sound of cowbells in the distance, the odd ibex disappearing into the crags, and of course, the famous hillside vineyards. Hiker or not, there's something here for everyone to fall in love with during a holiday in the French Alps.
We have selected a range of luxury hotels in the French Alps which provide the perfect location from which to explore the region. A self-drive touring holiday of the French Alps offers a wonderful opportunity to explore and discover the diversity of this stunning region.
Frequently Asked Questions
The French Alps offer two quite different kinds of holiday, and the choice of base shapes everything else. The lakes, at the northern edge of the range, combine mountain scenery with a gentler, more sociable atmosphere, warm summer swimming, boat trips and lakeside towns. On the southern shore of Lake Geneva, the spa town of Évian-les-Bains has two grand resort hotels set in parkland above the lake: the Hotel Royal, with its spa, golf course and choice of restaurants, and the Hotel Ermitage, a slightly more relaxed sister hotel well suited to couples and families. Annecy, a little further south, has a well-preserved old town threaded with canals, on the shore of a clear, mountain-ringed lake, and L’Impérial Palace, a Belle Époque grand hotel on the lakeside a short walk from the centre, gives easy access to both. The high mountains are a different experience: cooler, quieter evenings, alpine meadows, walking from the door and the presence of Mont Blanc, at around 4,800 metres the highest summit in Western Europe. Megève, a mountain village created as a resort by the Rothschild family in the 1920s as an alternative to St Moritz, has kept its medieval centre, its horse-drawn sleighs and an unusually strong gastronomic tradition, and the Grand Hotel Soleil d’Or, in the heart of the village, is a comfortable base for both summer and winter. Many clients combine the two, for example several nights on Lake Annecy or Lake Geneva followed by a few in Megève, which are less than two hours apart and show the full range of the region.
Very much so. Much of the pleasure of the Alps in summer lies in being among the mountains rather than climbing them, and the region is well equipped for this. Cable cars and mountain railways make the high mountains accessible to everyone: the Aiguille du Midi cable car from Chamonix rises to over 3,800 metres, facing the summit of Mont Blanc; the Montenvers rack railway climbs to the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier; and around Megève and the Mont Blanc massif, lifts open in summer for gentle walks among the meadows and wild flowers. The lakes offer a different rhythm: the boats of Lake Geneva link Évian with Lausanne and Montreux on the Swiss shore and with the medieval village of Yvoire, known for its flowers, while on Lake Annecy boats call at Talloires and the château of Menthon-Saint-Bernard, and a level cycle path follows much of the shore. Scenic drives are another highlight: the Route des Grandes Alpes, which crosses the high passes from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean, including the Col de l’Iseran, the highest paved pass in the Alps, can be followed in sections or as the backbone of a touring holiday. The towns are rewarding in their own right, as are the spas of Évian, golf, including the Evian Resort Golf Club, which hosts a major women’s championship each July, and leisurely lunches in mountain restaurants. For clients who do enjoy walking, the Vanoise, France’s first national park, created in 1963, offers high-level walking of real quality, with the largest population of ibex in France.
The Alps have a distinct cultural identity, shaped by the Duchy of Savoy, which only became part of France in 1860, and by the Dauphiné to the south. Chambéry, the historic capital of the dukes of Savoy, has a château, an elegant old centre with arcaded streets and, on its outskirts, Les Charmettes, the country house where Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived in his youth. Annecy’s old town, with the twelfth-century Palais de l’Île set in the middle of a canal, and its château overlooking the lake, is much photographed and best explored early in the day. Grenoble, at the meeting of the Drac and Isère rivers, has a lively university atmosphere, a cable car to the Bastille fortress above the city and the Musée de Grenoble, a major regional fine art museum, with a strong collection of twentieth-century art. Chamonix, which hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924, retains the atmosphere of a historic mountaineering town. The food is hearty and closely tied to the mountain pastures: Beaufort, Reblochon, Abondance and Tomme de Savoie cheeses, fondue, raclette and tartiflette, lake fish from Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy, and charcuterie from the high valleys. Savoie wines are fresh and rarely exported, made from grapes such as Jacquère, Altesse, Bergeron and the red Mondeuse, and are well worth exploring on their own ground. At the other end of the scale, the region has a notable concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants, including in Megève and around Lake Annecy, and we are happy to advise on and book restaurants to suit your taste.
