The Aravis villages - perfect for short walking breaks

The beautiful Aravis mountain region in the French alps is ideal for a short mountain walking weekend holiday and a perfect Walk Weekender location. Our lodge is based in the small village of Saint Jean de Sixt, but the resort itself is comprised of 3 villages - St Jean de Sixt, La Clusaz and Grand Bornand - and the majestic Aravis Mountain range. After exploring the resorts you may like to venture slightly farther afield to explore the Haute Savoie region, including the stunning medieval lakeside town of Annecy, just half an hour away..

A summary of these alpine resorts:

A huge choice of mountain walking, varying from woodland paths and rolling open pastures to stony tracks and limestone pavements
Alpine resort full of traditional Savoyard charm - including the weekly markets, cow fairs and various summer festivals
Good selection of mountain restaurants, quaint refuges and lively cafes and bars
Great choice of "non-walking" mountain activities both in resort and within the surrounding areas, such as paragliding or city days out
Stunning alpine views with a wide variety of scenery
Beautiful traditional wooden villages overflowing with colourful summer flowers
Transfer time from Geneva of less than an hour
Clement weather and conditions for most of the summer season

La Clusaz village The main town of La Clusaz is supported by nearby Grand Bornand and St Jean de Sixt, where our Lodge is situated, to make up the trio of villages which form this French weekend resort. In St Jean we are barely 2km from each centre and with our transport either village is just a couple of minutes away.The area has long been a popular mountain holiday destination for the French and Swiss who rate the outdoor activities and walking in the French alps highly, and regularly visit at weekends. We are glad to have discovered their little secret, just an hour away from Geneva. See more pictures of the villages and resorts on our photos pages.

La Clusaz Market Each village is based around the church, main square and the traditional "centre ville" and still retains a very appealing French atmosphere. The majority of buildings in all three villages are traditional chalet style with wooden tiled sloping roofs, enourmous colourful window boxes and pretty wooden shutters. La Clusaz has some lovely boutique shops selling typical Savoyard fayre, both food stuffs and souvenirs. Grand Bornand and St Jean de Sixt have less gift shopping but will certainly be able to provide you with whatever you need. All three are very pleasant for an after dinner stroll, maybe walking along the wide river banks in Grand Bornand, watching the beach volleyball in the centre of La Clusaz or strolling past beautiful gardens in St Jean.

All three villages have a friendly community feel and put on plenty of entertainment during the summer evenings which are always fun to take part in or just observe from a nearby bar over a glass of local wine. Go to the Local Weekends of Note page to see the sorts of events in which you can take part over the summer.

Mountain Restaurants

Mountain buvette The mountain restaurants are well noted in the Aravis, offering good quality Savoyard cuisine with full meals for under £10 as well as selling good beer and very pleasant local wines too! You will also come across various refuges and buvettes on the mountain providing a convenient excuse to break your walk for a coffee or beer to go with your lunchtime sandwich. Most of these buvettes and refuges are perched on rocky outcrops or set back in the pastures, all offering wonderful views with your refreshments.

Bars and Cafes

Mountain Cairn La Clusaz is well served for bars and cafes in which to unwind and relax after a day walking in the French Alps. There are lots of lovely coffee shops, a couple doubling as patisseries, meaning it's too tempting to resist a sticky pastry or fruit tart with your coffee! There are also several venues ideal for a pre-dinner drink as you watch the sun set, pink-tinged over the high alpine peaks, or for later entertainment you can try out the L'Ecluse nightclub which has a glass dancefloor over the river.