Pont du Diable gorges and the Aulps valley

From lakefront bustle to river-chiseled silence, the scene shifts within a handful of bends above Thonon. The Dranse carved a narrow slot in Urgonian limestone, topped by the Devil’s Bridge—a 19th‑century wooden span above kettle pools and polished rock. Up-valley, the Aulps story is Cistercian: Aulps Abbey was founded in 1094, its roofless nave now framing the sky. Late day, we roll to Lake Montriond at 1,047 m, a cold mirror under the Ardent cliffs. All this within roughly 35 km, crossing distinct valley tiers.

Logistics stay easy: hotel pickup in Thonon, a recent Mercedes at your disposal, and a driver who keeps the day flowing. With your private chauffeur in Thonon-les-Bains, it’s seamless—about 25 minutes to the Devil’s Bridge gorges, another 20 to Aulps Abbey, then 15 more to Montriond. You walk the suspended walkways, sample farm tomme in Saint‑Jean‑d’Aulps, and slip in a coffee in Morzine while the driver waits, adjusts timing to weather, and handles parking.