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Choose between a gentle trek up to the high mountain
pastures to admire the pretty Tarine cows or, for
more challenging walking, there are over 70km of
footpaths close to the Vanoise national park as well
as new projects like the “Glacier Haute
Route”. Many of the area’s
waymarked paths pass through unspoilt traditional
Alpine villages and peaceful mountain lakes like the
Lac Noir in the Clou valley. Some offer stunning
views of Mont Blanc, the Lord of the Alps.
Sainte-Foy is at the centre of some of the largest
resorts in the Tarentaise which makes it wonderful
mountain biking territory. Near the Vanoise
national park, there are some exhilarating freeride
descents in a wild untamed setting where routes of
more than 1000 vertical metres take in goat tracks
and shady forest paths.
The commune of Sainte-Foy is actually made up of 100
hamlets in total including Le Miroir, a protected
site which is known for its eye-catching
Italian-style colonnaded chalets and important
religious architectural heritage. The listed
farming village of Le Monal has a breathtaking
panorama of the Mont Pouri glaciers. There are
several excellent eateries in the area offering
Savoyard specialities in charmingly rustic
surroundings. Within easy driving distance of
Sainte-Foy are the resorts of Tignes, where
it’s possible to practice summer skiing, and
Les Arcs and Val d’Isère which both
offer a wide range of additional activities for the
whole family. Day trips to Italy are also a
possibility from here.
Places of interest in Sainte-Foy
·
Vanoise national park – located between the
Tarentaise and the Maurienne, the Parc de la Vanoise
is one of Europe’s oldest and largest protected
areas and the home of a 2000-strong herd of ibex. One
of the country’s loveliest villages,
Bonneval-sur-Arc, is also to be found there.
With summer glaciers, raging rivers and stunning
scenery, the park is a taste of paradise for hikers.
·
Villaroger – the tourist office can organise a
three-hour guided visit of the baroque church at
Villaroger, as well as the rural, religious and
architectural heritage of La Masure and Le Miroir. At
the end of the visit, there’s the opportunity
to taste a local sweet speciality known as
“farçon ".
Childcare in Ste-Foy
·
"Les P'tits Santaférains" - summer
activities for children aged seven and over: mountain
walks, cycling, outdoor games, badminton, camping,
orienteering, cultural activities (museum, cinema),
climbing, table tennis, fencing, acrobatics,
golf…
Contact
Olivier Empereur: +33 671 85 99 46.
Summer
activities for children aged 7 and over: mountain
walks,
cycling, outdoor games, badminton, camping,
orienteering, cultural
activities, climbing, table tennis, fencing,
acrobatics, golf…
·
Opening
this summer (subject) in July and
August
the
Daycare CUB CLUB Premiere Neige for children from 6
months to 6 years. Information:
+ 33 (0) 4 79 06 30 55
Amenities in Sainte-Foy
Cashpoint, delicatessen, fitness centre, newsagents,
sports shops, beauty salon, antique and bric-a-brac
shop, doctors, dentist, post office.
Guided tours of Villaroger with its Baroque church
and of Le Monal, a renowned listed village.
Visit the village’s cooperative dairy.
Eating Out and Entertainment in Sainte-Foy
Try the charmingly rustic Chez Mérie (Tel: +33
479 06 90 16) in the hamlet of Le Miroir or Chez
Léon (Tel: +33 479 06 90 83) at the top of the
first chairlift which specialises in Savoyard
cuisine. Advance booking is recommended for
both. La Maison à Colonnes (Tel :
+33 479 06 94 80) is a traditional-style restaurant
serving meals in a typical 16th century Savoyard
chalet.
Contacts for activities in Sainte-Foy
Bureau des Guides – tel: +33 614 62 90 24,
www.guide-montagne-tarentaise.com (hiking,
mountaineering, rock climbing, canyoning, via
ferrata, mountain biking)
Climbing course 2 ½ days from
295€/pers
Multi activities course 3 days from
205€/pers
Climbing course 5 days from 615€/pers
Multi activities course 5 days from
420€/pers
Mountain bike course 3 days VTT RTT from 80€
/pers /day
Stage hiking + ascent of a 4000m summit 5 days from
605€/pers
Mountaineering course 5 days from
615€/pers
Mountain biking – A word from the
Tourist office – “Sainte Foy Tarentaise
is a unique riding resort in the Tarentaise Valley. A
network of natural trails offers superb all-mountain
descents and long cross-country roads in one of the
most wild and unspoilt parts of the region, close to
the Vanoise National Park. The roads allow vertical
drops of more than 1,000 m running on trails through
alpine meadows and forests as well as passing through
hidden, unspoilt mountain villages with the stunning
panorama of the glaciers filling your view. The
cross-country routes vary from half-day 15km road to
full-day 40km routes”.
