12 Beautiful Places in the French Alps for Your 2027 Bucket List

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The French Alps left me absolutely speechless. Standing at the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, watching Mont Blanc pierce through the clouds at 15,766 feet, I truly understood why this mountain range draws people from across the globe. Courchevel’s perfectly groomed runs are a big draw, but these mountains pack in more drama than any photo could capture.

After exploring the best things to do in the French Alps, I’m still blown away by the variety. Between watching daredevil paragliders soar over Annecy’s crystal lake, taking the historic cogwheel train up to Mer de Glace glacier, and skiing endless powder at Val d’Isère, I never ran out of things to do. Let me show you around France’s most spectacular natural playground!

• 💡 My #1 Tip: Flying into Geneva and short on time? I highly recommend booking this Chamonix and Mont Blanc day trip from Geneva, which gets you face to face with Western Europe’s highest peak and back to the city by dinner.

Beautiful Places in the French Alps at a Glance

Ask me for my French Alps shortlist and you’ll get these five names, usually before you’ve finished the question. I’d go back to all 12 places in this guide, but these are the ones I recommend first, whether you’re coming for the slopes or the cheese. If you’re short on time, start with my top five beautiful places in the French Alps!

1. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc: Ride the Aiguille du Midi cable car to 3,842m, then take the red train to the Mer de Glace ice cave
2. Annecy: Swim in one of Europe’s cleanest lakes and wander the canals around the 12th-century Palais de l’Isle
3. Val d’Isère: Ski 300km of slopes from late November into May, or drive the Col de l’Iseran at sunrise in summer
4. Serre Chevalier: Soak in the Grands Bains du Monêtier hot springs after skiing and spend a day in Briançon’s old town
5. Évian-les-Bains: Fill your bottle for free at the Source Cachat and hop on the 35-minute ferry to Lausanne

I’ve pinned all 12 places on the map below, along with the main sights I mention in each section. Save it to your phone before you go, because distances in the Alps are bigger than they look and mountain roads take longer than you’d expect. It’s also the easiest way to see which places pair well together, like Annecy with Chamonix or Grenoble with the Vercors.

• For the logistics side, my Alps travel site Alps by Design has a complete French Alps planning guide.

1. Aix-les-Bains

• 📍 Location: Lac du Bourget in Savoie, France, 1 hour from Geneva
• 💆 Thermal Spa: Thermes Chevalley, open daily 10am to 7pm
• 🚤 Don’t Miss: Boat from Le Grand Port to Hautecombe Abbey, €18.50 for adults
• 📅 Best Time: June to September, or July 8 to 11, 2027 for Musilac
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Les Loges du Park, central studios with kitchenettes by the casino

Aix-les-Bains is a Belle Époque spa town on Lac du Bourget, France’s largest natural lake, about an hour by car from Geneva, Lyon and Grenoble. Queen Victoria and other European royals came here for the hot springs, and their grand old hotels still stand on the hills above town. I love it as a relaxed first stop on a French Alps road trip, with lake swimming in summer and thermal pools open almost every day of the year.

For a long soak, I recommend Thermes Chevalley, where indoor and outdoor pools of 34°C thermal water look out over the lake. Entry costs €25 on weekdays and €27 on weekends, and I’d go after 5:45pm, when the price drops to €22. My favorite half-day trip is the boat from Le Grand Port to Hautecombe Abbey, a 12th-century monastery where the House of Savoy buried its rulers, with a 30-minute crossing each way and about 90 minutes ashore.

I’m excited for 2027, when the Musée Faure is set to reopen as La Villa-Collection d’art with France’s second-largest collection of Rodin works. Musilac returns July 8 to 11, 2027, and David Guetta closes the lakeside festival on Sunday night. Tickets go on sale October 22, and I’d book a hotel right away, because the town fills up fast during festival weekend.

2. Alpe d’Huez

• 📍 Location: Isère, 90 minutes from Grenoble at 1,860m
• ⛷️ Ski Season: December 5, 2026 to April 18, 2027, with 250km of linked slopes
• 🎟️ Lift Pass: €68 a day for adults, or €42.50 from 3pm
• 🎶 2027 Events: Tomorrowland Winter March 20 to 27, Marmotte Granfondo June 27
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Hôtel Grandes Rousses & Spa, ski-in/ski-out with a heated outdoor pool

With around 300 days of sunshine a year, Alpe d’Huez earned the nickname L’Île au Soleil, the island in the sun. This Isère ski resort sits at 1,860m, 90 minutes from Grenoble, and links five villages across 250km of slopes. Cyclists know it for the 13.8km climb from Bourg-d’Oisans, with 21 hairpin bends at an average 8.1% grade, which the Tour de France tackled twice in July 2026.

If you’re a confident skier, I recommend the Sarenne, a 16km black run from Pic Blanc that the resort bills as the longest in Europe. I’d take the Pic Blanc cable car up first thing in the morning, when the steep top section has the best snow and the fewest people. Non-skiers can reach the summit too, since a €26 pedestrian pass covers 37 lifts, including the cable car to 3,330m, and three lifts in the village are free to ride.

Few ski towns in the French Alps throw a party like Alpe d’Huez, and Tomorrowland Winter returns March 20 to 27, 2027. Seven-day packages go on sale October 3 at 3pm CEST, with 4-day packages and festival passes following on October 10, and I’d book the day sales open, because packages bundle your lift pass and lodging. Cyclists can ride the famous climb at the Marmotte Granfondo Alpes, provisionally set for June 27, 2027, after crossing the Croix de Fer, Télégraphe and Galibier passes.

• Read my guide: The Most Beautiful Mountains in France

3. Annecy

• 📍 Location: Haute-Savoie, 40km south of Geneva
• 🏊 Don’t Miss: A swim at the free Plage d’Albigny
• 🎬 2027 Events: Animation Festival June 13 to 19, Fête du Lac August 7, UCI Cycling World Championships August 24 to September 5
• 🎄 Christmas: Noël des Alpes, November 26, 2026 to January 3, 2027
• 🏨 Where to Stay: L’Impérial Palace, a Belle Époque palace on the lakefront

Annecy is a medieval lakeside town in Haute-Savoie, 40km south of Geneva, often called the Venice of the Alps for the Thiou river canals that wind through its Old Town. The 12th-century Palais de l’Isle rises straight out of the water, and I’d walk the Old Town early in the morning before the day-trippers arrive. Lake Annecy is one of the cleanest lakes in Europe, and you can swim for free at Plage d’Albigny or rent an electric boat for a few hours.

For the best view of the lake, I recommend a tandem paragliding flight from Col de la Forclaz above the eastern shore. Flights start at around €100 for 10 to 15 minutes, and you land beside the water at Doussard. I’d book a morning slot, when the air is calmer and flights are less likely to be canceled for wind.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival returns June 13 to 19, 2027, with free outdoor screenings on Le Pâquier. Cycling fans should plan around the UCI Cycling World Championships, held across Haute-Savoie from August 24 to September 5, 2027, with time trials on the lakeshore road from central Annecy to Doussard. In winter, the Noël des Alpes market fills the town with nearly 200 wooden chalets and a natural ice rink by the lake from November 26, 2026 to January 3, 2027.

• 💡 My #1 Tip: Annecy and Chamonix are both easy day trips from Geneva. If you’d rather skip the mountain driving, I highly recommend booking this Chamonix tour from Geneva and taking the bus to Annecy on another day.

4. Chablais Geopark

• 📍 Location: Haute-Savoie, between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc
• 🪨 Geosites: 23 public sites spread across 62 villages
• 🌉 Don’t Miss: Gorges du Pont du Diable, €19 for adults, open early April to late September
• 🚵 2027 Event: UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, August 26 to September 4
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Hôtel Le Bois Joli, mountain views and a heated summer pool

Chablais Geopark is a UNESCO Global Geopark in Haute-Savoie, covering 62 villages between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. Its rocks tell the story of how the Alps formed, and 23 public geosites with information panels help you read the landscape from the lakeshore up to the high peaks. If you’re collecting UNESCO sites, I’d add this underrated corner of the French Alps to your list!

I recommend starting at the Gorges du Pont du Diable, where walkways take you through a limestone gorge and onto a glass platform more than 50m above the river. Entry costs €19 for adults and €14 for kids, and the site is open daily from early April to late September. Allow about 45 minutes and wear sneakers, because the walk drops through an old beech forest with 120m of elevation change.

On a clear day, I’d drive up to the Champeillant panorama at 892m, where panels explain how rain and snow on the plateau filter down to become Evian water. Mountain bike fans can watch the downhill finals of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets on August 27 and 28, 2027. For lunch, look for Abondance cheese from the valley’s farms, and use Évian or Thonon as your base, since Lake Geneva is only a few minutes away for a swim.

5. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

• 📍 Location: Haute-Savoie, 75 minutes from Geneva Airport
• 🚡 Don’t Miss: Aiguille du Midi cable car to 3,842m, €60.20 to €83 round trip
• 🧊 Mer de Glace: Red Montenvers train, then a gondola down to the ice cave
• 🏃 2027 Events: UTMB in late August, UCI World Championships road races in nearby Sallanches
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Hôtel Mont-Blanc, a 5-star with a heated pool facing Mont Blanc

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is a lively mountain town in Haute-Savoie at the foot of Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s highest peak, about 75 minutes from Geneva Airport. It hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924, and it’s still the main base for climbers and skiers heading into the Mont Blanc massif. The old Musée Alpin reopened in spring 2026 as the Musée du Mont-Blanc, and I’d save it for a cloudy day when the summits are hidden.

My first must-do is the Aiguille du Midi cable car, which climbs to 3,842m in about 20 minutes and has a glass box called Step Into the Void hanging over a 1,000m drop. Round-trip tickets cost €60.20 to €83 depending on the date, and you need to book a free time slot online. I’d take the first cabin of the day before the clouds roll in, and plan around the annual closure from November 2 to December 18, 2026.

Back in the valley, the red Montenvers train climbs to the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, where a gondola and about 170 steps lead to an ice cave carved by hand every year. Skiers get a big upgrade this winter, when a new 10-person gondola from Argentière to Lognan reopens the lower Grands Montets in December 2026, with the summit lift due a year later. If you’re planning a day trip to Italy, check the Mont Blanc Tunnel schedule first, because a 15-week fall closure could return in 2027.

• 💡 Tip: Skip the rental car and the tiny €15 parking spaces, and let this Chamonix day trip from Geneva do the hard work. A guide takes you straight into the valley, and with the Mont Blanc Multipass you can ride the Aiguille du Midi all the way up to 3,842m. Pack your passport and a warm jacket, because it’s a lot colder up there than it is in Geneva!

6. Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval

• 📍 Location: Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, Haute-Savoie, 90 minutes from Geneva
• 💦 Best Time: Late May to June, when around 30 waterfalls pour off the cliffs
• 🥾 Walks: Flat Frénalay loop for families, or 3 to 4 hours round trip to the Bout du Monde
• ⚠️ Heads-Up: Access closes whenever a storm warning is issued
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Hôtel Le Choucas, a chalet hotel at the entrance to the cirque

Fer-à-cheval means horseshoe in French, and one look at this hidden gem in France tells you where the name came from. Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval is a giant natural amphitheater near the village of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval in Haute-Savoie, about 90 minutes from Geneva. Limestone cliffs up to 700m high curve around you in a near-perfect U, and in late spring, around 30 waterfalls stream down them.

Few spots in the French Alps are this easy to enjoy, since the flat, stroller-friendly Frénalay loop starts right by the parking lot. For a bigger day, I recommend the trail to the Bout du Monde, which means “end of the world,” where water pours off the rock on every side. Allow 3 to 4 hours round trip and follow the signed route on the right bank, since a 2025 rockfall closed the left-bank path, and note the trail shuts from November to May because of avalanche risk.

Parking costs €7 for 24 hours, and I’d arrive before 9am in July and August to get a space. I’d also take the weather seriously here, because two people died in sudden mudslides in August 2026, and the site now closes automatically whenever storms are forecast. Check the Météo-France forecast before setting off, and in winter, swap your boots for cross-country skis on the trails that lead into the snowy cirque.

7. Courchevel

• 📍 Location: Savoie, about 2.5 hours from Geneva Airport
• ⛷️ Ski Season: December 4, 2026 to April 18, 2027, linked to 600km of Les 3 Vallées slopes
• 🎟️ Lift Pass: €77 a day for Courchevel, or €84.20 for all of Les 3 Vallées
• 🏁 Watch: Women’s World Cup night slalom, December 22, 2026
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Les Airelles, ski-in/ski-out luxury in Courchevel 1850, open December 4 to April 4

Courchevel is a ski resort in Savoie, about 2.5 hours from Geneva, made up of five villages stacked up the same mountainside. It’s part of Les 3 Vallées, the world’s largest linked ski area, with around 600km of groomed slopes. The resort turns 80 this winter, and the celebrations kick off on December 4, 2026, the opening day of the season.

