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The Tours de César
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Description
A short ramble in a rural setting, with a mix of heritage sights (chapel, feudal ruins, remains of a Roman road). A view of Lac du Bourget and the Chautagne poplar grove completes your walk.
Want to stretch your legs without doing a lot of climbing?
Would you like to see the ruins of a 13th-century castle that was the site of numerous sieges involving the Counts of Savoy?
Would you like to get to a lovely viewpoint overlooking Lac du Bourget, Chautagne and Petit Bugey?
This is the walk for you! An easy trail, first forested, then more airy as you reach the ruins of the Château-Neuf.
And children will be delighted to see the old circular keep with its 3-metre-thick walls! But be warned, access to the ruins themselves is forbidden, or risk falling into one of the wells, which could take you back to a completely different era...
The view is panoramic, and just imagine that further down you'll find other remains, those of a palafittic village bearing witness to the first sedentary communities settled in Alpine Europe in the 9th century BC.
This walk is a real history book!
Technical Information
Altimetric profile
Starting point
Additional information
Open period
All year round daily.
Subject to favorable snow and weather conditions.
Updated by
Agence alpine des territoires - 21/10/2025
www.agate-territoires.fr
Report a problem
Contact
Phone : 04 79 88 68 00
Email : accueil@aixlesbains-rivieradesalpes.com
Location complements
Car access and parking :Municipal parking lot at the Town Hall
Map : IGN Top 25 map - 3331 OT Rumilly/Seyssel
Topo guides and map references
Map references :
Grand Lac hiking map on sale for €3 at tourist information offices.
Map IGN TOP 25 - 3332OT - CHAMBERY AIX-LES-BAINS LAC DU BOURGET on sale in shops.
Type of land
Not suitable for strollers
Environments
Mountain location
Guidebook with maps/step-by-step
Departure point: At the entrance to the Mairie parking lot, take the stairs on the left. After the porch, at the corner of the church, turn right and walk downhill alongside the church. After the stairs, turn right (towards Notre Dame de la Salette), then slightly left and stay on the "Route de la Boulangerie".
1/ At the intersection with the road, turn right and cross into the hamlet of "Sous la Tour".
2/ At the sign for "Sous la Tour", go straight ahead on the stone path (caution: this area is shared with a mountain-bike circuit in the opposite direction - share the path). After 130 m, at the sign for "Champ Jean Blanc", continue straight ahead on the path beneath the trees. Higher up, you'll pass a wooden gate (remember to close it) and continue straight ahead.
3/ When you reach the white cliffs, turn right onto the path that winds uphill until it passes close to the remains of the towers (access to the ruins is forbidden). A beautiful view of Lac du Bourget, Conjux and Chatillon opens up.
4/ Go straight ahead along the path and descend to the road.
5/ Follow the road to the right (for 110m), then at the Chapelle Notre Dame de la Salette, take the path down to the right (note the section with mountain bike trails in the opposite direction).
6/ At the intersection with the road, go straight ahead in the bend and immediately turn right onto the wide path leading down to the church. A short passage through the embankment (opposite the long yellow house) takes you back to the parking lot.
Animals
Yes
Data author
