A new compendium of adventures, from the best-selling and award-winning Wild Guide series now released for Europe's favourite adventure holiday destination - including 800 secret places. Discover hidden mountain peaks, plunging waterfalls and pristine lakes. Step back into history to explore lost ruins, forts and caves and to wander where wolves still roam free. Meet Alpine farmers and sample their delicious fare. Plan a night camping under a star-filled sky or snuggled down in a remote mountain refuge. Climb the hidden limestone peaks of the Chablais, Cool off with a swim in pristine Lac Lauvitel, Explore the caves of the Vercors, Eat cheese made the traditional way in the heart of the Beaufort, Try artisan charcuterie with the wines of the Combe de Savoie Find the forgotten Maginot forts of the Italian border, Marvel at the prehistoric stone carvings in the Vallee des Merveilles, Commune with marmots and ibex in the Vanoise, Listen for wolves in the wildernesses of Mercantour and Ubaye

A New York Times best summer travel book recommendation A nonfiction debut about an American’s solo, month-long, 400-mile walk from Lake Geneva to Nice. In the summer of 2015, Jonathan Arlan was nearing thirty. Restless, bored, and daydreaming of adventure, he comes across an image on the Internet one day: a map of the southeast corner of France with a single red line snaking south from Lake Geneva, through the jagged brown and white peaks of the Alps to the Mediterranean sea—a route more than four hundred miles long. He decides then and there to walk the whole trail solo. Lacking any outdoor experience, completely ignorant of mountains, sorely out of shape, and fighting last-minute nerves and bad weather, things get off to a rocky start. But Arlan eventually finds his mountain legs—along with a staggering variety of aches and pains—as he tramps a narrow thread of grass, dirt, and rock between cloud-collared, ice-capped peaks in the High Alps, through ancient hamlets built into hillsides, across sheep-dotted mountain pastures, and over countless cols on his way to the sea. In time, this simple, repetitive act of walking for hours each day in the remote beauty of the mountains becomes as exhilarating as it is exhausting. Mountain Lines is the stirring account of a month-long journey on foot through the French Alps and a passionate and intimate book laced with humor, wonder, and curiosity. In the tradition of trekking classics like A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, The Snow Leopard, and Tracks, the book is a meditation on movement, solitude, adventure, and the magnetic power of the natural world.

A highly illustrated account of the conflict between the German Army and security forces and the French resistance in the Alps. Fighting insurgents has always been one of the greatest challenges for regular armed forces during the 20th century. The war between the Germans and the French resistance, also called FFI (Forces Françaises d'Intérieur), during World War II has remained a near-forgotten chapter in the history of these 'Small Wars'. This is all the more astonishing as agencies like the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) and the American OSS (Office of Strategic Services) pumped a good amount of their resources into the support of the French resistance movement. By diversionary attacks on German forces in the occupied hinterland the Allies hoped the FFI could provide assistance in disrupting German supply lines as well as crumbling their morale. The mountain plateau of the Vercors south-west of Grenoble was the main stronghold of the FFI, and in July 1944 some 8,000 German soldiers mounted an operation on the plateau and destroyed the insurgent groups there. This compact volume examines the battle of the Vercors, the largest operation against the FFI during World War II, and shows how the Germans' suit and crushing victory has caused traumatic memories for the French that persist to the present day.

A guidebook to 66 via ferrata routes in the French Alps. Covering the region between Geneva and Briançon the routes range from very easy, protected routes suitable for children, through to extremely exposed and technical routes for experienced ferratists only. Routes can be enjoyed in 1-9 hours Routes are graded by technical difficulty, exposure and seriousness Routes from keys areas including Chambery, Grenobe, the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys Local points of interest are featured including the Mont Blanc, Vanoise and Queyras massifs Perfect June through to September although some routes are open from early Spring to early winter Sketch maps and topos included for each route

A French boy challenges an unknown enemy in the rugged Alpine border country to establish the innocence of a young Italian accused of theft. Grades 5-7.

A guidebook to trekking the southern section of the GR5 trail between Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and either Nice or Menton. Covering 674km (420 miles), this long-distance trek through the French Alps can be walked in 1 month and is suitable for moderately experienced hikers. The route is described from north to south in 32 stages, each between 11 and 31km (7–19 miles) in length. Variant routes such as the GR55 through the Vanoise National Park and the GR52 through the Mercantour National Park finishing at Menton are also detailed. 1:100,000 maps included for each stage Detailed information about accommodation, facilities and public transport along the route A south–north route summary table is also provided for those wanting to walk in the opposite direction Part of a 3-volume set, accompanying Cicerone guidebooks The GR5 Trail - Vosges and Jura and The GR5 Trail - Benelux and Lorraine are also available