Chambéry Walking tour 1h30 and 23 audio commentary

You've arrived at the Chambery Halls. All this space was renovated in the 2000s, literally offering a new neighborhood to the city.

You cannot leave the Savoy without knowing the legend of the Cat's tooth. The tooth of the cat is this tooth-shaped mountain, which overlooks Lake Bourget.

You pass the small chapel of the Lycée Vaugelas located just behind. This chapel is the only remnant of the Visitandine convent founded in 1610 by Saint Francis de Sales.

Here you are on the courthouse square with the Palace of Fine Arts on one side and the huge neoclassical Sardinian-inspired palace on the other. In 1848, the government of the Kingdom of Sardinia decided to erect a court building in Chambéry.

This is the Sasson! This bronze statue, built for the centenary of the first attachment of Savoy to France, during the revolutionary era, is the work of sculptor Alexandre Falguière.

Here you are facing the Fountain of Elephants, the famous four without ass or eleph’ for the intimates. So, if elephants may be referring to Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps, a legendary feat of the Carthaginian emperor, the monument is to the glory of the Chamberian benefactor par excellence, the Count of Boigne.

You are now using the Mont Blanc Passage. Before the 19th century, you would have found yourself here, feet in the water! This street was indeed a canal of the Albanne, which supplied water to the hostels of the suburb.

You are here at the intersection between Rue d’Italie and Faubourg Montmélian. In the past, these two streets were one and the main corridor, which travellers from Italy had to use to enter Chambery.

You arrive at the Théâtre Charles Dullin, named after the actor and director born in Yenne in Savoy. It is considered to have one of the most beautiful Italianate rooms in the region.

Here you are in the heart of the Carré Curial, located at the back of the Jean Jacques Rousseau media library. The space was named in honor of the famous Franco-Swiss philosopher, poet, and musician, who settled in Chambéry, and lived there, with Madame de Warens, what he calls “The short happiness of his life”.

You are in the Rue Croix d’Or, a historic street of the old Chambery, through which travelers from Italy arrived.

On your right, you have the entrance to the Inn of Cordon. The city has many mansions, and this is the only one that is accessible to the public. Don’t hesitate to take a moment and go for a walk.

Here you are on the beautiful Cathedral Square. This closed square gives a feeling of privacy facing the Cathedral of Saint Francis of Sales.

You have just gone down one of the aisles of Chambéry. They are not seen, but yet, there are about fifteen that leave from Place Saint-Léger. This one takes you to the Clock Court.

You arrive on the long Place Saint-Léger, so long that it could be mistaken for a street. It was here that the heart of the city was born, when it was still flowing in the middle, the Albanne. As in Annecy, there were many canals in Chambéry due to the arms of the river.

If you’ve ever been to Old Lyon, you’re certainly familiar with the traboule system, the secret passages that allow you to cross courtyards and reach two parallel streets.

You now have, like the Maistres brothers from the top of their pedestal, a plunging view of the Rue des Arcades and the Elephants as a backdrop. The brothers depicted on the statue are two Chamberians born in the 18th century.

Here you are, where it all started. At the crossroads that made it possible to control since antiquity, the ancient Roman road that linked Vienna to Italy then the cities of Lyon, Grenoble, Annecy or Geneva.

Here you can see the back of the Sainte-Chapelle, which is one of the main features of the castle. To see it face-to-face, or visit it, you will need to participate in a paid tour. The castle is used by the Prefecture of Savoy and is not freely open to the public.

Here you are, on the lower street of the Castle. It is the oldest street in Chambéry and was the only one that led to the castle in the 14th century. Imagine how many beautiful people have been there before you!

This pensive statue bent to the fountain is Lorelai, a newcomer on Boulevard Saint-Leger. In fact, in 2017 there was an open-air exhibition of the works of the Italian artist Livio Benedetti who died in 2013.

With the castle behind you, and the Elephants in your sights, you have in front of you the beautiful Avenue de Boigne known simply as the “Arcades”.

You arrive at the charming square where the City Inn, built in 1863, is located. Let's put ourselves in context.