The highest village, Courchevel 1850, has the palace hotels and designer boutiques, but you don’t need to stay there to ski the same slopes. I’d book a room in Courchevel Moriond, the sunniest village, or Le Praz, where a gondola takes you up to 1850 in about six minutes. Advanced skiers should save energy for the steep Couloirs off La Saulire, now easier to reach on the historic Saulire cable car, which reopened in 2025.

If you’re celebrating something big, Le 1947 at Cheval Blanc is the dinner to book, with chef Yannick Alléno holding three Michelin stars in the 2026 guide. Courchevel will host the downhill and super-G at the 2030 Winter Olympics on L’Éclipse, a slope you can ski yourself today. In summer, the gondolas are nearly empty and families picnic by the lake, and I’d come back then for a calmer, more relaxed side of the resort.

• Read next: Most Luxurious Hotels in the World

8. Évian-les-Bains

• 📍 Location: South shore of Lake Geneva, 45 minutes from Geneva
• 💧 Don’t Miss: Filling your bottle for free at the Source Cachat
• ⛳ Big Event: Amundi Evian Championship, July 8 to 11, 2027
• 🎄 Winter: Fabuleux Village des Flottins, December 11, 2026 to January 2, 2027
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Hôtel Royal, a Belle Époque grand hotel above the lake

Évian-les-Bains is a spa town in Haute-Savoie, about 45 minutes from Geneva, where grand old hotels look across Lake Geneva to Switzerland. The town gave its name to one of the world’s best-known bottled waters, and visitors have come for its mineral water since the late 1700s. I like it as a relaxed lakeside base for exploring the Chablais mountains and the French shore of the lake.

Start at the Source Cachat, where anyone can fill a bottle for free with the mineral water that made the town famous in 1789. I’d get there around 7am, before the line of locals and tourists builds later in the morning. From there, it’s a short stroll along the lakefront to the Palais Lumière, a domed 1902 spa building where the Sarah Bernhardt exhibition stays open until January 3, 2027.

Summer brings the Amundi Evian Championship, the only women’s golf major in continental Europe, while December fills the streets with hundreds of driftwood sculptures for the free Fabuleux Village des Flottins. The 35-minute CGN ferry to Lausanne makes an easy day trip to Switzerland, with round trips from around €47 in second class. Bring your passport or ID card, and check the timetable before you go, since the number of daily crossings was cut in 2026.

9. Grenoble

• 📍 Location: Isère, about an hour from Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport
• 🚡 Don’t Miss: Les Bulles cable car to the Bastille fort (closed each January)
• 🎨 Free Museum: Musée de Grenoble’s permanent collection, with works by Matisse and Chagall
• 🚋 Getting Around: Park once and ride the tram, since downtown parking is tight
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Le Grand Hôtel, a central base steps from Place Grenette

Grenoble is a lively city in Isère where the Isère and Drac rivers meet, about an hour from Lyon Airport, with mountains on every side. It hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics and was named European Green Capital in 2022, and it still feels like a mountain town with great museums and a busy food scene. I’d give it at least a full day, or use it as a base for the Vercors and Chartreuse ranges.

My first stop is Les Bulles, the round glass cabins that have carried visitors up to the Bastille fort since 1934 in under four minutes. A round trip costs €9.80, and on clear days the view from the top stretches all the way to Mont Blanc. Plan around the annual maintenance closure, which ran from January 5 to February 6 in 2026, or hike up through the gardens instead.

Back down, I’d head to the Musée de Grenoble, where the permanent collection is free and this fall’s main exhibition on American sculptor Anne Truitt stays open until January 10, 2027. The streets around Place Grenette are perfect for a slow lunch, ideally with a plate of gratin dauphinois, the region’s famous potato bake. I paid €15 to park near my hotel and could barely open the car door, and next time I’ll leave the car at a park-and-ride and take the tram..

• Read next: 17 European Cities with Stunning Nature Nearby

10. Serre Chevalier

• 📍 Location: Hautes-Alpes, near Briançon and the Italian border
• ⛷️ Ski Season: December 5, 2026 to April 18, 2027, across 250km of slopes
• ♨️ Don’t Miss: Les Grands Bains du Monêtier and its new Spa La Rotonde
• 🏰 Day Trip: Briançon’s UNESCO-listed old town, the highest town in France
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Grand Hôtel & Spa Nuxe, ski-in/ski-out in Chantemerle

Serre Chevalier is a ski area in the Hautes-Alpes, made up of a string of old villages along one long valley near Briançon and the Italian border. It’s the largest ski area in the Southern French Alps, with around 250km of slopes, larch forests and famously sunny weather. Because the villages grew up long before the lifts arrived, staying here feels like living in the Alps for a week.

