Six Things To Do in Chambery

1. Walk around the ancient town

The old town has many cobbled streets and beautiful medieval buildings and Traboules which are shortcut alleyways linking the streets.  They are reminiscent of the Traboules of Lyon.  The Place Saint-Léger is the main area of the old town and all down the Rue Saint-Léger was a wonderful brocante the day we visited.  This Brocante (flea market) is held on the 2^nd Saturday of each month.

2. Visit The Cathédrale Saint Francois de Sales

This cathedral has one of the biggest examples of Trompe L’oeil paintings in Europe around 6000m2 by the 19th Century artists Sevesi and Vicario.  The Cathedral was established in 1799 but built in the 15th Century.  Having been extensively defaced during the French Revolution the interior was completely renovated in the 19th Century.

3. See The Fontaines des Éléphants

This is a 17.6 mètre high fountain built in honour of Général de Boigne who dedicated some of his wealth made in the East Indies, to the town of Chambery.  The fountain features four elephants but only their fronts, so the fountain is fondly known by locals as the ‘quatre sans cul’ which literally translated means the 'bumless' four. The Fountain is situated at the top of the Rue de Boigne.

4. Enjoy coffee and a local Praline brioche at one of the many cafes lining the streets

It was fun to sit out on the terrace of The Ernest Patisserie and café at 49 Place Saint-Léger and watch the sellers and buyers at the Brocante.
We found very good coffee at a Scandinavian designed café called Café Initiés with a small square to sit outside on a pretty small back street called Rue Derrière les Murs.

5. Indulge in the sights, sounds and smells in the wonderful Les Halles on the Place de Genève

A fabulous covered food market offering a myriad of local produce, meats, fish, wines, cheeses, charcuterie, patisseries, bread, flowers…Open Tuesday – Saturday in the mornings from 7am until 12.30

6. Eat a great lunch

This wouldn’t be a Taste of Savoie guide without a good lunch. I narrowed my list down to three places which all looked wonderful and I plan to go back and try the other 2.  The place we chose for lunch was L’Atelier, 59 Rue de la République and had a covered outdoor terrace which was perfect for this late summers day.  Lunch was the menu du jour reasonably priced for 3 courses at €21,00 or choice of an entrée and plat or plat and dessert for €18,00 (prices correct at time of writing September 2018). The Chef proprietor Gilles Hererd has been at L’Atelier for 10 years after being responsible for the opening of Kilimandjaro in Courchevel, now renamed to K2.  During his career, he has worked under some very well known chefs including Paul Bocuse and Alain Ducasse.

The other 2 restaurants that I want to try are both Bib Gourmands from the Michelin Guide.  La Maniguette and L’Emulsion and having checked out their menus and interiors they look great.
However, neither has an outdoor terrace and on such a warm day we wanted to take in the sights and sounds of the city of Chambery. So next time…

Chambery is about 40 minutes from Annecy and an hour from Geneva by car.  There is plenty of parking all around the perimeter of the old town.  There are many more interesting sights to explore including The Chateau des Ducs de Savoie which is a group of buildings constructed between the 13th Century and current times.  See The Rotonde, which is a unique architectural metal structure, a railway roundhouse built between 1906 – 1910 by Gustave Eiffel behind the railway station.  It houses around 50 locomotives and guided tours are offered.

There is a 2 kilomètre elephant walking trail around the cobbled streets of the historic centre of Chambery, taking in the main sights.  Pick up a map at the tourist office on 5 Bis Place Palais de Justice, 73000 Chambéry and follow the little brass signs.

You can download a map of Chambery here which shows the main sights to see in the City.
There is also a tourist train that takes you around the Old part of the town leaving from Place Saint Leger every hour.

Follow me on my culinary and pictorial adventure on Twitter @tasteofsavoie and Instagram
Please keep up to date and like my facebook pages: Taste of Savoie and Caro Blackwell-Sights of Savoie

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

all photos are copyright ©Caro Blackwell

Take a look at my Section: Travels Around France for other great places to visit