Places you will visit near La Clusaz

On all our coursew we take out students out and about to explore the area taking in some of the local sights from within 5 minutes to an hour from the chalets.

Close at hand is the Lac de Confin and the amazing Col des Aravis with it's stunning views of Mont Blanc or the Col de Colombiere and it's famous Boquatin (wild goats).

The towns of Le Grand Bornand and Thones are well worth a visit, especially for local produce on market days, wednesdays and saturdays. The further afield are some fantatic historic towns and cities - the beautiful town of Annecy (30mins), Aix Les Bains (1hr), Chamonix (1hr) and city of Geneva (1hr).

On a more historical note is the infamous Plateau de Gliere, where the resistance workers of the area made their last stand, supported by the british airfleet in World War two, or the resistance museum just outside Thones.

The stunning lakeside town of Annecy, which nestles perfectly in a spectacular setting where the mountains meet the water, it is amongst the most beautiful and peacefull locations in the Haute Savoie. The interesting and historic 'old town', has often been called ‘little Venice’ because of the mediterranean coloured arcaded houses, italian style wells and canals.

There is plenty to see and do in this ancient town, including museaums, cycle tours, boat trips, swimming on the beaches, as well as fabulous shops and restaurants. A cruise around the lake emphasises the magnificence and uniqueness of the scenery, and from June to October a dip in the lake possible. 

Further south about an hour from la Clusaz is the largest and deepest natural lake in France is the nearby Lac du Bourget, whose shores are lined by the impressive and historic town of Aix-les-Bains.

Dating back to the Romans this splendid town, with it's lively streets and elegant palace hotels, provides an interesting day excursion. Cruises around the lake also highlight the towns impressive mountain setting. The best way of combining some sightseeing around the shores of the lake is a boat trip which stops at the famous Abbaye Hutecombe, and canals of the northern lake shores. Lunch is available on some of the boats combining sightseeing with a little wine tasting from the local vineyard and fabulous lunch of fresh Perch from the lake.

Boarding the shores of Lac du Bourget are an abundance of vineyards who produce the local Gamay and Cotes du Rhone wines. Many of these vineyards feature in our wine tours. 

Chamonix is just under an hour from La Clusaz and provides a great day out. A cable car ride up to Aiguille du Midi is the highlight as it takes you up to 3,800m and offers stuning views of Mont Blanc and all it's glaciers. On a clear day you can see into Switzerland and Italy.

A must see for the kids is the Mer de Glace and a ride on the train to get to it. There is also a museum in the glacier which you can go and visit.

If you are into walking then take a ride on the Brevant or Flagere cable cars and enjoy some of the stunning walks nearby or back don to the town.

The town of Chamonix is quite lively in the summer and offers some good dining opportunities. Don't miss Poco Loco's for a quick filling snack! Most of the main chain stores are represented in Chamonix and if the sales are on it's a good place to pic up some early ski bargains.  

Lake Geneva, provides yet another lake destination, where cruises can be taken, varying in length from 35 minutes to Lausanne or 10hrs for the complete tour, providing an excellent easy going day out.

There is some great shopping in Geneva and the old town is a perfect spot for some sightseeing and a long lazy lunch inthe sun shine. There are a number of great museums to visit, botanical gradens to wannder through and parks to play in. Geneva is a lively place in the summer months with lots of extra events going on in the city including huge outdoor screening of popular films.