The Savoie is a land of predilection for motorbike tourism: grandiose landscapes, a string of curves and passes, not forgetting the superb lakes of Annecy, Bourget and Leman. It is towards the latter that our first circuit of 220 km (4.5 hours) will take you before returning to the mountains and the Route des Grandes Alpes.
There are 4 tourist stops on this route. You are free to stay for a few minutes or a few hours.
- Yvoire
- Castle of Ripaille (*)
- Devil's Bridge Gorge (*)
- Faucigny Castle
(*) Please check the opening hours and booking possibilities.
1. Yvoire : Stone houses with wooden balconies, alleys full of wisteria and geraniums... It is called the pearl of Lake Geneva. Dominating the shores of the lake, which made the village a port for fishermen and boatmen, the square keep is one of the vestiges of Yvoire's medieval past.
2. Ripaille castle: Ripaille, located between Thonon and Evian on the shores of Lake Geneva, is one of the most remarkable places of history, nature and beauty in Haute-Savoie. Formerly the residence of the Dukes of Savoy and a Carthusian monastery, the site, then in ruins, was acquired in 1892 by an aesthetic industrialist, Frédéric Engel-Gros, who turned it into a total work of art, including the historic buildings, the gardens and the large park.
3. Devil's Bridge Gorge : In an exceptional forest environment, the Gorges du Pont du Diable offer a striking image of the power of erosion. The Dranse de Morzine rushes through a deep fissure dominated by an imposing arch. A glass floor is suspended 50 metres above the Dranse de Morzine to allow you to discover this superb natural site
4. Faucigny castle: Built in the 13th century, the Château des Sires de Faucigny is the only surviving example of Savoyard military architecture from the Middle Ages in the Savoy region. This vast building follows a regular plan known as a Savoyard square: a quadrilateral with a cylindrical tower at each corner. Successively a seigneurial residence and then a count's residence, it was transformed into a prison during the 16th century and kept this role until 1945.