Treks in the Vanoise

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Cassandre Dufour

Travel expert in France, Switzerland and Italy.

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Estelle Torterotot

Travel expert in France and Switzerland

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Emilie Barrand

Product Manager Assistant France

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Where the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys meet the border with Italy, the Vanoise massif rises in a series of imposing, glacier-covered peaks reaching more than 3000 metres. The Vanoise became a powerful symbol of nature conservation early on, with the creation of France’s first national park. It remains an emblem of a harmonious, protected mountain landscape: a haven for delicate alpine flora and a sanctuary for wildlife, which has returned and now roams freely.

The Vanoise, a hiking paradise

Nature lovers and keen walkers will find an idyllic setting in the Vanoise for memorable escapes: flower-filled valleys with bubbling streams, alpine meadows and their curious marmots, balcony trails running beneath graceful, gleaming mountain faces, panoramic passes… With its villages of stone-slab roofs, Haute-Maurienne offers rewarding stops for curious hikers. Here, gentle tourism development has gone hand in hand with preserving traditional pastoral activities and celebrating a truly distinctive heritage: mountain architecture, baroque churches and carved wooden figurines…

Bessans, the joy of Nordic skiing

In winter, the cross-country skiing plateau at Bessans is a must! This vast plain at an altitude of 1750 metres, surrounded on all sides by graceful mountains, offers an ideal setting for skiing, with kilometres of meticulously groomed trails and favourable snow cover. Fans of skate skiing, whether beginners or experienced skiers, will find a trip suited to improving their technique. Meanwhile, lovers of the great outdoors who want to focus on discovery, on classic cross-country skis or snowshoes, will find plenty of surprises as they explore the neighbouring valleys and remote hamlets buried beneath their winter blanket.

Our articles about the Vanoise