Au pied du Parc naturel régional du massif des Bauges Géoparc Unesco, La Belle Via débute côté Savoie sur les rives du lac du Bourget, le plus grand lac naturel de France, bordé de villages viticoles et de quelques rares villages de pêcheurs.
<p>There are two possible departure points: from Chanaz, from where you can take a boat to the large port of Aix-les-Bains via the Savières canal, skirting the wild coastline and Hautecombe Abbey, or from Aix-les-Bains, a spa town with a rich heritage of antique and Belle Époque architecture. The cycle route skirts the lake along a scenic panoramic cycle path to Bourget-du-Lac, and then reaches Chambéry, a city of Art and History, via the Leysse greenway, one of France's first greenways, much used by Savoyard cyclists!</p>