Destination: Chambéry, France

On my very last day in Grenoble over an extended weekend in September, I decided to do one final day trip before I needed to head back to my town. Prior to that, I’d already visited the château de Vizille and Annecy, which were both beautiful places, and so I aimed to continue discovering more lovely towns and cities in the French Alps region.

I’d actually gone back-and-forth about visiting Chambéry, an Alpine town that’s the gateway to ski resorts. That said, the city itself is relatively touristy, although at the same time it retains a quiet, small-city charm to it. The reason why I’d initially hesitated to go was because many people whom I’d talked to who’d visited said that there wasn’t much to do. It wasn’t until I messaged a girl who’d been an assistante there a couple of years ago, and she said that it was worth a go. I’m glad that I took her advice, because Chambéry turned out to be a wonderful surprise!

I woke up early on my last day in Grenoble. Since I wanted to maximize the amount of time I had to visit Chambéry, I took all of my belongings and quietly said goodbye to my host (as she was sleeping), also thanking her for the stay. Although I had to return to Grenoble later that day, I would just be staying in the gare/gare routière, as they were adjacent to each other, so I could catch my bus back to town that evening. Granted, I had to carry all of my stuff around Chambéry, but it wasn’t a big deal– exploring was more important!

I caught the 8:30 train to Chambéry. It was a short ride, about 45-50 minutes and soon enough I arrived into its train station. As soon as I got off the train, I headed straight out of the city center and towards the outskirts, much of which is nature. I’d gotten advice on things to see in Chambéry from the former assistante there, and two of them were outside of the center. Since I had limited time (no more than five hours), I knew to visit the outskirts first before making my way back into the city proper. Call it meticulous planning, but I call it maximizing my visit to the fullest!

Chambéry is actually fairly hilly as you go outside of it. As it was the entire weekend (heck, the entire month), weather was great, albeit sweltering. Hiking up hills with a travel backpack is enough to make you sweat within minutes, even sooner if you walk fast (as I tend to do). All the same, I passed through street after street in the residential part of town– I went on a Sunday, so it was really quiet, and I enjoyed the peaceful silence of it all.

About 40 minutes later, I reached my first destination: cascades Jacob Bellecombette. Situated in the neighborhood commune called Jacob Bellecombette, it’s basically a cluster of small waterfalls located in a natural part of town, where nature-aficionados can enjoy a hike. I didn’t manage to see the larger cascades, but I did get to check out a small one. Although barely a trickle, the waterfall was still lovely, and I spent a moment taking a seat on the moss-covered rocks next to it, enjoying the view.

Backtracking my route, I headed then to my next stop, which was the Maison de Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Situated in Les Charmettes, this was once the house of Swiss-born Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who pioneered the Enlightenment era and inspired ideas of the French Revolution in the 18th century. While not his birth home, the house was where he spent a notable amount of his life while writing philosophy that we apply today. Plus, it’s located at the foothills of the countryside, with a small vineyard and background views of the sweeping, sublime Alps. Made the 45-minute hike over all the more worth it!

The house is a museum today and, although it was open that Sunday, I opted not to pay and visit, mostly due to limited time. It would’ve been nice to get a peek inside, but alas, it’ll have to be for another occasion!

Following those two visits, I finally made my way back to Chambéry proper, where I checked out its historic center, with sweeping pedestrian streets decorated with Savoie flags overhead. The Savoyard culture is certainly strong in this city, as it prides itself in its distinctive culture within France.

I passed by its theater before strolling down the main pedestrian street rue Saint-Léger, which had plenty of colorful old houses and fountains with plenty of charm to them. People were outside on the terraces enjoying their drinks and lunch, along with plenty of boutiques to shop at (although many were closed that Sunday). In any case, this street is where everything comes together, in the very heart of the city.

Just a minute away was the château des Ducs de Savoie, which was towering in its stature. Unfortunately, I couldn’t access its mi-rond (rounded tower) upon which one could get rooftop views of Chambéry, so I just checked out its small exhibit on Savoie history inside, and then left.

After passing through the rue Basse du Château, I decided to get lunch. I managed to find a restaurant that was open on Sundays, along with serving regional dishes. One dish that’s local to the area is the tartiflette, which I’d originally planned on ordering– however, its sibling, the croziflette, called out to me, and I ended up getting that. It’s essentially a casserole of tiny, squared pasta, smothered with cream and bacon and topped with melted Savoyard cheese. It’s very rich, to say the least. Admittedly, my dish came out somewhat lukewarm, which didn’t make it as tasty as intended– additionally, eating hot food on a hot day didn’t settle the best for me, but it was still a good meal.

Following lunch, I continued exploring Chambéry’s historic center, coming across its cathedral and the iconic fontaine des Éléphants. Consisting of four elephant statues projecting water out of their trunks, this statue was inspired by a French general in the 19th century who’d gone to India and was inspired by the culture he saw there, as well as the elephants. I found it rather distinctive to the city, and of course, I took plenty of photos!

Soon enough, it was time for me to head back to the station to take the train back to Grenoble, then my bus back to my city in the Lyon region. I arrived home in the evening, tired but happy to have had the opportunity for an extended weekend to get out of town and flex my travel muscles once more. The Grenoble region is absolutely gorgeous (after all, it’s near the Alps), and it definitely merits a trip over!

More adventures ahead– until then!