The Tarentaise Valley (French: Vallée de la Tarentaise) is a valley in the heart of the French Alps, in the Savoy region. It is the valley of the Isère River. The French Alps are simply those parts of the Alps which lie in France. ... This article is about the historical region of Savoy. ... The Isère is a 290 km long river in southeastern France, in the Rhône-Alpes région. ...

At the foot of the valley, in the west, is the city of Albertville. Going east up the valley, Moûtiers is reached, then Aime and finally the last large town, Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Albertville is a town and commune in southeast France, in the Savoie département, in the French Alps. ... Moûtiers is a commune of the Savoie département, in the Rhône-Alpes région, in France. ... Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a commune of the Savoie département, in France. ...

The area is internationally best known for its ski resorts, including Les Trois Vallées (off a side valley from Moûtiers), La Plagne above Aime, Les Arcs above Bourg-Saint-Maurice, and Tignes and Val d'Isère further up the valley. These communities hosted most of the events for the 1992 Albertville winter olympics. A ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or high-end accommodations and other amenities at the base of the mountain. ... Les Trois Vallées or the three valleys is a ski region in the Savoie département of France, near the town of Moûtiers and within the Vanoise National Park and the Tarentaise. ... La Plagne is a ski area in the southern Alps in the Savoie region of France. ... The centre of Arc 1950 Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France near the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. ... Tignes is a commune of the Savoie département, in France. ... Val dIsère is a famous ski resort and a commune located (45°27′ N 6°58′ E) in the Savoie département, in France, near the Italian border. ... The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1992 in Albertville, France. ...

In the winter, the valley is a cul-de-sac, with its road finishing at Val d'Isere. In the summer, there is a pass over to the Maurienne Valley at the head of the valley (the Col de l'Iseran, and a couple of others further down, including the Little St Bernard Pass eastwards to Italy via La Rosiere and La Thuile and the Cormet de Roseland northwards. The Little St Bernard Pass is a mountain pass in the Alps. ...

Both sides of the valley, but especially the sunnier northern side, have rural farming communities all the way along. The colder southern side tends to be dominated by the ski resorts but has occasional small hamlets.

Transportation

The valley has a railway as far as Bourg-Saint-Maurice, which, in the winter season, has various direct sleeper trains from Paris and Eurostar trains from London. The valley road is dual carriageway as far as Moûtiers, after which it becomes a standard two-lane but single-carriageway road, which can see substantial queues in winter. This road is currently receiving funding from the European Union for a significant improvement project between Aime and Moûtiers, one of the narrowest point in the valley. The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris, is an international symbol of the city. ... Eurostar, see Eurostar Italia. ...

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Tarentaise Valley