Water Activities in the French Alps
The Alps are home to some beautiful areas for watersports. Take advantage of the scenic natural lakes, family-friendly swimming spots and man-made watersports areas, and enjoy the mountains from a whole other angle. Enjoy a wide variety of sports, find inspiration and ideas below.
Natural swimming spots
There’s nothing like the feeling of swimming in a natural lake in the French Alps. Combloux has a beautiful ecological lake perfect for family swimming (pictured above), or try Lac Flumet near Notre Dame de Bellecombe or the Lac aux Dames in Samoëns, which forms part of an outdoor swimming complex. Get more ideas on our blog.
Recommended stays...
Les Fermes du Mont Blanc, Combloux offers everything needed for a great value, comfortable summer holiday. Located in an ideal position to visit the charming authentic village and the ecological lake.
Le Village, Notre-Dame de Bellecombe is ideally located right in the heart of the village by the church: very close to the shops, mini-market, bakery, restaurants and bars. Facilities include an indoor heated swimming pool.
Les Chalets de Layssia, Samoëns offers an unrivalled village centre location. It's wonderfully convenient for all the shops, restaurants and amenities. Private indoor heated swimming pool with a separate pool for children.
Sailing
There are several natural lakes in the Alps that offer sailing for your summer holidays. For example, on Lake Annecy (the purest lake in Europe) there are several sailing clubs offering lessons - or for you can rent a boat with a driver! The Maurienne Valley also has various lakes. Or head to Lac aux dames in Samoëns which form part of the large swimming complex. Many lakes offer sailing lessons in the summer months.
Recommended stays...
Les Chataigniers, Annecy is set in a quiet location surrounded by open spaces. Facilities include both an outdoor and indoor pool, children’s play area and daily pony rides (in July and August during school holidays)!
Les Chalets de Flambeau, Val Cenis are luxurious apartments. Facilities include an indoor pool and paddling-pool with hot tubs, saunas, steam room and fitness room. You may also find time to be pampered in the luxurious Ô des Cîmes Spa!
Residence Alexane, Samoëns is perfectly located just 150m from the resort centre and enjoys one of the most convenient positions in the resort. Facilities include an indoor pool and separate children’s pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room, Nordic bath, sensory shower and fitness room!
Canoe, Kayaking & Rafting
Canoeing and kayaking are available on many Alpine rivers and some of our summer resorts offer lessons and tour experiences led by guides. Try kayaking in Tignes or any of the resorts in the Mont Blanc area make a great base for the Arve river - a great spot for canoeing. The Giffre River is a popular mountain watersports destination for rafting. Waterfalls, narrow gorges and the wide Vallon plane create the perfect currents for white water rafting holidays and Samoens makes a great base to make the most of this rafting hot spot.
Recommended stays...
Le Telemark, Tignes Le Lac is a prestige residence located at the entrance of the resort. 300m from the centre of Le Lac, its shops, restaurant and activities.
La Reine des Pres, Samoens is a 4* luxury residence set in the main village with indoor pool, sauna, hammam and hot tub. It has views of the Criou peak.
Canyoning
A unique guide-led experience exploring canyons and gorges along the Alpine rivers. Think all the adventures rolled into one - you can slide down natural water-slides, jump into pools, abseil down waterfalls and even zipline across ravines! Usually, participants have to be 8+, be able to swim and not be scared to jump 3-4 meters. There are plenty of opportunities to try canyoning in Chamonix and its surrounding areas such as Les Houches and Vallorcine. There are also many locations in the Grand Massif.
Recommended stays...
Le Cristal de Jade, Chamonix is just 200m from the centre of Chamonix, These luxurious apartments combine traditional alpine architecture with high-standard and modern facilities.
Elena, Les Houches is perfectly located in one of the most convenient positions, right in the village centre. It is the perfect base for a relaxing stay in this beautiful resort, as well as for exploring beyond in the Chamonix valley.
Les Portes du Mont Blanc, Vallorcine is in a beautiful location with fab facilities including a leisure area with a pool, sauna and steam room. There's also a spa to unwind in.
This is just a taster of what the French Alps can offer! Other watersports you can try include hydrospeeding, air-boating, paddleboarding, jet skiing and windsurfing. Discover the best places for watersports, or if you have any questions call 023 9283 9310 or send an email to learn more about summer mountain holidays in France.
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