Lac du Bourget & Aix-les-Bains Shore Walk
Fifteen kilometres north of Chambéry, Lac du Bourget stretches 18 kilometres through a valley flanked by limestone cliffs — it is the largest natural lake entirely within France, and its deep blue-green water backed by the Dent du Chat ridge makes for scenery that painters have been chasing since Lamartine wrote his famous elegy here in 1820. A dedicated cycle and walking path runs the full length
The Shore Path and Swimming
The Via Rhôna cycle route hugs the western bank of the lake through reed beds, poplar groves and small beaches. The stretch from Aix-les-Bains south toward Conjux is the most scenic: the cliffs of the Dent du Chat drop almost vertically into the water on the far shore while the path stays flat and easy underfoot.
Swimming is excellent at the Plage du Mémorial in Aix-les-Bains and the wilder Plage de Conjux at the northern tip, where the water stays remarkably warm through August. The lake is clean, monitored and has lifeguards at the main beaches in July and August.
Boat Trips and the Abbey
Bateaux du Lac du Bourget runs scheduled boat services from Aix-les-Bains to the Abbaye de Hautecombe on the opposite shore — a Gothic Revival Benedictine abbey that rises straight from the waterline and serves as the mausoleum of the House of Savoy. The 30-minute crossing is spectacular and the abbey can be visited free of charge, with monks still in residence.
Departures run several times daily in summer from the Grand Port in Aix-les-Bains. The combination of a morning swim, a lakeside picnic and an afternoon boat trip to Hautecombe makes for a near-perfect day out from Chambéry without a car.
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