The Tarentaise Valley ( French : Vallée de la Tarentaise , pronounced [vale də la taʁɑ̃tɛz] ; Arpitan : Tarentèsa ) is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps , located in the Savoy region of France . The valley is named for the ancient town of Darantasia , the capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.
10-510: At the foot of the valley, in the west, is the city of Albertville . Going east up the valley, Moûtiers is reached, then Aime , and finally the last large town, Bourg-Saint-Maurice . The area is internationally best known for its world-renowned ski resorts , including Les Trois Vallées ( Courchevel , Méribel , Val Thorens etc.—off a side valley from Moûtiers ), Paradiski with La Plagne above Aime , and Les Arcs above Bourg-Saint-Maurice . Espace Killy with Tignes and Val-d'Isère
20-515: Is twinned with: Arly The Arly ( French pronunciation: [aʁli] ) is a 32.1 km long river in the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie , France . It is a tributary of the Isère , which it joins at Albertville . This Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in France
30-601: Is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France . It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics . In 2018, the commune had a population of 19,214; its urban area had 39,780 inhabitants. Albertville is one of two subprefectures of the Savoie department, alongside Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne . Albertville
40-611: Is dual carriageway as far as Moûtiers, after which it becomes a standard two-lane but single-carriageway road, which can see substantial queues in winter. This road is currently receiving funding from the European Union for a significant improvement project between Aime and Moûtiers, one of the narrowest points in the valley. 45°33′N 6°39′E / 45.550°N 6.650°E / 45.550; 6.650 Albertville Albertville ( French pronunciation: [albɛʁvil] ; Arpitan : Arbèrtvile )
50-411: Is further up the valley. These communities hosted most of the events for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics . A weekly lift ticket in any of the described systems gives skiers a choice to ski one day in each of the other two systems mentioned. There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the—by far—largest ski area in the world. However that vision was ended with the creation of
60-599: Is situated on the river Arly , close to the confluence with the river Isère . Its altitude ranges from 345 to 2,037 metres (1,132 to 6,683 ft). Nearby mountains include: Belle Étoile, Dent de Cons , Négresse , Roche Pourrie , Mirantin, Pointe de la Grande Journée , Chaîne du Grand Arc. Nearby mountain ranges include the Bauges , the Beaufortain and the beginning of the Vanoise . The modern city of Albertville
70-553: The Cormet de Roselend northwards. Both sides of the valley, but especially the sunnier northern side, have rural farming communities all the way along. The colder southern side tends to be dominated by the ski resorts but has occasional small hamlets. The valley has a railway as far as Bourg-Saint-Maurice, which, in the winter season, has various direct sleeper trains from Paris and Eurostar trains from London. The valley road (the N90 )
80-698: The Vanoise National Park . Other ski areas includes Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise , La Rosière , and Valmorel . In the winter, the valley is a cul-de-sac, with its road finishing at Val d'Isere. In the summer, there is a pass over to the Maurienne Valley at the head of the valley (the Col de l'Iseran ), and a couple of others further down, including the Little St Bernard Pass eastwards to Italy via La Rosiere and La Thuile and
90-516: The sports venues were later adapted for other uses. Some sports venues still remain, such as the ice rink , La halle de glace Olympique , designed by the architect Jacques Kalisz. Despite this, the town remains more industrial than touristic. In 2003, the town was labelled a " Town of Art and History ". Albertville station was put into service in 1879 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM). Albertville
100-495: Was formed in 1836 by King Charles Albert of Sardinia , who merged the medieval town of Conflans, which had buildings dating to the 14th century, with the town of L'Hôpital. Since then, Albertville has fostered trade between France, Italy and Switzerland. Industries such as paper mills and hydroelectricity are found along its river. The 1992 Winter Olympics were organised in the Savoie region, with Albertville hosting it. Some of
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