Col des Aravis - Bogneuve - Chaucisse - Flumet

Mountain pass (alt: 1498m) – means of passage between Savoie and Haute Savoie. Magnificent views over Mont-Blanc. Alpine meadows, hiking trails, restaurants…

A chapel which is situated at the Col des Aravis and is dedicated to Saint Anne, patron saint of travellers. Originally built in 1650, it was rebuilt around 1765 by the priest from La Giettaz. Even though it is officially located in La Clusaz, the chapel is maintained by both parishes.

A mountain chalet facing Mont-Blanc where you can enjoy gourmet dishes. A unique setting in the great outdoors, accessible to all. A gourmet break in an old alpine chalet.Just a stone's throw from the Col des Aravis, calm and serenity assured, we will welcome you with good humour. Come and taste our traditional and local cuisine, made from carefully chosen products and as close to home as possible. Here, everything is home-made!

The Chalet du Curé, with its imposing outline and four-sided roof, reflects the influence of religious orders on the architecture of alpine farmhouses. Indeed, in the olden days, alpine mountain farms were often worked by monks.Some people claim that the chalet owes its name to its unusually-shaped roof, resembling an ecclesiastical badge, but that’s not the case. The chalet quite simply belonged to the parish priest, Abbé Balmand of St-Nicolas la Chapelle. Having once belonged to a Count of Flumet, it was confiscated during the Revolution and sold, in 1799, with the profits going to the French Republic. Stunning place from where you can enjoy views over the Aravis, the valley of Le Plan and other surrounding peaks : La Mïa, La Croisse-Baulet, Ramadieu, Le Christomet and Le Torraz. In the foreground you can see L'Etale and the Aravis chain of mountains. There is also a beautiful view of the Mont-Blanc mountain range.

Large chapel or small church? The hamlet of Chaucisse was a very long walk from the parish church… especially in winter! In 1818, therefore, a chapel was erected in the village in order to be able to celebrate services… without the risk of travel.In 1815, Joachim Dumax-Baudron (1750-1828), former cook of Marshal Berthier, originally from Chaucisse, decided to bequeath a chapel and a school to his hamlet of origin. The chapel, dedicated to Saint François de Sales, was built in 1818. Ten years later, by decision of the bishop, it became a parish church. But in the 1960s, with the demographic decline, the parish was finally attached again to Saint-Nicolas-la-Chapelle. The tavaillons (wooden “tiles”) roof and painted walls of this private chapel have recently been restored. Inside, you will find furniture and decoration in which the artistic tastes of the Baroque period are expressed.

Picnic area with rustic tables, close to the lake. Somewhere to enjoy good company and relaxation.

The lake, situated between Albertville and Mégève, is ideal for swimming and relaxation and makes up part of the Arrondine leisure centre with its various sporting facilities and children’s play equipment. Set in a leafy corner of the area.Supervised swimming in July and August. ATTENTION: vacation centers, groups or other groups may access the lake only in the morning until 12:00 noon or after 6:00 p.m. under the condition that they have their own means of surveillance and rescue, and under their own responsibility.

The Château des Faucigny, fortified in the 12th century, is now a ruin. However, the building was once of great architectural and historical value and was part of the original development of Flumet.Flumet’s location, on a rocky spur above the river Arly and where the two mountain passes of Aravis and Les Saisies meet, meant that from the 11th century it was at the southern tip of the Lords of Faucigny’s estates, bordering the House of Savoy's territory. Because of these geo-strategic reasons, the Lords of Faucigny decided to build a château in the vicinity. It’s not possible to give an accurate date for the build, although some historians think it dates back to the 11th century. However, it is known that Aimon II of Faucigny extended the château de Flumet in around 1200. It was built in polygonal form with thick walls and has a square tower in the centre. It was only after the château was built that the fortified town of Flumet was created: the château is therefore the starting point of this village’s history. Principally a place of residence, it was initially home to the Lords of Faucigny on an occasional basis before it became their main residence, demonstrating the influence they had on the territory. It was a defensive building, serving as an advance position in the face of the threat from the neighbouring Savoyards. Once the Faucigny lands fell into the possession of the House of Savoy in 1355, it lost its military importance. From the 15th century, the château slowly fell into ruin, maintained from time to time by the inhabitants of the village. After the village fire of 1679, the local residents were allowed to rebuild their houses with stones from the château, although they were not permitted to touch the tower. As a result of these events and the ravages of time, the château’s general state of repair has worsened considerably over the last few years and is close to disappearing forever.

The Maison De Bieu, standing on the edge of the village, is a 15th C fortified house with a distinctive square tower adjacent to the living area. Long-time home to the De Bieu family, it is Flumet’s last maintained and inhabited “château”.The De Bieu fortified house got its name from the family who inhabited it during a long time: the De Bieu or De Bieux (de Biolli, de Biollo - coming from the word "bouleau" which means birch tree). This family was very influential in the town and command of Flumet between the 14th and the 18th century. Situated outside the wall of the medieval town, the De Bieu house has kept its aspect and a part of its old remainings through the ages, including a square tower, a private chapel and armorial bearings carved above the entrance. It is still inhabited but is now private.

Flumet’s suspended houses, with their foundations built into the actual rock, overlook the river Arly 40m below. The only example of its kind in Savoie, this architectural group of buildings is most unusual, with breathtaking, dizzying views.It was in the 13th century that the Lords of Faucigny founded the village of Flumet. In order to attract people to the area, they granted franchises (freedoms and privileges) to the burghers of Flumet, each of them being given an equal-sized parcel of land to build their house on. Having created the village, they built walls around it. On the Arly side of the village, the houses were built on the rocky spur overhanging the river by several tens of metres : it was therefore not necessary to fortify the enclosure at this point, as the geography of the place offered sufficient natural protection. A gate marked the entrance to the village on this side and you can still see the opening today in the Rue du Mont-Blanc. It led to a path that runs down to the river Arly, enabling access to Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe. Since the 13th century, despite the village fire in 1679 and various other tribulations over time, the appearance of the suspended houses has changed very little (see the cadastral plans dated 1730), except for the gradual loss of shingled roofs and the appearance of modern features (satellite dishes, big windows, plain bannisters) which has toned down the traditional charm of this style of architecture. However, the suspended houses have retained their unique style with their tangle of balconies, galleries, homes, stairways, chimneys etc. Indeed, the stone foundations that you can see probably go back to the beginnings of the village. Not forgetting their dizzying aspect which just has to be seen and which can be viewed from different points in the village (Place du Château, Pont des Abymes, Lacets des Avenières).