I made a mistake the first time I visited Albertville, France. Walked around the quaint town and saw the giant Tour de France t-shirt but discovered afterwards that I had missed one of the best parts of the area. Fortunately, I was going through the town on my way to Chamonix, so I made a stop and so glad I did. This is an experience I would have regretted missing: seeing the Cité Medievale de Conflans.
What Is The Cité Medievale de Conflans and Why Visit?
Cite Medievale de Conflans
- It’s a medieval village in Albertville, across the river and high on a hill
- It’s small, with only about 6 cobblestone streets
- There are some restaurants, artisan shops, and a baroque church, but what is notable are the views, particularly from the courtyard. When I was there (early in the morning), most places were closed
- Why visit? The views and seeing all the storefront signs—these made the village so attractive
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
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- Cite Medievale de Conflans
Getting To The Village
Entrance to Cite Medievale de Conflans
Follow the road from the river up the hill. There is a car park where you can begin your journey, a steep walk up a couple of flights of stairs until you get into the actual medieval village. Only locals can park in the village.
You can get some great views from the Jardin Public de la Tour Sarrazine.
Cite Medievale de Conflans
Jardin Public de la Tour Sarrazine
View from Jardin Public de la Tour Sarrazine
So, if you’re on your way to Chamonix or Annecy, make a short stop near Albertville to visit the the Cité Medievale de Conflans.
Check out my other posts that talk about the French Alps:
16 Comments
Jackie Smith
August 22, 2016 at 9:54 amLoved the photos – and love medieval villages!
Jan
August 22, 2016 at 12:32 pmThanks! Me too…I can’t get enough of them!
Karen Warren
August 22, 2016 at 10:14 amI love medieval cities! I hadn’t heard of the Cité Medievale de Conflans but I’ll have to add it to the list of places to look out for.
Jan
August 22, 2016 at 12:33 pmIf it hadn’t been someone telling me about it, I would have totally missed it. Am glad I went back, even though it was deserted at 9 am in the morning.
noel
August 22, 2016 at 2:30 pmI prefer visiting tourist areas early morning or later afternoon when most visitors have taken the last bus and you get all the amazing views and street scenes to yourself – a good thing especially for photographers
Jan
August 22, 2016 at 5:23 pmSo true. You get great photos, but unfortunately, sometimes the shops or sites haven’t opened yet or are closed. But sometimes it’s worth it.
Carole Terwilliger Meyers
August 22, 2016 at 7:09 pmAlbertville looks sort of familiar to me. I think I might have stopped there many years ago on my way to Chamonix. What a pleasure to see it again!
Jan
August 23, 2016 at 7:51 amYes, it’s a pretty place!
Rachel Heller
August 23, 2016 at 6:15 amI love anything medieval, and those signs are an unusual touch. Conflans definitely seems worth a stop!
Jan
August 23, 2016 at 7:52 amYes it is worth a stop and doesn’t even have to be that long but I loved the signs too.
Suzanne Fluhr
August 23, 2016 at 12:48 pmWas a winter Olympics held in Albertville or am I misrembering? Medieval European villages were often built at altitude for defensive purposes (so they could at least see who was coming); hence, the often splendid views.
Jan
August 23, 2016 at 8:33 pmYou are correct! 1992 was the year. As for medieval villages, maybe that’s why I like them so much…for the views!
alison abbott
August 28, 2016 at 2:09 pmI love medieval villages and Albertville looks like one not to miss when visiting the area. Wandering the carless streets and taking in all that history can transport you back to another time so quickly. And the views….the icing on the cake!
Jan
August 29, 2016 at 10:25 amSo true. I didn’t realize until I went thru the village that it had a great view.
Irene S. Levine
August 28, 2016 at 11:04 pmI love colorful signage! These were meant to be photographed~
Thanks for sharing an introduction to Albertville!
Jan
August 29, 2016 at 10:21 amSo true. I think these signs are so great looking one has to photograph them.