Savoy, located between Lake Geneva and Grenoble, is a premier hiking area, where the deep green of the forests alternates with the gentle green of the alpine pastures, and in spring, the meadows burst into a colorful display. As the white-gray limestone cliffs glow in shades of pink and orange in the light of the setting sun, the color spectrum of the lakes ranges from emerald green to deep blue. The hiking region covered by this Rother hiking guide essentially includes the mountain ranges of the French pre-Alps: Chablais, Giffre, Bornes-Aravis, Bauges, and Chartreuse, as well as the Belle-donne, which is part of the Central Alps. Three Olympic cities—Chamonix, Grenoble, and Albertville—serve as gateways to the hiking area. It is the "France Profonde," the rural, agricultural France, the France of shepherds and alpine pastures, which hikers traverse on their journeys, often accompanied by streams, brooks, and rivers.