Incredible. 

That is the first word that comes to mind when I describe our experience in Chatel during our two-week summer trip. 

Chatel is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France, in the Haute-Savoie department (The Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe,is also part of the Haute-Savoie and is only an hour and a half away).  Chatel is a peaceful Village Resort located at the top of the Abondance Valley in the Northern French Alps and is part of the Portes du Soleil, the French-Swiss domain. A network of ski towns and resorts at the border of France extending into Switzerland. With the purchase of the Multi pass card access to the chairlifts and gondolas are free and many activities in the area are discounted. (Lots of Chalets in Chatel come with a discounted price for the Multipass cards). It is possible to cross into Switzerland on one of the chair lifts/cable cars in the area and hiking over the border is also a possibility.

There are many Chalets for rent in Chatel and the surrounding areas. We found our Chalet through https://en.chatelreservation.com/ a local agency that helps with finding accommodation rentals in the area. The agency was very helpful. They answered many questions and even mentioned without us asking which houses had only smart lights and keys which would be problematic for us for Shabbos. Another point to consider is that in France the standard is that the Chalet rental week begins on Saturday. The agency helped us find a host who agreed to rent the place to us from mid-week to mid-week. Check the listings carefully and check what amenities are included. In Europe there can be extra charges for things we may consider basics. Prices in the French Alps are generally more reasonable then over the border in Switzerland. 

We chose to stay in Chatel when we heard that in the past years there were multiple minyanim in the area. (There were a couple of minyanim within walking distance of our Chalet. Not all had Sifrei Torah). Other nearby towns also had a minyan or two but I was happy I chose Chatel-I found it a very pleasant and scenic town with stores and restaurants on the main road. A lot of the minyanim in the area are impromptu but sometimes there are minyanim listed on  https://findaminyan.co.uk/.  

Chatel has many attractions within a very short distance and buses can be used to get around town for those without a vehicle. Chatel also has access to one of the cable car lines right in the town.  We rented a car for the duration of our stay and did some trips out of the area as well. 

We flew into Geneva, Switzerland, the closest international airport (the airport in Geneva is right at the border and has an exit into France as well.) We rented a car at the airport and drove 1.5 hours to Chatel.

Bringing in meat, chicken and dairy products from out of the country is not allowed in Switzerland. There are a few options of where to get kosher food. Geneva has a kosher grocery store. We did not end up purchasing our groceries there. We brought with a lot of our groceries and ordered online from the Kosher4U store, located in Antwerp, food to be shipped to us. We got fresh French baguettes from one of the bakeries that had a hashgacha for kosher production during bein hazmanim. For Shabbos, they accepted orders for their challahs (braided baguettes). In the main area in Chatel there are a couple of groceries but just a few minute drive is Intermarché Supermarket with  food and non-food items that is regularly sold in bigger stores. The supermarket even has a mini laundromat outside (washing machines and dryers to use for pay).

We enjoyed every minute of our stay in Chatel. The views right there in town are amazing and the location could not have been better.

Posted: February 22, 2025