Hautecombe Abbey in Savoy

A visit to the beautiful Hautecombe Abbey on the shores of Lake Bourget.

Hautecombe Abbey is worth visiting because it is somewhat isolated on the shores of Lake Bourget. You can either come by car or by boat from Aix-les-Bains (it is the easiest). Beware of the opening hours because the site is always in activity and the visit is forbidden during the masses. The visit can be very short if you don't attend the services, you can see everything in less than an hour, the site is not very big and many places are not open to the public. Apparently the visit is more interesting for the heritage days in September. It's up to you to see if the abbey is worth the trip but the visit could be better organized.

Interest: ratingvery good (4 users)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 2 h.

Indicative sign

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Indicative sign
You must pay attention to the opening hours. The abbey is closed on Tuesdays. On mornings you can only visit between 9 and 11:15 am because you need time to prepare for the midday mass. In the afternoon the abbey can be visited from 2:00 pm (2:30 pm in winter) until 5:00 pm. It is forbidden to visit during the midday mass. If you enter you must stay for the duration of the service.

Reserved access

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Reserved access
How can such an ugly door be installed in such an environment? There are a lot of signs saying "restricted access". It's not clear what the purpose of the visit is and what is open to the public.

The abbey of Hautecombe

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The abbey of Hautecombe
The abbey was built in 1137. Since 1992 there are no more monks. Today the abbey is managed by the Chemin Neuf Community which organizes the spiritual life of the place.

The interior of the church

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The interior of the church
The interior of the building is really beautiful in a "gothic troubadour" style. The visit is paying (3,5 euros).

The exterior of the abbey

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The exterior of the abbey
Hautecombe Abbey is quite isolated and surrounded by forests. The site is conducive to meditation.

The Boat Barn

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The Boat Barn
Going down to the banks of the lake you can visit this barn which had two functions. The boats were stored at the bottom of the barn and the grain and fodder were stored at the top.

The interior of the barge barn

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The interior of the barge barn
The barn can be visited and the entrance is free. Temporary exhibitions can be seen.

A beautiful view on the lake

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A beautiful view on the lake
Along the barn we have a very beautiful point of view on the lake. On the picture you can see the shuttle coming from Aix-les-Bains. There is a landing stage right next to the abbey.

The abbey seen from the lake

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The abbey seen from the lake
Paradoxically, it is on the other side of the lake or coming from the lake that the abbey is best seen.
Departure point (Google Maps)

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