Les Avanchers Valmorel: Villages, heritage and hiking destinations

Villages and local traditions

Les Avanchers-Valmorel consists of 13 villages separated by the Torrent du Morel, including the Valmorel resort. When searching, choose your preferred point of reference and check the exact location in each listing.

A local tradition offers another glimpse of the area: the Four de Lancheverne is still occasionally used for baking bread at village celebrations, especially in early August during the Avanchers festival. The exact festival date may vary. If you plan to attend, check the latest event dates.

Churches and heritage

The Église Saint-André was built in 1676 in the Baroque style. Its Romanesque bell tower houses a bell dating from 1613. The church can be visited free of charge every day throughout the year; visitors are asked to remain quiet. The Musée du patrimoine avancherain is a free museum in the former town hall of Les Avanchers-Valmorel. As visiting arrangements may change, it is worth checking the latest information before your trip.

The Oratoire Saint Roch also brings together heritage and landscape. It was rebuilt beside the ski run of the same name after the former building was destroyed in 1978/80 during the development of the Valmorel ski slopes. Its reconstruction revived the tradition of blessing herds and alpine pastures; an open-air blessing took place on 25 August 2012. The Oratoire is open free of charge every day throughout the year, but the chapel can only be viewed from the outside.

The Espace patrimonial et ancien presbytère focuses on the beginnings of skiing in the valley, including the tradition known as “La bénédiction des skis” (“The blessing of the skis”). Together with the history of the church and the Oratoire Saint Roch, this site offers a glimpse into different chapters of the local heritage.

Hiking destinations and trails

The Plan d’eau de Malatrait was created as a hiking destination in 2010. It is about an hour’s walk from the resort and can be reached via a trail intended for alpine pasture farmers. The lake lies on two circular hiking routes and offers views of the Col de la Madeleine, Mont Blanc and the Lauzière massif. Its combination of a hiking destination, circular routes and named viewpoints makes it a clear reference point for exploring on foot.

Another option is the “En route to the hamlets around Le Morel” route: it starts and ends in Valmorel and passes through Les Avanchers-Valmorel. Check trail conditions before setting out. The route and the Plan d’eau de Malatrait are two distinct reference points for planning your outings.

Ski area and seasonal activities

The Grand Domaine de Valmorel covers 3,600 hectares at an altitude of 1,250 to 2,550 metres and offers 165 kilometres of ski runs. The Valmorel ski area has five designated access points. Operating conditions and lift access vary by season, and access arrangements may also change seasonally. If winter sports are a key reason for your trip, take this seasonal focus into account when planning.

For a summer visit, the Valmo'bourricot farm offers a small animal park with mountain-region animals, donkey rides and soap made from donkey milk. The farm is open in summer. Alongside hiking trails and heritage sites, this gives you the option of including seasonal farm activities in your trip.

Getting to Valmorel

Moûtiers-Salins is the nearest railway station for travel to Valmorel. Connecting services vary by season and should be checked before your trip. This information applies to Valmorel; when planning, keep in mind which destination within the municipality you wish to reach.

Discover more destinations: La Côte-D'aime, Montcel, Valmorel, Modane, Jarsy, Aix-Les-Bains, Saint-Avre, Frontenex.

See the broader travel overview: Savoie.