Bourg Saint Maurice
Snuggled up between the mountains, this town at the end of the valley of the Tarentaise has a lot to offer, most of all for nature lovers, and more than just skiing. Bourg Saint Maurice is easily accessible by train from Paris, Lyon and Chambéry. The city offer free shuttles to go around town and nearby towns. Check the schedules and destinations on the website of the office de tourisme.
If you’d rather SEE a video of Bourg Saint Maurice, click here!
But without further ado, here are my ten favorite activities to do while visiting Bourg Saint Maurice:
Take a hike (or two, or three…) or bike!
Explore the downtown
Check out the photo expo!
Bad weather: go to the games library!
Meander in the Parc des Marais
Observe the bird
Run a race!
Saturday is market day
Take the funicular!
Les fêtes de l’Edelweiss
The beautiful stone train station.
hiking and biking
Between the mountains and the Isère River, Bourg Saint Maurice is surrounded by trails for hikers and trailrunners, but there is also a long bike path. Many stores in town can help you if you’re missing a piece of equipment or if you need to rent a bike (electric ones too!) to explore the area.
Visit my page dedicated to trails around Bourg Saint Maurice, that I continue to explore with each visit!
Explore the city center
The Grande Rue is a pedestrian street and goes from the church to the city’s townhall. It is very agreable to walk and you’ll find many restaurants, souvenir or clothing stores, cafés, and boulangeries there.
The street where the train station is located also has many restaurants and stores. Further to the north you’ll find supermarkets and even a cinema!
The rest of the city center ville is fairly typical, but in Bourg Saint Maurice, it is a pleasure to meander and see mountains at each crossroads!
The “Maison aux têtes”, or House of the Heads, in the Grande Rue.
check out the photo expo
While you are meandering downtown, make sure to check out the photo expo. In many different spots in town you’ll find different photos by the same artist.
The photos change regularly, and some are a little harder to find than others, so don’t hesitate to take different street and find them all. The themes explored are often related to the mountain, but not exclusively.
Go the the games library!
If during your stay you have some bad weather, of if you just like playing games, go the the games library (ludothèque in French). Located in front of the St Maurice church, it has many games and puzzles that will keep you busy for a while, and don’t require a card to use on site.
There is another room next to the game room with reading materials, if you prefer to read.
There’s no age to play, make the most of this free space!
For more information on hours, click here.
meander in the parc des Marais
On the northwest side of town, behind the swiming pool, you can find a large park with trails in the shade, the riverbed, and the bicycle path.
If you don’t want to go on a long hike while in town, this is a good spot to go for a walk and be in nature. It’s also a perfect spot for a picnic or to put your feet in the river on a very hot day!
The park also contains a skatepark and playgrounds for children, as well as a rugby field.
Observe the birds!
While you are walking around in the Parc des Marais, take some time for some birding, it’s the perfect spot!
On top of pigeons and sparrows that can be seen all over town, the little lakes in teh park attract many types of ducks , such as the tufted duck see on top in the photo, as well as many types of passerine birds (like the white wagtail or the European goldfinch, the other two birds featured on the photo).
The park offers a very peaceful place to slow down and observe the birds, you can find many spots in the shade or by the water.
Some of the route of the 10k on the way to Séez.
Run a Race!
I happened to be in Bourg St Maurice the day before the Marathon des Alpes and I took advantage of already in place markings to do the 10k (see photos).
The options are a marathon, a half , a 10k or a walk. The routes are about 90% paved (bike path, sidewalks, low traffic road), and very easy to follow. You will be along the beautiful Isère river for a good while.
The start and the finish are one the parking lot of the Funiculaire: the 10k is a loop going through Séez, the marathon and the half do a figure eight course going through Bourg Saint Maurice in the middle. All routes go through the Grande Rue!
View of the valley running down from Séez
Saturday = farmer’s market!
Saturday morning is farmer’s market day on the Place de l’église and down on the townhall square!
You can find fruits and vegetables, all kinds of olives, many products from nearby Italy, clothes, shoes and lots of local products!
Beware tthat traffic is modified on Saturdays because of this, some streets are closed early until mid-afternoon.
The Funicular going from Bourg St Maurice to the Arcs 1600 resort.
take the funicular!
The funicular is free for pedestrians during the summer and in seven minutes takes you to the Arcs 1600 resort!
Explore the boutiques and restaurants there, and the view as well of course! You can take a trail to the Arcs 1800… but there’s also the option of taking a free shuttle if you prefer to start hiking from higher. One possible and beautiful hike will lead you to the baroque church of Notre Dame des Vernettes.
From downtown Bourg Saint Maurice, a footbridge will allow you to walk above the train tracks, or if you’re arriving by train, you can reach the footbridge and then the funicular directly from your arrival platform, without having to go through the train station.
Les fêtes de l’Edeleweiss
This is a folk festival showcasing different people living in the mountains. You’ll see people from the local Savoie area, obviously, but also Italians, New Zealanders, Indonesians and Costa Ricans!
Groups start from the churcha nd go down the Grande Rue singing and dansing, stopping here and there along the way for a special demonstration.
This festival happens mid-July, check the local websites for the exact date.