A park with a wide variety of plants, a walking route through eight natural sites, and a château accessible only on guided tours: Chambéry offers different ways to enjoy a stay shaped by nature and history. You can choose which to focus on according to your interests, rather than combining all the sights into a fixed itinerary.

Green discoveries in Chambéry

Parc du Verney is the city’s oldest park. Its tree and plant species, along with the variety of its floral displays, give a visit a botanical focus. If you’re interested in local flora and fauna across several locations, the Parcours nature offers a different way to explore: this themed route passes through eight sites in the city where you can discover local plant and animal life.

The two options offer different perspectives. Parc du Verney showcases the variety within a single park, while the Parcours nature spreads its nature theme across several urban locations. Another option is Parc des Monts, which has hiking trails and fitness trails. When planning, you can therefore choose between plant diversity, a nature trail, and exercise on hiking or fitness trails. Information about trail length or difficulty is not included in these descriptions, so plan your visit around the activities you actually want to enjoy.

Château, fountain and Savoyard history

The Château des ducs de Savoie is a fortified castle and princely palace associated with the rule of the Counts and Dukes of Savoy. It can be visited only on guided tours. These tours include the old town of Chambéry, the château’s courtyard of honour and its Sainte-Chapelle. Before your visit, check the current access conditions, as well as any reservation and security requirements.

For directions when travelling there: the château is accessible near bus lines A, C, D, 1, 2 and 19. The transit network may change, so check it before setting off. The Fontaine des Eléphants offers a different perspective on the city’s history. It was built in 1838 in honour of General de Boigne. Its design combines a fountain, column and statue, with four elephants forming the Cross of Savoy. The monument can thus be understood not only through its dedication, but also through its distinctive composition.

Museums: Savoy and Italian painting

The Musée Savoisien focuses on the history and cultures of Savoy. Housed in a 13th-century monastery, the museum displays 2,000 objects across seven themed sections. Interactive exhibition areas, digital games, films and a large projected map model let you explore at your own pace. If these visitor facilities are important to your plans, check the museum’s current information in advance.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts has a different focus: its collection consists mainly of Italian paintings and spans the late Middle Ages to the early 20th century. When choosing which museums to visit, you can therefore distinguish between the history and cultures of Savoy at the Musée Savoisien and the collection of Italian paintings at the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Eurêka adds to Chambéry’s exhibition offerings with interactive, free exhibitions.

Choose a focus for your stay

For a trip with an interest in cultural history, the château, Fontaine des Eléphants and museums offer different ways to explore history, architecture and collections. If you’d like to include nature and exercise, you can consider Parc du Verney, the Parcours nature, or the hiking and fitness trails at Parc des Monts. This selection describes different themes, not a set route connecting the sites. For a visit to the château, access by guided tour is especially important to plan for; if travelling by bus, it’s worth checking the current network.

Discover more destinations: Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis, Chignin, Saint-Alban-de-Montbel, Saint-Martin-De-Belleville, Le Bourget-Du-Lac, Crest-Voland, Thoiry, Mouxy

For the broader travel overview: Savoie.