Rhône — Local services in Chambéry

Rhône River, historic river of Switzerland and France and one of the most significant waterways of Europe. It is the only major river flowing directly to the Mediterranean Sea and is thoroughly Alpine in character. In this respect it differs markedly from its northern neighbour, the Rhine, which leaves all of its Alpine characteristics behind when it leaves Switzerland. The scenic and often wild course of the Rhône, the characteristics of the water flowing in it, and the way it has been used by humans have all been shaped by the influences of the mountains, right down to the river mouth, where sediments marking the Rhône’s birth in an Alpine glacier are carried into the warmer waters of the Mediterranean

The Rhône is 505 miles (813 km) long and has a drainage basin of some 37,750 square miles (97,775 square km). The course of the river can be divided into three sectors, lying respectively in the Alps, between the Alps and the Jura Mountains and through the latter, and finally in the topographical furrow of Alpine origin running from the city of Lyon to the sea.

The Rhône originates in the Swiss Alps, upstream from Lake Geneva. It comes into being at an elevation of about 6,000 feet (1,830 metres), emerging from the Rhône Glacier, which descends the south flank of the Dammastock, a nearly 12,000-foot (3,700-metre) peak. The river then traverses the Gletsch Basin, from which it escapes through a gorge, and flows along the floor of the Goms Valley at an elevation between 4,000 and 4,600 feet (1,200 and 1,400 metres). It next enters another gorge before reaching the plain of the Valais, which extends between the towns of Brig and Martigny, and descends in elevation 2,300 to 1,600 feet (700 to 500 metres). In crossing this high and rugged mountain area, the river makes successive use of two structural troughs: the first runs between two ancient crystalline rock massifs—the Aare and the Gotthard—and farther downstream the second runs between the arched rock mass of the Bernese Alps and, on the south, the massive rock face of the Pennine Alps. From Brig onward the landscape changes. During the last Ice Age a large glacier, fed by several small ones, plowed down the valley floor of the Valais and, except for some harder rock obstacles found near the town of Sion, succeeded in widening and deepening the narrow valley floor. As it did so, it held back both the upper Rhône and those of its tributaries that come down from the Pennine Alps. When the ice sheets retreated, both the tributaries—the Vispa, Navigenze, Borgne, and Drance—and the Rhône cut new deep gorges to connect their lower courses to the new valley floor. These gorges have created considerable difficulty for modern transportation, necessitating a series of hairpin-bend road links.

After Martigny, where the valley floor is wider, the youthful Rhône thrusts northward at a right angle, cutting across the Alps through a transverse valley. At first, near the town of Saint-Maurice, this is no more than a small gorge, but it soon becomes wider and flatter. There, too, the river route has been assisted by structural factors, specifically by a dip in the crystalline rock massifs running from Mont Blanc to the Aare and by the discontinuity between the limestone masses of the Dents du Midi and of the Dent de Morcles. Across the mountain barrier the muddy waters of the Rhône enter another wide plain surrounded by high mountains and then plunge into the clearer, stiller waters of Lake Geneva, forming an...

The Rhône is a major river in Europe that flows through Switzerland and France. The river is approximately 812 kilometers (505 miles) long, and it has a drainage area of about 98,000 square kilometers (38,000 square miles). The Rhône begins in the Swiss Alps and flows into Lake Geneva (also known as Lac Léman), which is shared by Switzerland and France.

After leaving Lake Geneva, the Rhône flows southward into southeastern France, passing through cities such as Lyon, Valence, and Avignon before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. Along the way, the river passes through a number of notable natural areas, including the Rhône Glacier in Switzerland, the Rhône Valley wine region in France, and the Camargue delta, which is known for its wildlife and wetlands.

The Rhône has played an important role in the history and economy of the regions through which it flows, serving as a major transportation route for goods and people throughout the centuries. Today, the river remains an important source of hydroelectric power and irrigation for agriculture, as well as a popular destination for tourists and...

There are many fascinating places to visit along the Rhône. A brilliant way to explore on foot or by bicycle is to journey along sections of the Viarhona cycle track on the banks of the river. I walked and cycled on tiny sections of it in August. In Viviers it passes under the Pont Suspendu de Viviers, one of the many characterful bridges that cross this magnificent and peaceful waterway. My mum and I were on a river cruise that stopped off at various places of interest between Arles and Lyon and then continued on the Saone to Chalon. Totally fell in love even more with this part (and...