Earlier this year, I went on a hike to Salève, a mountain in the Jura that overlooks the south-west side of Geneva but is actually located in Haute-Savoie. There are many trails to reach the plateau at the top of Salève and walk on once up there. For myself, I decided to cross the mountain along its length, starting from Col du Mont Sion and finishing at Etrembières.
The Jardin des Remparts is a small and well hidden park located in the Old Town of Annecy, not far from the castle. It is dedicated to Father Jean-Marie Delavay, a priest from Haute-Savoie who served as a christian missionary in Yunnan, China during the 19th century. He introduced many new plant species to Europe.
Last spring, I went on a hike to Mont Veyrier and Mont Baron, two mountains on the north-east of Lake Annecy.
Jardin des Chartreux is a park in the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood of Lyon. It offers a good view on the Saône below and the Fourvière hill.
Parc de la Tête d’Or is a large park in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon. It has plenty of nature with many trees and large lawns as well as a lake. The park also contains a small zoo and a botanical garden (both of which are free).
La Part-Dieu is a neighbourhood in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, located around the Lyon-Part-Dieu train station. Beyond its importance as a major transport hub, La Part-Dieu is also the second-largest business district of France, with many office skyscrapers including Tour Incity, Tour Part-Dieu or Tour Oxygène. It also contains France’s largest shopping mall, La Part-Dieu Shopping Center.
Parc Blandan is a large park located in the 7th arrondissement of Lyon, on the location of a former military fort. While the park was inaugurated in 2014, the upper part of the fort, which contains the Château de la Motte, is currently being developed and is scheduled to open to the public in 2019.
At the end of the hike to Mont de Corsuet and Montagne de la Biolle, I went on a cruise on Lac du Bourget. I chose the 1h “Découverte” (Discovery) tour operated by Compagnie des Bateaux du lac du Bourget: Starting at the Grand Port in Aix-les-Bains, the boat goes to the Hautecombe Abbey on the north-western area of the lake and back.
The Grand Port is a marina in Aix-les-Bains, on the eastern shore of Lac du Bourget. Beyond the marina, the area also has a promenade, parks and piers with a good view on the lake and the surrounding mountains. It is also where the cruise boats of the Compagnie des Bateaux du lac du Bourget depart from.
Last spring, I went on a hike to mountains near Lac du Bourget: Montagne de la Biolle and Mont de Corsuet, located at the southern tip of the Massif de la Chambotte in the Jura mountains.