There are no chairlifts running in Summer. Instead
shuttles using 4x4 and bike trailers link 5 key
points (Viclaire, Sainte Foy village, Sainte Foy
resort and Arpettaz Wood) with a vertical drop of
between 1211m and 891m at Viclaire 2102m at the
Arpettaz. The shuttle to Arpettaz allows access to 11
new marked trails grouped into family trails, all
mountain trails and cross country trails.
There
is a Mountain Bike Discovery Day on Sunday 11th July
2010 with free guiding and offers the BBQ
party.
Shuttles run from Sunday 11 July to Thursday 26
August 2010
From Sunday morning to Thursday evening (closed on
Fridays & Saturdays) from 10am to 18:30
continuous Uplifts available from the resort, plus
3-time departures Tabled from Sainte Foy town at 10h,
14h and 17h30 (subject to confirmation).
Trail Grading:
-Green Trail: 1 out of 11
-Blue trails: 3 out of 11
-Red trails: 7 out of 11
Mountain Bike Guides & Instructors:
Major Frank +33 (0) 6 88 38 72 04
Michel Demortier +33 (0) 6 60 57 93 82
Pascal Vincent +33 (0) 6 62 20 27 07
Christophe Arpin +33 (0) 6 14 41 53 70
Free-trail maps available from the Tourist Office
from late June.
White water activities – Mountain River
High, tel: +33 627 273 275,
www.mountainriverhigh.fr
Rafting, wild water swimming,
canoeing and canyoning.
Coureurs de Rivières, tel : +33 479 041
122,
www.coureurs-rivieres.com
White water sports in the Tarentaise and the Aosta
valleys.
Paragliding
ARCS EN CIEL
Paragliding school:
All level courses, tandem flight, paragliding
shop.
Contact : Tél/Fax : +33 (0)4 79 07 61
91
http://www.arcs-en-ciel.com/
Courses for all levels, paragliding school, tandem
flights, mountain sports, rafting, canyoning.
Walking
Sainte Foy is an ideal base for walking having more
than 70kms of footpaths, and being close to the
Vanoise National Park. It offers some exceptional
walks for all levels: hiking and mountaineering,
family walks, full or half day excursions... Sainte
Foy borders Italy for 25kms, offering many
opportunities for border crossings, the two most
common being the Col du Rocher Blanc, and the Col du
Mont.
Guided visits
A guided visit of the baroque church at Villaroger,
and the rural, religious and architectural heritage
at the hamlets of La Masure and Le Mirior. At the end
of your visit you will have the opportunity to taste
a local specialty known as "Farcon”.
This 3 hour visit will be led by a local guide. Enrol
at tourist office.
Guide publisher Cicerone is worth a look at for
books on Walking in the Tarentaise and Beaufortain
Alps visit
www.cicerone.co.uk
All the above information is for information only.
For the most up-to-date information please visit the
resort tourist office website
Sainte-Foy
Tarentaise Tourist Office
Tel: +33 4 79 06 95 19
www.saintefoy.net
Access to Sainte-Foy
By Road: Driving distance from Calais to
Sainte-Foy 610 miles (approx 9hrs15)
Motorway A 43 Lyon/Albertville
Main road N 90 Bourg-Saint-Maurice
By Rail: Eurostar runs direct services from
London to Bourg-Saint-Maurice on Friday night and
Saturday. Or take the Eurostar service to Paris or
Lille and change to regular SNCF services to
Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
Airports:
Chambery Airport is 111km from Sainte Foy (1 ½
hours)
www.chambery-airport.com
Grenoble Airport is 178km from Sainte Foy (1 ½
hours)
www.grenoble-airport.com
Geneva Airport is 190km from Sainte Foy (2 hours)
www.gva.ch/en
Lyon Airport is 188km from Sainte Foy (2 ½
hours)
www.lyonairport.com
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