Geneva is the most convenient gateway, with frequent direct flights from London and several UK regional airports; Évian is around an hour’s drive from the airport, Annecy around forty-five minutes and Megève a little over an hour. Lyon is an alternative for the southern and western Alps, and Chambéry and Grenoble have some seasonal flights. By rail, Eurostar connects in Paris with TGV services from the Gare de Lyon to Annecy, Chambéry and Geneva, so the journey can be made in a day, with a hire car or transfer arranged on arrival. For clients who prefer to drive, the journey from Calais is best broken with one or two overnight stops, for example in Champagne and Burgundy, and our French Alps self-drive holiday to Évian follows this pattern. A car gives the greatest freedom for touring and scenic drives, though the lakes can be enjoyed without one, using the boats and local trains. The French Alps also sit at a crossroads of Europe. From Évian, Lake Geneva links directly with the Swiss shore, Lausanne, Montreux and the Lavaux vineyards; from Chamonix, the Mont Blanc Tunnel leads into the Aosta Valley in Italy; and to the south, the Route des Grandes Alpes and the Route Napoléon lead to Provence and the Côte d’Azur. Closer to home, the Alps combine naturally with Lyon and the Beaujolais, Burgundy and the Jura. We will advise on the combination and pace that suit the length of your holiday and the season in which you travel.
The Alps have two main seasons, winter and summer, with quieter periods in between when many mountain hotels and lifts close, so timing matters more here than in most regions. The ski season generally runs from mid-December to mid-April, with the most reliable snow in January to March; Megève is particularly suited to clients who enjoy the atmosphere of a winter resort as much as the skiing itself, with sleigh rides, walking trails and fine restaurants. Late spring, from May to June, is a particularly good time by the lakes, with the gardens in flower, the mountains still snow-capped and the towns quiet. The summer season in the mountains runs from mid or late June to early or mid-September, when the cable cars and mountain lifts operate, the high passes are open and the alpine meadows are at their best; temperatures in the valleys and around the lakes average around 26°C in July, while it is markedly cooler at altitude. July and August are the busiest months, with events such as the Evian golf championship in July and Annecy’s Fête du Lac fireworks in early August. September is, for many of our clients, the ideal month: the lakes are still warm enough for swimming, the light is clear, the crowds have gone and the first autumn colours appear. From October to early December and again in late April and May, many mountain hotels, restaurants and lifts close between seasons, while the lakeside towns remain lively for longer. We will always advise on timing in relation to your interests and the opening periods of the hotels you are considering.
Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be
● Single centre or multi-centre● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to France and within France, combining flights, hire-car, rail, ferries and private transfers
Our special interest holidays to the French Alps
● Wine and food holidays● Cultural breaks
● Golf holidays
● Spa holidays
● Family holidays
● Walking and cycling holidays
Included in all our holidays
● Concierge service● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
Call us on 01392 441245
Highlights of the French Alps
Walking in Parc National de la Vanoise, France's first national park, studded with peaks, lakes and glaciers, and home to France's largest colony of Alpine ibex; summer skiing in Les Deux Alpes; elegant Chambery with its 14th century castle and enchanting old town; the resort of Les Trois Vallees, offering superb skiing of course, but also wonderful walking in summer, with cable cars whisking even the most indolent right to the top of the mountain ridges; Annecy with its picturesque lakeside setting and medieval villages close by, which you can reach by ferry; fondue and raclette, traditional French Alpine dishes that are an absolute essential, preferably washed down with a sharp Savoy white, in a mountain-top café overlooking the snow-capped summits; cheese-makers right across the region; Grenoble with its small but bustling university-town ambience and superb modern art museum.
Climate of the French Alps
Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 3.1, Feb: 3.7, March: 7.9, April: 13.8, May: 15.7, June: 22.4, July: 26.8, August: 25.7, September: 22.7, October: 15.9, November: 10.7, December: 6.3.
Source: Direction de la Météorologique de France
French Alps travel information
The French Alps are reached very easily from the UK by air. Some clients choose to take their own car all the way. Grenoble is gateway to, and the capital of the French Alps. The city lies 30 minutes by car from the Grenoble-St-Geoirs airport, 40 minutes from the Lyon-Satolas international airport, and 90 minutes from Geneva's Cointrin airport. Grenoble is also connected to the Paris-Lyon-Marseille motorway on the west and to the Chambéry-Geneva motorway on the east. Buses and trains provide an excellent service around the French Alps.By air
Geneva is served by British Airways; it is around 20 to 90 minutes’ drive from Geneva airport to our various hotels. It is also possibly to fly to Chambery.Self-drive
Geneva is served by British Airways; it is around 20 to 90 minutes’ drive from Geneva airport to our various hotels. It is also possibly to fly to Chambery.Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be
● Single centre or multi-centre● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to France and within France, combining flights, hire-car, rail, ferries and private transfers
Our special interest holidays to the French Alps
● Wine and food holidays● Cultural breaks
● Golf holidays
● Spa holidays
● Family holidays
● Walking and cycling holidays
Included in all our holidays
● Concierge service● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
Call us on 01392 441245
Here you will find a map of French Alps showing the locations of the hotels that we offer
Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be
● Single centre or multi-centre● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to France and within France, combining flights, hire-car, rail, ferries and private transfers
Our special interest holidays to the French Alps
● Wine and food holidays● Cultural breaks
● Golf holidays
● Spa holidays
● Family holidays
● Walking and cycling holidays
Included in all our holidays
● Concierge service● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
