Drop bags. Walk the cobbled core. Baroness de Rothschild built this in 1916 as France's answer to St Moritz^[1] — and a real medieval village still sits underneath the luxury layer. The bulbous belfry, the 10-bell carillon, the Place de l'Église. Read the town before the dinner.

Farmhouse Beaufort, charcuterie, mountain honey and seasonal produce at Place du Marché^[1]. Pick up provisions. Then detour to Renaut's own deli: Le Garde-Manger^[2] — the chef's larder, available to walk into before you sit at his table.

Twenty horse-drawn carriages wait under the big fir in the square^[1]. Take one. Most atmospheric after dark when the façades light up. Boutique browsing along the old-town lanes — jewellers, designer houses, artisan shops — between the carriage ride and dinner aperitifs.

The one lift worth the June detour. Cable car to 3,842 m in ~20 min — 2,800 m of vertical, open year-round, ~€75 return^[1]. Pair with the Montenvers rack railway to the Mer de Glace in one tight day^[2]. Return by 15:00 — spa window before dinner.

A spa session before the tasting menu creates a cleaner evening than arriving stiff from a mountain hike. Three options: Flocons de Sel spa (same property, heated pool, sauna, Swedish bath)^[1]; Les Fermes de Marie (Pure Altitude, 1,000 m², 17 treatment rooms)^[2]; Le Palais (Olympic pool, public, year-round)^[3].

The Sunday local-producers' market runs on 7 June^[1] — local farms only, different vendors from Friday. Beaufort wheels, Reblochon still warm, mountain honey. Pack the car with Haute-Savoie provisions before the drive home. Closes at 13:00 — a natural cut point for departure.

Market closes at 13:00 — clean cut. If time allows, a detour through Saint-Gervais (20 min): Les Bains du Mont-Blanc thermal spa reopens 6 June^[1] — a natural halfway decompression before the motorway. Lake Annecy (1hr) as a longer alternative if the weather holds: 20°C water, 13 beaches^[2].