Get drunk on fresh air in the great outdoors
Who’d have thought of setting up a running station in this mountainous landscape?! Local boy Xavier Thévenard, of course, who dreamed of creating a route between his town’s two summits – and running it! The champion trail runner born just a few kilometres from Nantua has an insatiable appetite for running across the surrounding reliefs – and here, above the lake, they aren’t half steep! The Trail station now has 18 different routes, leaving from Nantua, Oyonnax, Izernore and Brénod.
Mountain running is by no means the only outdoor activity available here – visitors can hire pedalos and go sailing, water skiing or paddle-boarding, not to mention swimming and fishing!
Heritage and National Memory
Nantua means quenelles and their famous sauce! While quenelles come from Lyon, the deliciously creamy sauce was invented in Nantua. The original recipe states that it should be made with crayfish butter, from shellfish caught in nearby waters. A must!
The Museum of Resistance and Deportation in Nantua retraces the darkest hours of World War II, recounting the roles and testimonies of the local population during the war.