- High Altitude Cheesemaker
- Alpine Cheeses
- Pension de Savoie, Abondance
- Colombe de Paix
- The Mountain Chalet
- Tradition & Nature
- Summer Home
Route des Grandes Alpes
We take to the road and drive down the Route des Grandes Alpes in the French Alps. From Thonon-les-Bains on Lac Léman the Route provides an amazing alpine experience.
Cycling the Route du Parpaillon
The Route du Parpaillon in the Vallée de l'Ubaye, southern Alps. The Tunnel du Parpaillon is the highest road tunnel in Europe, popular for walkers and cyclists and with stunning mountain scenery.
Summer Home
Tradition & Nature
Revealed: The Life of l’Alpagiste
There’s simply nothing to compare with the complex flavours of cheeses created on the mountains by a handful of artisan producers.
When the springtime thaw begins the cattle are herded to pastures on the valley sides to enjoy the fresh spring grass – as the snow-line continues to retreat the cattle are moved to successively higher locations. Accompanying his herd is the alpagiste, who from now until the autumn will both live and make his cheeses in simple, chalet-style stone mountain buildings.
We visit Jean-Pierre Blanc (who received the ultimate accolade of a Gold Medal in Paris for his own lovingly-crafted Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage) to see him at work in a remote location amid the very highest of mountain pastures, above the Lac de Roselend in the Beaufortain region of the French Alps.
Read the full feature here. 
New Lease of Life for an Historic Bar
The Pension de Savoie, one of the oldest bars in France , has recently undergone a complete refurbishment. This was something of a challenge for chef owner Franck Patelli and his wife, who were determined to retain the atmosphere of the old place in the village of Abondance, whilst creating a successful 21st-century restaurant.
Desite rigorous planning restraints, Franck managed to retain the original layout and many of the original features, as well as adding a few original touches of his own.
Alpine Regional Cheeses
ALPINE CHEESES are produced according to the rhythms of the seasons, using methods passed down through generations of local farmers. We take a look at where the cheese is produced, the artisan cheesemakers and sample some recipes.
Find out more about Abondance, Beaufort, Reblochon and the goat's cheese Grataron.
Carving La Colombe de la Paix
The Colombe de la Paix or Dove of Peace is a mountain tradition established around the time of the First World War by the bergers whose livestock grazed the lush pastures of the local alpages. We look on as Benoit Folliet, award winning craftsman gives a spellbinding demonstration of how to carve a flying dove of incredible delicacy using a classic Opinel pocket-knife.
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Mountain Chalet: Design Classic
Despite their instantly-recognisable popular image, traditional chalet architectural styles can vary greatly from one region (or even one valley) to another. These now highly-desirable mountain dwellings are also supremely practical, built using centuries of experience and refinement. We take a detailed look at what has made the Alpine chalet a design classic.
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Travel to France by train...
Travelling to France this summer can be a much more relaxing affair with .
Enjoy more time on holiday..
Long hours getting to your destination can really spoil the adventure. allows you the freedom to choose how you travel, arriving fresh and relaxed at your destination. Book now on
Self-drive mountain holidays in France
Travel to France by ferry and some of the best summer scenery in the world. Enjoy the freedom of taking unlimited baggage and up to 9 people per car via .
Book your journey with P&O Ferries
Service and Comfort with SWISS
Year round flights from the UK to Geneva offer a huge choice of stunning holiday destinations throughout the Alps.
When the snows have retreated for another year, the mountains reveal a whole new side to their personality. Ski terrain reverts to lush pastures erupting with countless wildflowers and grazed by the dairy cattle who provide the rich milk for a host of celebrated mountain cheeses.
Bright red geraniums highlight the balconies of mountain chalets where bees buzz lazily around their colouful hives. Life moves at a slower pace here and is steeped in tradition and undeniably intertwined with the seasons and the land.
