# French Alps

The French Alps are part of the large European chain of mountains known as the Alps. They are primarily attractive for outdoor activities, such as Alpine Skiing and mountaineering. Less famous but still popular sports, in the region, include mountain bike (cross-country, Downhill), white water rafting and paragliding. The region is also noted for its stunning beauty, including many alpine lakes, the largest being Lake Geneva (Lac Leman), Lac d'Annecy and Lac de Bourget; these lakes are year-round attractions for their beauty and access to numerous water sports.
The French portion of the Alps are also home to famous resorts towns Chamonix, St. Gervais, Albertville (1992 Olympic Winter Games), Grenoble (1968 Olympic Winter Games), and Annecy with its old city and lake. The 2030 Winter Olympics will be held at several locations in the French Alps (as well as Nice and the Italian city of Turin), and will be the first Olympics officially hosted by a region instead of one or tow cities.

## Regions

* Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
* Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

### Mountains

* Mont Blanc
* Vanoise
* Écrins
* Chartreuse
* Vercors
* Belledonne

## Get in

The French Alps are well connected to the rest of the country. The nearest international airport is Grenoble Isère Airport. Lyon and other cities have a direct TGV (fast train) to Paris. Many towns are also connected by TGV or ordinary trains. There are also highways in many valleys. There is also the international airport of Geneva (Switzerland) nearby.

## Cities

* Albertville (Winter Olympic Games in 1992)
* 45.8991676.1294441 Annecy
* 45.5663895.9208332 Chambéry
* 45.1869445.7263893 Grenoble (Winter Olympic Games in 1968)

## Other destinations
### Ski resorts

* 45.096.071 Alpe d'Huez
* 45.45256.5666672 Brides les Bains (part of Les Trois Vallées)
* 45.9222226.8688893 Chamonix (Winter Olympic Games in 1924)
* 45.4156.6338894 Courchevel (part of Les Trois Vallées; 2030 Winter Olympics)
* Isola 2000
* 45.9041676.4230565 La Clusaz
* 46.0076.683126 Le Grand Massif
* 45.5716676.8077787 Les Arcs
* 45.0072226.1216678 Les Deux Alpes
* Les Menuires (part of Les Trois Vallées)
* 45.356.69 Les Trois Vallées (Winter Olympic Games 1992)
* 45.4011116.56555610 Meribel (part of Les Trois Vallées; 2030 Winter Olympics)
* 45.8569446.617511 Megève
* 46.1747576.80605412 Portes du Soleil
* 44.6486116.6413 Risoul (part of La Forêt Blanche)
* 45.4697226.90944414 Tignes /Val d'Isère
* 45.2980566.5815 Val Thorens (part of Les Trois Vallées)
* Vars (part of La Forêt Blanche)

### Water sports

* Lake of Aiguebelette
* Lake of Annecy
* Lake of Bourget
* Lake Geneva - the Societe Nautique de Geneve and the mercenary team of Alinghi hold the America's Cup.

## Talk

The primary language in the French Alps is French, although as with any other tourism hotspot, don't be surprised if your broken French is met with well spoken English.

## Get in

Due to the mountains, you can't fly directly into the French Alps, however, you can fly to surrounding airports and arrange transfer from there. There are many companies that specialise in airport transfers from local airports to all the major ski resorts. The major local airports are in Grenoble and Chambéry.

## Get around

One of the best ways to get around the Alps is renting a car. It gives you the freedom to go wherever you please while you're there and take in all the wonderful scenery. As a major tourist location, there are plenty of car rental agencies to help you do this.

## See

The tallest mountain in the Alps and in Europe (outside the Caucasus) is Mont Blanc in Haute-Savoie, which stands at 4,807 m (15,767 ft), so it's definitely worth a look if travelling to the Alps. Lake Geneva is another natural landmark that can be seen in this area.

## Do

The beautiful terrain around the French Alps means that there is plenty to do all year round and that people can try a range of diverse and exciting activities. The area is of course most famous for its skiing however visitors flock to the area for a variety of other activities including mountain biking, hiking and mountaineering.

## Eat

The French Alps have also great many restaurants and are especially famous for its numerous varieties of cheese.

## Drink

The popularity of the Alps, particularly for skiing, has led to very high prices, especially for drinks. It is not unusual to pay more than €4 for a small glass of beer in a mountain bar.