In Val Cenis, the tourism is tradition

As early as 218BC Mont Cenis made its mark on history when Hannibal and his elephants crossed the Alps into Italy by this route.

From the 12 th . century onwards the Mont Cenis Pass was the main route to Piedmont and, in 1805, Napoleon ordered the construction of a road (now the N6) to link Val Cenis Lanslebourg with Susa in Italy .

The winter tourist trade also had its beginnings in the Middle Ages - the "Marrons" (sleigh drivers) towed travellers' sleighs from one side of Mont Cenis to the other and invented a method of making the descent in a "ramasse" - a sort of sled made of branches.

Another legendary figure of Val Cenis is Flambeau, the canine postman who ensured the arrival of the mail between Fort Sollières , perched high on Mont Froid, and the town of Lanslebourg during the 1930s. Every day for 10 years, summer and winter, at the same time of day, Flambeau could be relied upon for the safe delivery of the military postbags.

The River Arc as it winds along the valley has been an enduring feature of the ebb and flow of the history of the area and has helped the 2 villages which comprise Val Cenis develop a tradition of welcome and an open mind to new ideas.

In 1967 Lanslebourg and Lanslevillard united to form the resort of Val Cenis, in the very heart of the region of Haute-Maurienne Vanoise.