Holidays to La Clusaz

On an Inghams walking holiday, you have the freedom to explore the area at your own pace. Make each day a new adventure, with as much or as little walking as you like.

Why we love walking in La Clusaz

We love walking in the charming village of La Clusaz, its one of the lesser known summer alpine destinations but that's what makes it so special. Walks in the area vary in ability from family friendly walks to challenging hikes and with quieter trails to discover you get to enjoy the rolling alpine meadows and dramatic peaks - keep your eyes peeled for wildlife along the way with marmots and ibex often found in this area, just make sure to keep your distance. The other sight to look out for is the Mont Blanc, on a clear day and on certain routes you may be able to capture a glimpse of it. You'll also find plenty of mountain refuges dotted around, if you're lucky and pass one that's open we recommend popping in for a refreshing beverage and if its on the menu (which it probably is) then make sure to try the local reblochon cheese.

You'll find that July and August are the warmest months and when most of the summer lifts and public transport are running. Those looking to travel in quieter (and cooler) months may enjoy May, June and September - just note that bus and lift services are reduced.

Summer Lifts

The lifts in La Clusaz are a great way to reach new scenery and hiking trails. During the summer, opening times and dates can vary but generally they're open every weekend from around June 10th and every weekend in September, continuous opening is usually from July 1st to August 27th (payable locally, weather dependent and subject to change).

Public Transport

In the summer months there is a bus service running to connect La Clusaz to nearby towns and villages. It’s a small service but great for seeing the local area and you can always connect to other routes in neighbouring towns to go further (some of the routes are even free). Please note that the bus service is more limited until mid-July. More frequent routes run during August and become limited again in September.

During July and August you can also head to the Arlysère community to make use of the free shuttles (subject to change) and head to the picturesque villages to the south of the Aravis La Giettaz and Flumet.

Circuit des Cascades

• Easy walk
• Elevation gain 130 metres
• Approx. 45 minutes walking time

Begin this walk with a bus journey and head to the starting point in Thônes/Morette on the road to La Balme de Thuy. This walking route has a rich history, with the rock shelter of La Balme de Thuy, home to men nearly 10,000 years ago. Being surrounded by pine to act as fuel, water with plenty of fish and wild game to hunt, the area made a great settlement back then and offers beautiful nature and history to admire today. You can also find the Necropolis of Morette and its history during World War II.

La Croix de Fer

• Easy walk
• Approx. 1 hour 30 minutes of walking
• Elevation of 160 metres

The starting point of this walk is around 7km from the village and a short bus ride away. You’ll begin in the Col des Aravis car park before heading into the mountains to enjoy fantastic scenery and even capture a glimpse of the Mont Blanc.

Lac de Tardevant 

• Elevation of 842 metres
• Approx. 4 hours 30 minutes walk
• Short bus ride to the start of the walk

You’ll begin the walk from the L’Arpettaz Les Confins (4 km from the village), only a short bus ride away. Les Confins is a beautiful plateau below la Chaine des Aravis, with a small lake. It’s a slightly longer walk which is expected to take around 4 hours 30 minutes to complete. On route there are two restaurants, great to stop and enjoy a bite to eat for lunch (subject to opening times and dates) before arriving at the top where you can marvel at the views over the lake “Lac de Tardevant”.

Plateau de Beauregard 

• Approx. 4 hours 15 minutes of walking
• Elevation of 650 metres
• Option to extend the walk

Starting from La Clusaz village you’ll walk through the mountain vista until you reach the top of the peak. It’s a bit of a challenging walk with approx. 650 metres of elevation but you’ll be rewarded with views of the beautiful “La Chaine des Aravis”. You can also take the cable car to reach the "Plateau de Beauregard", where you can walk for a further if you wish.

Le Danay

• Approx. 2 hours of walking
• Elevation of 354 metres

Walk from “Les Confins Chapelle” and enjoy walking for approximately 2hours before reaching the top of the mountain and admiring the views of the cross and "La Chaine des Aravis".

The La Clusaz Tourist Office will have a variety of walk options, resort activities and maps to help you make the most of your holiday.

Recommended equipment

Suitable walking shoes with good grip, appropriate clothing, rain jacket, sun cream, insect repellent, sun glasses, rucksack, at least a litre of water, a re-usable water bottle, a snack and cash. You may find walking poles useful. Equipment is not available to hire in resort but there's a few places where you can buy high quality kit if you need anything.

Hiking guidelines

The mountains are a natural paradise, with lots to explore and discover. To help it stay that way, and remain an enjoyable and safe place for everyone, we recommend following our little list of do's and don'ts:

• Plan your route well and don't overestimate yourself
• Check the weather forecast
• Tell someone where you're planning to walk and what time you're expecting to be back
• Take all the recommended equipment
• Make a note of emergency numbers
• Don't leave the marked trails or go onto a glacier without a guide
• Let nature stay wild by not picking alpine flowers (it's illegal in some places) or getting close to/making contact with wild animals
• Always leave gates as you found them and don't climb over fences
• Leave no trace

Check out our Responsible Walking insider guide if you want more tips for your summer walking holiday.

Flights to Geneva are available from London Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Luton.

Transfer times:

• Geneva airport: approx. 1 hour 15 mins by coach

Private transfers and self drive options are available.

We offer holidays by train to La Clusaz, which depart on a Wednesday and Saturday. The journey takes around 9 hours and 30 minutes and you will get a taxi/coach transfer between Annecy station to your hotel in La Clusaz which takes around 50 minutes.

The provisional outbound timings are: