VILLA MARLIOZ - HOTEL AIX LES BAINS

Some suggestions for cultural visits

AIX-LES-BAINS, “a city to go back in time" :
Guided themed visits.
Accompanied by guides from the tourist office, you can learn about the very rich history of Aix-les-Bains and discover its charm and its wealth. On the programme: the National thermal springs, the “Grand Cercle” Casino (one of the most beautiful in France), the ancient palaces, the gardens, the “Belle Epoque” town.

THE FAURE MUSEUM “the loveliest Museum in the Rhone-Alps”
The Faure Museum was built in 1949 and renovated in 1985 and is situated in a majestic Italian villa from 1900 which was given to the city of Aix-les-Bains by Doctor Jean FAURE, a wealthy collector of paintings, sculpture and other works of art. In this charming villa, you can absorb yourself in the works of the Impressionist movement. You will also discover a rich collection of works from the 19th and 20th centuries, famous sculptures by Rodin, as well as a re-creation of Lamartine’s bedroom. (Museum closed on Tuesdays).

AIX-LES-BAINS ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
A part of the old Lepic Museum, created in 1872, as well as an important collection of Gallo-Roman stones installed in 1948 in a part of the temple of Diana (second century A.D.) have all now been moved to the town hall. This ancient sanctuary is one of the three temples which have been completely preserved in France. The museum exhibits objects collected from the sites of old cities installed on the banks of the Le Bourget Lake at the end of the Bronze Age, a collection of statues including a beautiful marble torso, undoubtedly representing an emperor represented as Hercules, religious, administrative or funereal inscriptions from the Roman settlement Aquae and its surrounding areas. This Museum site with its remarkable collections fits in acceptably with the day to day running of the town hall.

THE BOURGET DU LAC PRIORY
 According to legend, the Priory was created as a result of a premonitory dream by Odilon, the Abbot of Cluny and was erected on a piece of land given to the Benedictines by the Count of Savoy, Humbert aux Mains Blanches. The Priory (built in 1030) is a veritable jewel in the architectural crown of the Savoy region. It is composed of a church, convent buildings and a garden and is home to some wonderful examples of mediaeval art.

CHAMBERY “a city of art and history between lakes and mountains” :
This is a modern and active city, proud of its past as the historic capital of the Savoy, which has managed to retain from its history an intense cultural life in the old city, in the shadow of the castle of the Dukes of Savoy, its pedestrian streets, its varied and dynamic shops, its lovely gardens…
Visit the old town at the foot of the ducal palace, the former residence of the Counts and Dukes of Savoy, where the castle is composed of a group of mediaeval buildings which today house the police headquarters and local authority. You can enjoy guided visits to the tower, the lower rooms, the half round tower and the holy Chapel.

LES CHARMETTES MUSEUM “the house of Jean Jacques Rousseau” (Chambery)
In 1905, the Charmettes was classified as a historic monument. This house of literary souvenirs, will give you an understanding of the privileged context in which the personality of Rousseau developed and where his shadow still floats.
The windows in this house open out onto well preserved natural surroundings which add to the overall charm of the place. A botanical garden and a footpath are open to visitors wishing to follow in the steps of the solitary stroller. Temporary exhibitions are also held here.

ANNECY “the Little Venice of the Savoy"
Discover Annecy and its old town tucked away at the foot of a 16th century fortified castle. This guided walking tour will help you discover several possibly unknown aspects of the town, the mediaeval city spread along the quays of the Thiou right up to the more contemporary buildings, passing through the natural site of the Lake. Visits to the old prisons “Palais de l’Ile” are also available.
The town has preserved many beautiful monuments as part of its rich heritage: the Nemours dwelling, the Saint Pierre cathedral built in 1535, the Lambert private mansion (16th century) where lived Saint Francis de Sales, the collegiality bell tower at Our Lady of Liesse, built in the 16th century.

THE ANNECY CASTLE MUSEUM
The Museum is home to important geological and mineralogical collections from the Savoyard massifs as well as archaeological collections coming from discoveries made at the Lakeside zones. A collection of works of art from the 19th century on the theme of mountain landscapes. A collection of modern art around the theme of glass and transparency since 1987. The Regional Observatory of the Alpine Lakes is included in the museum visit with 700 m of displays being dedicated to research on this theme. The Island Palace (Palais de l’Ile) is an annex to the museum which is home to an urban interpretive centre dedicated to understanding the town, its urbanism and its evolution. This is the departure point for the discovery circuits of the Annecy territory. There is also a collection of animated cinema with objects from the pre-cinema period (Magic Lantern…) as well as elements of a contemporary animated film linked to the Annecy festival.

THE VAULX SECRET GARDENS “an unusual elsewhere” :
A mosaic of gardens, salons, patios, galleries and bowers make up a refined and eclectic universe revealing the creativity of a passionate family. Stroll by the pools, the fountains and the flowers and experience a profusion of ideas, surprises and emotions.

THE DEPARTMENTAL MUSEUM OF THE RESISTANCE :
In Thônes, this Museum in the High Savoy was created in a 17th century mountain chalet which was dismantled and brought down from the mountain pastures and rebuilt on its current site at Morette where the bodies of the resistance fighters of the Glières, killed by the Germans, were discovered at the end of March 1944. It is situated a few kilometres from Thônes, close to the national necropolis where the bodies of 500 resistance fighters from Glières, killed by the Germans and the forces of Vichy are laid to rest. In this two storey Museum, the ground floor is given over to the general context of the Second World War, the capitulation of France, the Vichy government after 1940, the beginnings of the French Resistance and the laying of siege to the High Savoy by the repressive Vichy police in January 1944 and the first storey is devoted to the epic tale of the Glières combatants and the first great battle of the French Resistance (end of January 1944/26th of March 1944).

THE MUSEUM OF “LA GRANDE CHARTREUSE”
La Correrie can offer you, in the form of guided themed tours, the chance to discover the Order of the Chartreux. Come and discover, or perhaps rediscover, these monastic buildings which date from XII-XVII century, and which, at that time, were the home of lay monks. This themed guided tour which includes the eighteen rooms of the museum, as well as many documents, objects and engravings, will enable you to better appreciate the long history of this order founded by Saint Bruno in 1084. In this exceptional setting you will really get the feeling of the monks’ presence, their knowledge and their learning and of the serenity of the place.  A cultural visit to be embraced without restraint!

THE MUSEUM OF THE CAVE BEARS at Chartreuse :
More than 20,000 year ago, the cave at Entremont-le-Vieux that we now know as “Balme à Collomb” was home, during the long winter months when they went there to hibernate, to a particular type of bear - the cave bears ... Follow the trace of this bear and relive an exceptional adventure both scientific and humane.

Today, from the 300m2 of excavated soil , which represents 10% of the area of all the caves that have been discovered, approximately 12,000 bones and fragments of bone have been extracted for scientific study.

Some areas of these caves have been left in their original state as a “cave bear conservation area” so that future researchers will be able to work on virgin territory.

Carbon 14 dating, undertaken using the most modern and efficacious methods, has shown that the cave bear hibernated in this cave for more than 21,000 years, between 45,000 BC and 24,000 BC. This represents an exceptionally long period of occupation.

YVOIRE, “700 Years of History”
Classed as one of the most beautiful villages in France, this little medieval port on the banks of Lake Léman, has all the serenity of a French seaside town.
You will discover in the heart of this village the Garden of the Five Senses, a maze grown in the old castle kitchen garden in the spirit of the gardens of medieval times and which will get all your five senses going. Scents and colours change here following the rhythm of the seasons.