FURTHER Afield

The following places are all within an easy one hour drive of the chalet.

 

Yvoire is a beautiful, medieval, walled village on the shore of Lake Geneva. There are some lovely art galleries, restaurants to suit all budgets and the beautiful Garden of the five senses.

 

The Jardin des Cimes at Passy is a beautiful, contemporary garden with stunning view of Mont Blanc. Its layout incorporates plants from different climates and altitudes with modern sculptures and sounds throughout. There's a lovely cafe too, which uses local and organic produce where possible.

 

Annecy is a stunning, medieval town on the shores of Lake Annecy. At Christmas time there is a son et lumière show at the Mairie and the surrounding streets host a Christmas market. There is a bike route around the lake, much of which is on a dedicated track. Talloires is a short drive further along the north side of the lake from Annecy and has a beach, diving boards and platforms, cafés and restaurants.

 

Lake Montriond is a beautiful swimming lake the far side of Morzine where it's also possible to hire boats and canoes. At the top of the pass from the lake is Les Lindarets, also known as the 'goat village', where goats roam free. Shops sell goat food but the experience of being befriended by hungry goats is perhaps a little intimidating for children (and some adults!).

 

Chamonix is the nearest major town and is the place to go to buy outdoor gear. It's also one of the homes of Bungalow Graphics, which is where a lot of the artwork in the chalet comes from. There are a number of good cafes and restaurants and the surrounding scenery is obviously stunning.