La Chalet du Glacier, Le Tour
Perched at the top of the Charamillon gondola at 1,850 m, La Chalet du Glacier is the kind of mountain refuge that makes you understand why people plan entire holidays around lunch — rustic pine interior, a sun terrace aimed squarely at the Tour glacier, and a menu built entirely around Savoyard classics done properly.
What to Order
The tartiflette here is the benchmark version: thick-cut lardons, waxy Bintje potatoes, crème fraîche and a whole half-wheel of Reblochon melted over the top and finished in a wood oven until the rind blisters and the interior bubbles. It arrives in a cast-iron dish with a simple green salad and cornichons — nothing more is needed.
On colder days the soupe à l'oignon gratinée, made with local Beaufort cheese rather than the usual Gruyère, is a revelation. For something lighter, the charcuterie board with house-made pickles and dark rye bread pairs well with a carafe of Apremont, the crisp local Savoie white.
Atmosphere & Timing
The south-facing terrace is the place to be on a clear summer day — sunloungers, mountain air and the Aiguillette des Posettes ridge rising above you while the Tour glacier glints in the middle distance. Booking ahead for weekend lunch in July and August is strongly advised; walk-ins are welcomed on quieter weekday mornings.
In winter the chalet becomes a ski-in, ski-out lunch stop on the Le Tour–Balme ski area, and the fondue savoyarde — cooked at your table in a traditional caquelon — is the undisputed order of the day.
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