Hike to Col de la Fenêtre & Lacs Jovet
Last summer, I went on a hike above Les Contamines-Montjoie near Mont Blanc: I passed through Col de la Fenêtre on the way to Lacs Jovet.
Last summer, I went on a hike above Les Contamines-Montjoie near Mont Blanc: I passed through Col de la Fenêtre on the way to Lacs Jovet.
Last summer, I went back to Désert de Platé, this time starting from the Flaine ski resort and walking a loop through Grandes Platières, Chalets de Sales and the Laouchet lakes.
Last summer, I went on a hike to Tête du Parmelan, in the Bornes mountains above Annecy.
When I visited the Château des Sires de Faucigny in Bonneville last summer, I also took the opportunity to walk around the town and crossed the Arve river a couple of times.
The Château des Sires de Faucigny is a medieval castle in Bonneville, Haute-Savoie. I went there after visiting the Tour des Comtes de Genève in La Roche-sur-Foron nearby. It was built in the 13th century to serve as the seat of the Lords of Faucigny. The castle then passed under the control of the house of Savoie and became a jail until the 20th century. It was recently renovated and opened to the public for the first time this year. The two large towers, the rampart between them and the courtyard can be visited. Entrance is free.
The Tour des Comtes de Genève (Tower of the Counts of Geneva) is a medieval tower located in La Roche-sur-Foron, near Annecy. The tower is built at the top of the large rock (roche in French) that gave its name to the town. During medieval times, it was actually the keep of a castle belonging to the Counts of Geneva, who had made the town their capital, before they moved it to Annecy. The castle was destroyed a long time ago but nowadays, the tower remains and can be visited at a cost of €2. There is a great view at the top.
At the beginning of summer, I went on a hike to Route de la Soif (Road of Thirst), a dirt road along the foot of the Aravis mountains that goes from Col des Aravis to Col de l’Arpettaz, and reached Ugine at the end of the day.
After getting down to Plan de l’Aiguille from Aiguille du Midi, instead of going back down to Chamonix directly, I went to Lac Bleu then hiked the Grand Balcon Nord (Great North Balcony) to Montenvers above the Mer de Glace glacier.
At the beginning of summer, I went to Chamonix to visit Aiguille du Midi, a mountain next to Mont Blanc and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area: It can easily be accessed by cable car from the valley and, with the highest viewing platform located at the 3842m summit, it offers the best view on the Mont Blanc, the surrounding glaciers and the Chamonix valley.
At the beginning of summer, I went on a hike to Chalets de Charbonnière and Chalets de Varan, above Passy.