We decided to go to Chanaz a while ago, based on my brother’s recommendation. And I have to say, we were not disappointed.
Parking
We were told that there is a big car parking space when approaching Chanaz, just after the canal. Obviously that didn’t work out, as we came from somewhere else, got lost and found a tiny parking space for a handful of cars, that was also a bus stop. Anyway, we parked there (careful, make sure you pay up!) and that gave us a unique ability to actually start our tour of Chanaz at the very beginning of the village on the far end side.
The Walk
So we walked alongside the canal (Route du Canal) and it started right there with a beautiful little church (Eglise de Chanaz). Unfortunately the church was closed, so we could not check out the inside.
But continuing your way, you will walk on a picturesque overgrown sidewalk. Even on the sidewalk they have nicely planted flowerpots along the way.
Some of the houses may not look that great, but quite honestly, we have not been bothered too much about this. Once you start living in this area, you quickly notice that there are some naturally old buildings, some really tattered ones inbetween the really well maintaned (or recently renovated) houses.
Another thing you will also notice: Chanaz is made to make tourists welcome. We quickly noticed signs telling tourists where to find what.
As we were quite thirsty (clearly unprepared) we wanted to get something to drink on the way and as (we thought) luck would have it, right at the beginning of the town was a little convenience store. But it was shortly after lunch and the store was closed. So we wanted to head further into town and rather than going down the main path (as you would) we decided to go past a street barrier, thinking this may be the road into the town center. Well, don’t go there. This is a private area and you get lost. We continued our way down to the main area of the town and once we started to actually see the canal next to us, we also noticed a little café. Desperate for a drink we asked them if we could have a coffee. They seemed shut from after lunch but were still happy to help us out with a coffee. We clearly were the only ones and they obviously didn’t expect anyone else.
You will then get a nice view of the canal area, houses on the left and picturesque promenade on the other side of the canal. Interesting for all the bikers out there: there alone were about 20 motorbike parking lots! So my guess is, this area is really populer for two-wheel trips!
Just a short walk further you will then see, what I consider the centre of the town. It has the canal pontoon from where the boat tours stop and a few nice cafés and shops, though be warned, quite touristy, as you can guess. There was areally nice “bee shop” with all sorts of candles and honey. We got some absolutely delicious honey for us and our friends.
As you may have read in our guide on how “eating out” in France works, we were unfortunately late for lunch (it was around 14h) and whilst one or the other restaurant was just bringing food out, they strictly refused to take new orders. So we continued all the way down the promenade and then uphill towards the “shops” and “artisans” area, a tiny little side-road.
And up we go...
You should be good on foot, in some areas the street can get quite steep and at some point even we gasped for air.
There are all sorts of shops to be found. The usual things like ice cream and café shops, there was a soap shop when we passed through, also a huge coffee roaster where we got some deliciously roasted coffee beens – with flavour of course, you’ll also walk past some houses with beautiful gardens. If you are a keen gardener you will certainly enjoy the view. At some point we walked something that looked like a public resting place, a little veranda chair with a sun shade, surrounded by flowers. It was tempting to sit down but we were sure it was someone’s private area so we didn’t dare.
Further up, we walked through quite a bit of woods (Rue du Moulin) and arrived at the water mill – quite a bit out of breath. But at that point that didn’t matter, it was a brilliant view and within minutes we completely forgot how out of breath (and – at this point – starving) we were. The door was open so naturally we had to have a peak inside.
Inside you found a miller working. The mill is used to make nut oil and it smelled absolutely amazing inside. Whilst the miller was doing what he was doing, there was a lady behind a small till with loads of different oils and flowers and bits and pieces and asked if we had any questions. She quickly figured out that not all of us spoke French so she was quite happy to switch to English. Even though it’s only a short but sweet “wow” factor, we were so impressed, we couldn’t leave without taking a few things with us, including some delicious caramlized hazelnut. Very addictive, I must say.
But just the view alone was amazing. Chanaz by this point has been very picturesque (yes, there is a reason why I keep using this word).
The surprise
It was time to make our way back to the car – downhill. On the way down we found a cute little restaurant, called L’Ail des Ours. By then, we were way past lunch time but nowhere near dinner time. However, we were hungry, so we gave it a try. And as guessed, the kitchen was closed and the staff had their lunch break.
But… they were incredibly nice and accommodating. They interrupted their lunch time and said they could serve “what’s in the kitchen”, which we gladly accepted. So they brought out a menu, pointed at things and said what they didn’t have but could either combine it with something else or use different ingredients. We were not disappointed. Someone then disappeared in the kitchen whilst the rest of the staff sat down again to continue their break. After about 20minutes we had four absolutely delicious meals on our table. We were so utterly grateful and hope we were able to express that. They were very respectful and also spoke English with us. They even managed to get us a gluten free dish for our allergic traveler who absolutely loved his dish. And you know how difficult it can be to find gluten-free things in a country where the main ingredient in most dishes has gluten.
I can only highly recommend this place, but maybe go there during the proper lunch and dinner times!
Update 1 July 2024: last week we decided to have another go at the restautant, dragged my brother because we were so impressed the last time. This time, however, we decided to go there during the standard opening hours.
Once again we were very happy with everything. Service friendly and helpful, though it was a bit awkward as the lady kept looking at me whilst talking to us, because she noticed I spoke French and I translated for one person. For some reason she assumed I am the only one speaking French. I felt slightly uncomfortable, but it was OK.
The restaurant has upgraded, they now have a wooden decking, so not uneven pebbles anymore (not that it was a bother back then). Generally it looks like the restaurant had a refresh, more plants (our daughter loved it) and little accents (like ceramic frogs and lizards, etc.). In general the atmosphere had changed a bit but not for the worse. It looked more professional, less quaint. Whilst we were there, they were still planting even more stuff.
Food, once more, was amazing. It is a small selection only, and most of them had cheese in them. So if you're dairy intolerant, you will struggle. Same if you're gluten-free like my hubby. But, nevertheless, we found something and he absolutely loved it. Can't wait for our next visit.
...and down we go again!
On the way back we got down to the main road, but since we were now full with food we were not too eager to go back yet. So we crossed the canal and used the promenade on the other side for a little nature walk. It led us around a little caravan park, around some extremely beautiful houses built on the lake (which can apparently be rented for holidays). Luckily this was pretty much flat so a very welcome walk to have had before we returned back home.
According to my brother there is a much bigger parking area, and based on Google Maps, he wasn’t lying. But he also pointed out that during their last visit it was completely parked up. So be prepared!
Recommendation?
If you do like romantic little villages, hiking and motorbiking, this is a lovely place to be. Cycling probably not so much unless you like the hills. Also some areas are not really cycling-worthy unless you obviously have an e-bike and... you literally want to piss off all the pedestrians as they'd have to make space for you to get through.
Note: We didn't try the boats tour but it's on our list for our next visit.
How about property?
Quite honestly... I found Chanaz extremely expensive. We had a quick browse on the usual websites (more about these can be found here). From what I saw, prices are at least double of other places and you are faced with loads of tourists. Yes it is incredible pretty and well maintained. But, personally, I prefer the quiet rural life, even if it's not picture-perfect (sometimes this can be even more charming) and I can always hop "next door" for a visit.