Chambéry

Understand

Throughout history, it has been both Italian and French. It lies in a valley in the Alps surrounded by the Bauges and Chartreuse mountain ranges and provides almost 360-degree views of the French Alps. To the north, it is bordered by Lac du Bourget, the largest natural lake in France. Chambéry has long been a "crossroads to the Alps" dating all the way back to the 11th century. For many years, it was ruled by the Duchy of Savoie before being annexed to the King of France. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man (the French version of the Bill of Rights) while living in Chambéry.

Chambéry is a charming, peaceful place to visit with beautiful architecture, good food and wine, and friendly people. There are many vineyards in the area that visitors can enjoy, and on Saturdays, the city public market is abuzz with the freshest cheeses, meats, and local produce from the Alps. The area offers many recreational activities to choose from in all seasons, from skiing and snowshoeing, to sailing and rock climbing. The famous Tour de France bicycle race comes through the area in the summer. Chambéry also boasts the Savoie Technolac research park and the Universite de Savoie, and a mountain research center.

Get in

thumb|Rotonde ferroviaire de Chambéry (railway roundhouse of Chambéry)

Get around

Chambéry is compact in size and is easily explored on foot in a short amount of time. The medieval section of the town is quite well preserved. There are also local and regional buses. If you wish to explore the mountains or go on a wine tour, car rentals are available in town.

If you want a bit of exercise, you can also rent a bicycle and explore a bit further. Bicycles can be rented from the Vélostation in front of the train station: Agence Ecomobilité Only €3 for a half day and €5 for a full day. Open Monday-Friday 6:30AM-7PM and from 9AM-7PM on weekends and holidays.

Cycle paths: a cycle route goes from the centre of town north to the Lac du Bourget (mostly a cycle lane which is separate from the road) and another goes south into the vineyards (mixture of separate cycle lane and quiet country roads).

See

thumb|Roofs of the historical centre of Chambéry The medieval quarter of Chambéry holds many well-preserved streets and alleys. The most famous was the 8th-century Rue Basse du Château, which was tragically destroyed by a fire on January 1, 2001. Large metal cross located on the western ridgeline of Chambéry, which can be seen from within the valley. It can take a substantial hike to reach, but there are benches and decent seating areas to have a picnic or a small gathering with friends. One can see a stunning sunset from the area as well. Museums

Do

thumb|Curtains showing a scene from the legend of Orpheus, in the théâtre Charles Dullin Shopping, eating, drinking, visiting vineyards, hiking, boating, skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, horseback riding.

Paragliding

Especially during the summer it is popular to do paragliding. There a number of services and locations to go with a guide or jump yourself.

Biking

The city and region near Chambéry has invested considerably into the local network and infrastructure, so one can easily from nearly any point of the city to another in separated bike lanes. In addition the bike “highways” stretch from Bourget du Lac to Chambéry, hugging the small stream nearby, while offering scenic views of the mountains and neighboring farms.

Buy

Cheap shoes and clothing from the store Axo. Hard to find (ask the locals for directions) and terribly disorganized, but the prices are very good. A pair of ballerina flats usually goes for around €8. Once a year the city hosts a “Braderie”, essentially a large open market where one can find plenty of traveling vendors, local merchants and simply locals, looking to sell their items fast and cheap.

Every Saturday morning, there is a fairly large market opened near the four elephants, where one can buy peruse stands for groceries, hot meals and other domestic goods. The marker usually runs from around 8:00 to around 13:00 or so. This is also a good opportunity to buy local produce from farmers.

Eat

Some foods to try are Fondue savoyarde, tartiflette, crêpes, and goats cheese (Saint Marcellin). There is also a cheese made called “Dont du chat” which means tooth of the cat, named after the local geographic feature by the city.

Drink

There is also a special liquor whose recipe is safeguarded by the monks of a nearby monastery.

Chambéry also boasts a small number of beers and wines made locally in the region. The notable beer is from Brasserie du Mont Blanc.

Go next

Aix-les-Bains Annecy La Feclaz