This page shares our planned seven-day summer itinerary in Val Cenis, combining mountain walks, cycling, Lac du Mont Cenis, a day trip to Italy and local food experiences. It complements our detailed guides covering packing, travel and individual attractions and will be updated after our trip with what we actually enjoyed most.
What we’re doing in Val Cenis
This is a rough plan. Fail to plan, plan to fail as they say. For my family it’s best to have a list of activities planned in advance. The alternative for us is we lose the day deciding what we are going to next. Plus, it adds to the excitement of having something to look forward to when we get there.
We enjoy having a rough plan before arriving somewhere new. It doesn’t mean every day is fixed, but having a shortlist of walks, bike rides and places to eat means we spend less time wondering what to do and more time enjoying ourselves.
Val Cenis feels ideal for this style of holiday. Most activities are within a short drive, cycle or bus ride of Lanslevillard, making it easy to adapt plans around the weather.
This itinerary is the one we’re planning before we arrive. Once we’re back, we’ll update this page with what we actually did and what we’d change next time.
| Day | Main activity |
| 1 | Explore Lanslevillard |
| 2 | Mountain walks |
| 3 | Italy |
| 4 | Cycling |
| 5 | Lake |
| 6 | Cycling & food |
| 7 | Return |
The activities planned may not happen in this exact order, but it will give us a structure and a loose plan of summer activities in a ski resort we have been to in the winter. Seeing the mountains covered in summer greenery rather than snow will be a completely new experience for me.
My taste buds are looking forward to discovering the local cheese specialities. They are listed as three must do eating activities. And, of course, this can be easily incorporated as part of a traditional Alpine picnic with a glass of Savoie wine
To mix it up, we’re looking at:
- Two walking days
- Two cycling days
- One day enjoying Lac du Mont Cenis
- One Italian day trip
Our Planned 7-Day Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrive and Explore Lanslevillard
- Wander around the old village and church.
- Collect tourist information and bus timetables.
- Easy evening walk beside the Arc River.
- Dinner in the village to settle into Alpine life.
Day 2 – Ski Lift & Alpine Walks
- Take the Vieux Moulin gondola and Solert chairlift.
- Choose one of the panoramic walking routes around 2,000–2,400m.
- Lunch at a mountain restaurant before descending.
Day 3 – Bus trip Italy Susa, Italy
- Enjoy lunch, wine and Italian ice cream before returning.
Day 4 – Cycle the Maurienne Valley
- Hire bikes and ride the valley cycle paths down to Termignon or up to Bonneval if we get e-bikes.
- Stop for lunch beside the river.
- Will may also ride the Mont Cenis plateau via a chairlift.
Day 5 – Lac du Mont Cenis
- Often described as the highest nautical base and water sports centre in Europe.
- Try paddleboarding, kayaking or pedal boats depending on how we feel.
- Walk part of the lakeshore and take some pictures.
- Or maybe just picnic with views across the lake to the surrounding peaks.
Day 6 – Another Cycling Adventure
Three Local Food Experiences We Don’t Want to Miss
As a family, we do like eating, and there are three “must-do” food experiences with great Alpine views for our stay. After my trip I look forward to sharing the pictures on this page.
Mountain restaurant lunch at La Fema, top of Vieux Moulin gondola
Picnic at Lac du Mont Cenis. Cycle, drive or walk.
Buy locally:
- Beaufort
- Saucisson
- Fresh bread
- Tomatoes/fruit
- Savoie wine or local apple juice
Italian food day in Susa. An hour or so by bus.
Local Cheese Experiences
Maybe not good for my waistline, here are the three cheese activities.
| Cheese | Why we’ll try it |
| Beaufort d’été (Summer Beaufort) | Great with crusty bread and a Savoie wine. |
| Bleu de Termignon | Often difficult to find because production is limited |
| Bleu de Bonneval-sur-Arc | Unique to this village – reward for cycling uphill to get there |
1. Visit the Beaufort dairy at Lanslebourg
In nearby Lanslebourg (only a few minutes from Lanslevillard) if we get up in time, as you need to be there early, as it’s a morning activity when the milk is being delivered, we can watch Beaufort it being made, take a picture or two of the cheese wheels, before stocking up for our lunches. Beaufort is one of the classic Alpine cheeses of Savoie and is still produced in mountain dairies throughout the Maurienne Valley.
Then up the mountains for a walk, see the special Tarin cows and enjoy the scenery.
We will be especially looking out for the Beaufort d’été (Summer Beaufort). I’m reliably informed by my eldest cheese monster there are different flavours according to when the milk is produced. Hopefully by the time I return my taste buds have developed enough so I can verify this information either way!
Last day – Back to Chambéry
On day seven we will be returning to Chambery for our last campsite, two nights by the lakeside, hiring bikes for a couple of days to cycle around Lac de Bourget, before a final night in a hotel and a train journey home, whilst my younger son and I start our return trip.
That’s the plan. One of the pleasures of campervan travel is that plans can change with the weather, recommendations from locals or simply finding somewhere you don’t want to leave. Once we’re home we’ll update this page with what we actually did, what we’d recommend and what we’d do differently next time.
One of the aims of My Campervan Life is to share places we’ve actually experienced. After our trip we’ll return to this page with our own photographs, what worked well and anything we’d change for next time.