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Bourg-Saint-Maurice
159 km
Tuesday 21 July
For many spectators, the Tour de France route is an opportunity to discover the riches of the regions it passes through. The tourist guide, published in electronic format this year, lists the outstanding sites of cultural or architectural heritage for each stage.
Download the tourist guide of the stage(.pdf, 13 pages)
The Valais is a truly exceptional and privileged tourist destination, boasting, among others, the following outstanding assets: fifty of its mountain peaks are higher than 4,000 metres; it is a region nominated by UNESCO as the First Natural World Heritage site in the Alps on account of its Aletsch glacier (the longest in the Alps); it is the largest spa resort in the Alps and houses the biggest natural underground lake in Europe today navigable.
Economic capital of the Valais region, tourism accounts for 30,000 jobs, representing approximately 25 % of the area’s working population. Valais is the number one wine-growing region in Switzerland, producing 40 % of Swiss wine, and its 49 different varieties of vines provide an extraordinary diversity. The Petite Arvine and the Cornalin AOC Valais are among the rare and precious wines produced, along with the Païen, cultivated on the slopes of Visperterminen, the highest vineyard in Europe (ranging from 650 to 1,150 m in altitude).
The Valais enjoys a rich and vibrant cultural life and folklore and traditions are still very much part of daily life: Battle of the Queens (cow fighting), carnivals, religious festivals and processions. Celt and Roman in the past, cultural and dynamic today, Martigny, stretching along the narrow bend of the Rhône, is proud of its “cultural capital” label. The Gianadda Foundation is immensely popular with world-famous artists and painters.
The Aosta Valley has been a stopping place from very ancient times, combining wonderful natural scenery with an eventful past and heritage which is as varied as it is spectacular. The region’s geography has naturally shaped local history, and includes mainstays such as the Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn (4,478 m), the Mont Rose and the Gran Paradiso, which gave its name to the vast nature reserve that extends over 200,000 hectares and is one of its tourist attractions.
Its history was eventful from the Roman Empire, which gave the region its name: Aosta is dedicated to Augustus, whose great arch is one of the prides of the city. The peak of the region’s history was in the Middle Ages, when its situation as a stopping place between Switzerland and France provided the valley with lasting prosperity… and exceptional heritage (the Castles of Fénis and Issogne, churches).
Today, this autonomous Italian region remains a stopping place. French, which is its second official language, is used there to a greater or lesser degree. If the 120,000 inhabitants of the Aosta Valley still speak the language of Molière, it is also to welcome their neighbours over a glass of Gamay or on one of the games tables in the ski resorts of Courmayeur or Breuil-Cervinia: Saint-Vincent also boasts one Europe’s most prestigious casinos.
The second region in France in terms of its size, economic importance and overall population, Rhone-Alps is also 6th in Europe. This vast area covering 43,698 km² for more than six million inhabitants revolves around four main urban centres: Lyon, Grenoble, Saint-Étienne and even Geneva, which, due to its proximity, significantly influences trade and economy in the region. Through its size and the specificity of its eight counties, the region, accommodating the Rhone Valley with the Massif Central on one side and the Alpine range on the other, offers extreme diversity: mountainous to the east (counties of Savoie, Haute-Savoie & Isère), urban and industrial to the North and in the centre, rural and Provençal in the south (counties of Ardèche & Drôme).
Across this vast extent, despite being the home ground of many industries, the region has not forgotten its farming roots, its fruit industry and its great wines.
In terms of tourism, choice in the Rhone-Alps is also extremely varied. The region not only boasts the most famous ski resorts of France, but also offers many opportunities for “green” tourism, whether in the counties of Ain, Ardèche or Drôme.
Gastronomy, just like in its capital, Lyon, holds a place of honour throughout the region.
Aosta’s and the region’s varied architecture bear witness to their turbulent past. Moreover, French and Italian are the official languages.
The village could easily be a place of pilgrimage for followers of the Tour because it was here that Maurice Garin, the race’s first winner, was born.
Prefecture: Chambéry
Sub-prefectures: Albertville, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Population: 403,000
Guy Martin
Guy Martin, a native of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, is the prestigious chef of the Parisian two star Michelin restaurant, “Le Grand Véfour”. He has opened another restaurant, “Le Sensing”, located in the 6th arrondissement. His cookery workshops and his many books make reference to his region.
“I regularly come back to the region since my father and brother still live there. I have many great childhood and sport-related memories of when I lived there, as I used to go walking, climbing and I rode my bike uphill all the way to Les Arcs. Once you leave Bourg-St-Maurice, after 30 minutes, you can find yourself at an altitude of 1,600 metres and appreciate very different kinds of scenery. Bourg Saint-Maurice is a small town where people know each other and meet in its charming pedestrianized centre. Many of my childhood friends still live there. Just like teenagers we meet up and share common interests such as reading or sport. I like going to the local “Bar Martin”, which I must add does not belong to my family. I also like going to Les Arcs as it offers a very wide range of skiing activities with the possibility of going off track through the forests as well as ski touring.
With regard to cooking, I learnt about the seasonality of products from the mountains, while my grandparents, who were farmers, taught me to respect those who cultivate the land. As for cycling, I continue to ride my bicycle and of course, I passionately follow the Tour. Thanks to the race, Bourg-Saint-Maurice will be known throughout the world. I have already been to watch several stages in the Iseran Pass, in Savoie and in Les Arcs. You can really see the pain or the joy etched on the riders’ faces. Cycling is truly a noble sport.”
