The festivals of the Arves valley, sorted by driving time

What happens around Albiez through the year, sorted by real driving time rather than distance as the crow flies. In the mountains the two have nothing to do with each other: a village you can see from the balcony may take an hour, because you have to drop into the valley to climb back up somewhere else.

Without taking the car

Three events have their own article, because they are worth planning dates around: Celti'Cimes in late July, Tradi'Cimes in early August, and the cross triathlon and swimrun at the lake in mid-July.

The rest of the village calendar:

• 14 July — Bastille Day entertainment and a fire display.
• 15 August — flea market and car boot sale, rides in vintage cars, village fair, pétanque tournament.
• Lantern-lit food walks, every week through the summer.
• Albie'z Night Fever, on Thursdays during the winter holidays: free concerts and dancing. Not to be confused with the Tuesday Albiez C'Show, which is the torchlit descent.

Twenty minutes away — the Arves country

Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves is 12 km away over the Col du Mollard, without going back through the valley. That is what makes these three doable on a weekday evening.

• The Fête du Mouton, late July, at the Col de la Croix de Fer — a flock, its shepherd, a barbecue, an accordion. You climb to it from Albiez over the Mollard, staying high the whole way.
• The Saint-Sorlin village fête — Beaufort made the old way in the morning, tug of war, wood carving, sheep farming explained, alphorns, folk dancing and traditional dress.
• Instant Beaufort — guided tours of the dairy cooperative, meeting the PDO producers, tastings. The cooperative can be visited outside the event too: see our article on the Vallée des Arves dairy.

On 15 August, Saint-Sorlin also has its clubs' fête and fireworks — the same evening as the Albiez village fair, so you have to choose.

Down in the valley — Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

Twenty minutes downhill, 18 km. Le Charoc festival is held there in early June, on Place du Champ de Foire: rock, free entry, and close to ten thousand people over two evenings. The line-up leans on tribute bands — Blondie, Aerosmith, Scorpions and Foo Fighters have all had theirs.

It falls in June, before the resort's summer season opens: a good excuse for an off-peak weekend, when the village is quiet and the passes are open.

Further than it looks

These three come up often in regional brochures. They are worth the trip, but not on a whim — here is the driving time you are not always given.

• Valloire Baroque, late July — a week of baroque and early music, more than fifteen events. You can almost see Valloire from here, but you have to go down to Saint-Jean and back up the Télégraphe: allow fifty minutes. An evening to plan, not to improvise.
• Les Fêtes Musicales de Savoie, mid-July to mid-August — some twenty travelling classical concerts, several in Maurienne villages. The drive depends entirely on the concert: check the venue before the date.
• La Grande Odyssée, in January — the great Alpine sled dog race. Its Maurienne stages are in the Haute-Maurienne, at Aussois, Bessans and Val Cenis: an hour and more. To see sled dogs without giving up the day, there are some at Les Contamines, in the commune.

Checking the dates

Dates move from year to year, and most of these only publish theirs in spring. The Albiez-Montrond tourist office, in the Chef-lieu, holds the season's programme — +33 4 79 59 30 48. It is also where you find the piste map and the village cinema listings.

For everything else there is to do, see our summer and ski pages, or the whole guide.