I’d stay in Chantemerle, where the main cable car leaves from the village, and save the tree-lined runs for snowy days when the forest helps you see. After skiing, head to Les Grands Bains du Monêtier, where naturally hot spring water fills indoor and outdoor pools from €25 for two hours. For an adults-only upgrade, the new Spa La Rotonde opened in February 2026 for guests 16 and over, with 3-hour passes from €55 that include the main baths.

Save a full day for Briançon, the highest town in France, where pastel houses line steep cobbled streets inside UNESCO-listed walls built by the military engineer Vauban. It’s one of my favorite beautiful destinations in France, and Italy is only about 15 minutes away if you’re craving pasta for lunch. Olympic freestyle skiers and snowboarders will compete in this valley in 2030, and the resort launches the new Outdoormix Winter Festival from April 2 to 4, 2027.

11. Val d’Isere

• 📍Location: Savoie, near the Italian border, about 3 hours from Geneva
• ⛷️ Ski Season: November 28, 2026 to May 2, 2027, with 300km of slopes shared with Tignes
• 🏁 Watch: Men’s World Cup races on the Face de Bellevarde, December 12 to 13, 2026
• 🛣️ Summer Drive: Col de l’Iseran, the highest paved pass in the Alps (2,770m)
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Les Barmes de l’Ours, a ski-in/ski-out 5-star at the foot of Bellevarde

Val d’Isère is a high-altitude ski village in Savoie, near the Italian border, sitting at 1,850m in the Tarentaise Valley. It shares a linked ski area with neighboring Tignes, giving you around 300km of slopes, and about 60% of them sit above 2,200m. The altitude keeps snow reliable from late November into early May, when lower resorts are often struggling.

Strong skiers should test themselves on the Face de Bellevarde, the steep slope built for the 1992 Olympic downhill. Ski racers open the season here at the Critérium de la Première Neige, and in 2030 the Olympic slalom and giant slalom come to town, with the men on La Face and the women on La Joseray. When the lifts close, I’d head to La Folie Douce above La Daille for its famous afternoon party, or grab lunch at its new La Petite Cuisine in the old cable car station.

In summer, I’d drive the Col de l’Iseran right after sunrise, when the road climbs past glaciers and jagged peaks with barely another car in sight. The pass reaches 2,770m, higher than any other paved pass in the Alps, and it usually stays open from early summer until the first heavy snow in fall. If you’re skiing with young kids, children under 8 ski free on the full area pass, which saves a lot on a family week.

12. Vercors Regional Natural Park

• 📍 Location: Southwest of Grenoble, spanning Isère and Drôme
• 🦎 Don’t Miss: Grotte de Choranche, a one-hour tour past thousands of soda-straw stalactites
• 🥾 Hiking: 4,600km of marked trails, with big views of Mont Aiguille
• 🧀 Local Taste: Saint-Marcellin and Vercors-Sassenage blue cheese
• 🏨 Where to Stay: Les Violettes du Grand Veymont, a 10-person farmhouse gîte facing the Vercors’ highest peak

Ask a Grenoble local where they escape to on weekends, and plenty will point straight up at the cliffs. Vercors Regional Natural Park is the limestone massif rising southwest of the city, with sheer walls on every side and high meadows and small villages on top. I’d plan two days here, one underground and one up high, and both work well in any season.

For the underground day, book the guided tour at the Grotte de Choranche, which takes about an hour and costs €14.20 for adults outside July and August. Your guide will point out olms, rare blind salamanders, in the pools beside two underground rivers, while thousands of thin, hollow stalactites hang overhead in a steady 10°C. Afterward, drive the Combe Laval road, carved into the side of a sheer cliff, but check Drôme road updates first, since a rockfall closed it for a week in March 2026.

Spend your second day hiking the plateaus around Mont Aiguille, a flat-topped tower first climbed in 1492, where marked trails cross wide meadows that rarely feel crowded. The Resistance memorial at Vassieux-en-Vercors explains the 1944 battle fought up here, and I’d allow 90 minutes, noting it closes from November 9 to December 18, 2026. In winter, swap boots for cross-country skis in Autrans, which hosted the Nordic races at the 1968 Olympics.