The Gorges du Fier are natural gorges carved by the Fier river, right next to Annecy.

A suspended footbridge was built in 1869 on the side of the cliffs, allowing visitors to walk in between the gorges to discover their natural beauty. 

It’s been one of the most popular attractions around Annecy ever since!

 

Where are the Gorges du Fier

The Gorges du Fier are located in Haute-Savoie, next to the Lac d’Annecy. It’s located west of Annecy, around 20mn from Annecy city center.

Location: Google Maps

 

 

The Fier river starts from Mount Charvin, and flows through the Annecy area. After passing Annecy, it’s fed by an additional stream from the Annecy lake, and then flows through the Gorges du Fier.

The Gorges du Fier are right next to the Château de Montrottier, a beautiful medieval castle that you should definitely visit too!

 

How to Get to les Gorges du Fier, Annecy

By car

You can drive all the way to the Gorges, and park right in front in this free parking lot. 

From Annecy it’s a quick 20mn drive. Exit Annecy from the south west, and head towards Seynod. Merge on the D16, then merge on the D116 to Lovagny.

You’ll find a couple of free parking lots near the Gorges. The closest one has a lot of spaces, but quickly gets full during the day. If it’s full, you have another one up the road, only 10mn walk away.

 

narrow path at gorges du fier

 

By bus

You can also get to the Gorges du Fier by bus. It takes around 1h, with a 20mn walk at the end.

Starting point: Gare d’Annecy – Quai Nord

Bus: L101 to Poisy College

In Poisy College you’ll have to take a second bus.

Bus: L112 to Lovagny.

Once in Lovagny, you’ll need to walk 20mn to reach the Gorges du Fier.

Here’s the full itinerary: Bus Annecy-Gorges du Fier

 

manmade path high above the river

 

Gorges du Fier Visit Details

Ready to visit the Gorges du Fier? Here’s all the practical information you’ll need.

 

Length of visit: around 1h

Price: Adults 4.80€, Children 2.70€

Payment: credit card, cash

Closing dates: the gorges are closed from October 16th to March 14th

Opening times: 9:30am-7:15pm from June to August & 9:30am-6:15pm all other months

More details: Gorges du Fier

 

Discovering the Gorges du Fier

After a first chill day in Annecy exploring the city and the Basilique de la Visitation, we went on an epic hike on the second day. The randonnée de la Tournette is a tough hike, and after climbing the mountain for a full day, we got back to our Airbnb absolutely exhausted.

We needed something way easier after that, to rest our sore legs. The Gorges du Fier seemed like a great fit, as a family friendly attraction. Even though we planned to be the first there, to beat the crowds, we still got plenty of sleep as it only opens at 9:30am.

We left Annecy around 9am, drive 20mn and parked in the empty parking lot right next to the gorges. There was no queue, and we bought our ticket without waiting, ready to step in the gorges.

 

 

After the ticket booth, the boardwalk begins. It’s a manmade path made of wooden planks and metal fences, high up above the ground, on the side of the cliffs. It first starts out in the open, and then we quickly walked in the gorges.

 

nesrine going in the gorges du fier

suspended path at gorges du fier annecy

The entrance of the gorges from where we came

pathway between rocks in gorges du fier

 

After we enter the gorges, on the narrow path in between the cliffs, the canyon got larger. We could see the river below us, flowing deep down the canyon that it created over thousand of years.

 

 

The footbridge is pretty long, and there’s a lot to discover along the way. From different forms in the cliffs, to narrow passages and beautiful plants at the top.

We were quite happy to have woken up early to get there first, because the bridge is really narrow. It’s only wide enough for 2 people side by side, and sometimes only 1 person can cross at the same time.

 

looking up at the cliffs above gorges du fier

 

Towards the end of the footwalk, we reached an old stone bridge, crossing over the gorges.

 

 

Soon after the bridge, the boardwalk goes up, and we got out in the open, above the gorges.

 

getting to the end of gorges du fier walk

 

After the suspended bridge, out from the gorges, we got to a nice path in the woods. The path leads to a first stop, named the Clairière des Curieux (literally Glade of the Curious). It’s a space with several huge signs, containing a lot of information about the gorges: geographic location, geological features, how it was made, the water cycle, …

After reading up about the place, we kept going on the path to reach the final part of the visit: la Mer des Rochers.

 

viewpoint over sea of rocks la mer des rochers

 

La Mer des Rochers translates to the Sea of Rocks, and it’s exactly what it is. A huge area above the gorges, with interesting rock formations, forming like a sea. You can get close to the opening, and you can see the river flowing deep down at some spots.

 

tourists watching the sea of rocks

 

And that was it, the end of the visit! From this point, we turned around and walked back to the entrance using the same way we came from. As we were walking back, it was already starting to get pretty busy on the footbridge. Make sure to get there as soon as it opens to have the best experience!

After our visit to the Gorges du Fier, we went on to visit the nearby castle, Château de Montrottier. 

 

Visit Haute-Savoie

Planning your trip to Haute-Savoie? You’ll find below a few other travel guides & key spots to see in the area.

Best hikes around Annecy:

Great outdoor destinations near Annecy:

 The BIG guides:

 

I hope you enjoy your trip to Annecy and to France; if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below, I always reply.

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