French Alps , France

The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhí´ne-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Cí´te d'Azur regions. Mont Blanc (Italian: Monte Bianco), located on the French-Italian border, is the

highest mountain in the Alps as well as the highest mountain in Europe west of Russia at 4,810.45 metres (15,782 ft).[1] Notable towns in the French Alps include Grenoble, Chamonix, Annecy, Chambí©ry, and Albertville.

French Alps Holidays

 

 

• The French Alps were sculpted by glaciers, giving the corresponding valleys a mild climate and rich soil.


• Today, they are a popular area loaded with vacation opportunities. There are a lot of towns in the area, for what at first glance might seem like an inhospitable and isolated section of France.


• In fact, the French Alps are loaded with well connected towns, and are popular year round, making them ideal for vacations in France.


• Divided into two providences, Savoy in the north, containing Mont Blanc, and Dauphine in the south, home to Grenoble, the main city of the alps, the French Alps are a popular and diverse region.

   

 

Facts About French Alps

 

• The Alps is France's third most popular tourist region, following Paris and the Cí´te d'Azur, and it is Europe's largest mountain range.

• The Alps spread over France, Italy and Switzerland, with the highest peaks being on the eastern edge and forming a formidable natural barrier with Italy.

 

• Isí¨re is the highest dí©partement, followed by Hautes-Alpes, Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Drí´me. There are tunnels all through the mountains that join France and Italy, including the Mont Blanc road tunnel and the road and rail Tunnel de Frí©jus.

 

• The two Savoie regions give their name to the Savoyards (the population) and also to the style of cooking, which includes raclette - melted cheese served with potatoes and cold meat - delicious after a long walk or skiing session in the mountains.

   

 

Separated from the Alps by Lake Geneva (Lac Lí©man), the Franche-Comtí© region contains the Jura mountains to the south and borders the Vosges mountains on the north side. The Jura mountains are more accessible, yet less exploited by tourism, than the Alps and are thus extremely popular with winter sports fans, nature lovers and ramblers. The scenery is largely green and unspoilt and, although not as sublime as the Alps, the region is well endowed with rolling fields, pine forests, lakes and towering mountains. There are close links between Jura and Switzerland and a lot of the cuisine, culture and architecture of Switzerland has found its way over the border into Franche-Comtí©. Even some of the scenery has a decidedly magical and Swiss feel to it. As far as regional products go, Jura wines are well known, as are cheeses such as Morbier and Comtí©, and the Montbí©liard and Morteau sausages.