Low-emission zone of Chambéry
The city of Chambéry in the French Alps in the east of the country introduced a low-emission zone on 1 April 2025. Within this low-emission zone, motor vehicles must have an emissions sticker. On this page, you can read everything you need to know. Are you visiting other cities as well? Then take a look at this overview of all low-emission zones in France. You can read more about the emissions sticker itself on the home page of this website.
Allow VignetDirect to apply on your behalf and receive a digital sticker within 48 hours.
Also need the German emissions sticker? Order it here.
Map of the low-emission zone in Chambéry
The low-emission zone of Chambéry is marked orange on the map above. As you can see, not only Chambéry itself falls within the zone, but also many surrounding towns. The most important of these is Aix-les-Bains on the eastern shore of Lac du Bourget. Remarkably, Tresserve just south of Aix-les-Bains is not part of the low-emission zone. Residents can only leave the village by driving through the low-emission zone however.
There are also two highways that are not part of the low-emission zone. The first is the A41, which connects Chambéry with Annecy in the north and Grenoble in the south. The second highway is the A43, which runs from Lyon via Chambéry to the Italian border. An emissions sticker is not required on these highways. They are marked with blue lines on the map.
The low-emission zone of Chambéry
Officially, the low-emission zone of Chambéry is known as the zone à faibles émissions (ZFE) of the Métropole Savoie. This is an urbanized area around Chambéry with 240,000 inhabitants. The low-emission zone does not cover this entire area, but only the following municipalities:
Aix-les-Bains, Barberaz, Barby, Bassens, Challes-les-Eaux, Chambéry, Chignin, Cognin, Drumettaz-Clarafond, Jacob-Bellecombette, La Motte-Servolex, LaRavoire, Le Bourget-du-Lac, Montagnole, Montmélian, Mouxy, Méry, Porte-de-Savoie, Pugny-Chatenod, Saint-Alban-Leysse, Saint-Baldoph, Saint-Cassin, Saint-Jean-d’Arvey, Saint-Jeoire-Prieuré, Sonnaz, Verel-Pragondran, Vimines, Viviers-du-Lac and finally Voglans.
The Chaméry low-emission zone is active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is quite different from zones such as those in Grenoble, where the rules only apply on weekdays and during the day. Exemptions are possible in Chambéry, but these are aimed at local residents who drive few kilometers or need a vehicle for their profession. Foreign tourists are not eligible for an exemption.
Parking outside the low-emission zone
The low-emission zone in Chambéry is quite large and surrounded by mountains. The city does not have a tramway or metro system. This makes it relatively difficult to park outside the low-emission zone and then continue your journey by public transport. There are a number of park-and-ride sites with bus connections, but almost all of these are located within the low-emission zone.
If you are coming from the north, you could consider the train station of Grésy-sur-Aix. In addition to the parking lot at the station, there is also a much larger parking lot at the Carrefour 350 meters to the south. Trains run regularly from the station, stopping at Aix-les-Bains and Chambéry, among other places. It is marked on the map with the letter A.
- P+R Gare de Grésy-sur-Aix: 284 Rue de la Gare in Grésy-sur-Aix, approximately 50 parking spaces.
If you are coming from the east via the A43, you may consider Saint-Pierre-d’Albigny. If you are coming from the south via the A41, consider Pontcharra. Both villages have a train station with ample parking, but are quite far from Chambéry. They are located outside the map at the top of this page. Unless your vehicle is not eligible, purchasing an emissions sticker is recommended.
Which emissions sticker in Chambéry?
Vehicles with all colors of the French emissions sticker are allowed in the low-emission zone of Chambéry. Only if your vehicle is not eligible for any color of the sticker is it not allowed to drive within the low-emission zone. In practice, this applies to passenger cars manufactured before 1997, trucks and buses manufactured before 1 October 2001, and motorcycles and scooters manufactured before 1 June 2000.
Allow VignetDirect to apply on your behalf and receive a digital sticker within 48 hours.
Also need the German emissions sticker? Order it here.
Other low-emission zones in the area
There are quite a few other low-emission zones in the vicinity of Chambéry. For example, the sticker is mandatory in Annecy and Annemasse, 50 and 90 kilometers to the north. If you drive south, you will encounter a low-emission zone in Grenoble after 60 kilometers. A little further away, 100 kilometers to the west, the sticker is also mandatory in Lyon.
What is there to see and do in Chambéry?
The castle of Chambéry, photo by Florian Pépellin (CC BY-SA 3.0).
.JPG){kind=link}
Chambéry is the capital of the French department of Savoie and is located in the westernmost foothills of the Alps. In the past, Chambéry was the capital of the county and later duchy of Savoy. Sights from this period include the medieval castle of the dukes, the cathedral and the Fontaine des éléphants – or Elephant Fountain – from 1838.
Within the low-emission zone, the tourist-oriented Aix-les-Bains is also worth a visit. This smaller town is located on the beautiful Lac du Bourget and has a number of large hotels, thermal baths, and a casino.