Bourg-Saint-Maurice
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commune of Bourg-Saint-Maurice View of Bourg-Saint-Maurice |
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| Location | |
| Longitude | 06° 46' 10" East |
| Latitude | 45° 37' 03" North |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Région | Rhône-Alpes |
| Département | Savoie |
| Arrondissement | Albertville |
| Canton | Canton de Bourg-Saint-Maurice |
| Mayor | François Gazave (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude | 744 m–3823 m (avg. 815 m) |
| Land area¹ | 179,07 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
6747 |
| - Density () | 37/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 73054/ 73700 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel). | |
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Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a commune of the Savoie département, in France. It's the last large town along the Tarentaise valley in the heart of the French Alps.
Bourg-Saint-Maurice is part of the Les Arcs ski area. Whilst there is no actual skiing at this altitude, it is conveniently linked to Arc 1600 by the 'Arc en Ciel' funicular railway and is therefore home to many budget rental properties. Unlike the other villages that make up Les Arcs, Bourg-Saint-Maurice is open all year.
Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the terminus of a railway; during the ski season this carries Eurostar and Thalys trains from London and Brussels, as well as sleeper trains from elsewhere in France. It is also the junction of several road passes over the mountains, including the Little St Bernard Pass to Italy. These passes are only open in the summer.
Bourg is also a popular Summer destimation, as it offers lots of opportunity for lovers of the outdoors and watersports. There is a whitewater slalom course on the Isere river used for international canoe and kayak competitions. The course on the Isere has been host to the ICF world championships and is used by many European teams as a training course in the summer. The course is often changed by the floods that occur during the winter months.
The surrounding mountains are good for walking and mountain biking. Some of Les Arcs ski lifts operate during July and August to get walkers to the higher peaks and you can take mountain bikes up on these. Mountain bikes ( VTT (Vélo Tout Terrain) in French) can be hired in both Bourg and Les Arcs. Some of the high altitude restaurants open in these months, the ones at Pre st Esprit and L'Arpete have small outdoor pools.
The nearest summer glacier skiing is in Tignes (approx 27km from Bourg) on the Grande Motte, however due to glacial recession it is now closed at certain times of the year.
There is a good campsite in the town (Le Verysoyen) which is conveniently located by two big supermarkets, and the town's open air (and indoor) swimming pool.
