Before I had even begun interrailing around France for six weeks back in 2021, I couldn’t wait to visit to Annecy. The photos online were spectacular, with crystal blue waters and endless mountains. Also known as the ‘Venice of France’, the alpine town of Annecy lives up to the name, with a series of winding canals that feed into the Thiou River.
I was only there for two days, but I made every second count. I knew I wanted to rent a bike and cycle the length of the lake, and I was ready to tip my hat to my inner adrenaline junkie and go paragliding. Annecy is a very outdoorsy place, with lots of potential for fun activities. I originally wanted to go skydiving for the first time, but sadly it was just too far out of my budget.
Besides the more active pursuits, Annecy has lots of other things to do. You can take a walk through the shops of the Old Town, sit in the gardens by the lake for a picnic, rent a motor boat to get out on the water, and eat lots of delicious food.
Here is my two-day itinerary to help you plan your trip to Lake Annecy.
Day One:
Cycle around Lake Annecy
Just a five minute walk from my hotel, next to the Jardins de l’Europe, is Bicycle Rental Annecy, or Cyclable Vieille Ville Location in French. Here, they have a treasure trove of bikes for rent. I just walked in and they supplied me with a bike with a basket and a helmet, no reservation needed. I can’t remember the price off the top of my head, but I remember it being fair and nothing crazy for a few hours rental.
Outside their shop door, you can pick up the cycle path, the Voie Verte, that goes around Lake Annecy. This 42 km paved greenway follows the old route of a railroad that connected Annecy with Albertville, and stops in smaller villages along the way like Sévrier, Saint-Jorioz, Duingt, Lathuile, and Doussard.
It typically takes over 3 hours to cycle around, but I was able to do it in about 2hr 30min, which I think surprised the bike guys! I came back to drop off my bike and they kept commenting that I was back so soon.
Originally I was only going to do one length of the lake, but I was having such a great time and it was such a beautiful cycle path, that I decided to do the full route around.
When starting your cycle in Annecy, I would recommend going counterclockwise around the lake. The right side of the lake is relatively flat, passing through old railway tunnels and cycling next to fields of cows and bright blue water.
The second half of the cycle is a bit more challenging. Once you pass through Doussard and head back along the other side of the lake, it is completely uphill for the first bit. It got so steep and exhausting, that I began to get confused why they recommended counterclockwise to me. Eventually, once you reach the top, it is downhill the rest of the way. It felt like I was flying. You do have to have good breaks because you really start to pick up speed. If you decide to go clockwise around the lake, this will just be a constant, slow incline.
Once you get back into Annecy, watch out for pedestrians. As is typical when riding a bike, pedestrians just wander into the cycle lanes and aren’t always spatially aware. If you’re visiting in the summer, there will be lots of people around, so be cautious.
Rent a pedal boat, motor boat, or paddle board
This was something that I wished I had gone through with because it looked like it would have been so much fun.
I had planned to rent a paddle board to take out onto the lake after my bike ride, but once I got to the rental place, it was so packed with people and I was really tired, so I decided to just head back to my hotel room for a lie down in the A/C.
I also had a backpack on me, with sunscreen, water, my wallet, and my phone, which I wouldn’t have wanted to bring onto the lake, but I also didn’t see anywhere you could store it under lock and key. So if you’re planning on going out onto the water, plan accordingly with your belongings!
If you do take a boat out, be aware which companies allow you to rent with or without a boating license. Based on some research, it looks like a motor boat rental can range from €35 - €450, depending on the boat, license status, and rental time. Pedal boats can range from €15 - €100 and paddle boards can range from €13 - €75.
I was planning to rent my paddle board with V-Boat, linked here.
Day Two:
Paragliding over the lake
Annecy is the most famous paragliding site in Europe. I paraglided with Activ' Annecy and would definitely recommend them to all prospective gliders.
I had to take a bus out of Annecy to meet up with the pilots who would take us up into the mountains to paraglide. Activ’ Annecy was great and sent detailed emails with instructions on what to do.
I took bus line 51 in the direction of Albertville to Doussard at the southern end of the lake. The bus stop name was Doussard Guinettes + Poste. I asked the bus driver to point it out to me just in case, and he was super nice and helpful. They must have a lot of paragliders taking this route, because he seemed to know right away what I was heading to do.
Once I reached the bus stop, the van was there to pick me up, as well as some other people, and we were taken up the mountain.
Once we reached the top, I helped carry the parachute bag with my pilot over to the take off spot, and he set up all of the parachute strings and harnesses. I had my backpack on me with my phone and wallet in it, as did the other people in the group, and we were able to leave them in the van and they were driven back down the mountain to be picked up at the end.
Once we were set up and given the all clear to go, I was handed a selfie stick to record us running off the mountain, and then we were airborne! It was absolutely thrilling!
The views were stunning; we were able to see all the way down the lake, back towards Annecy. I even got to control the glider for a bit, following the pilot’s instructions and leading us to the left and right.
About halfway down, my pilot gave me the choice of either landing right away or doing some tricks. I knew it would be a long time until I was in a position like this again, and I wanted to try something new, so I thought, why not? I opted for the tricks. I wasn’t ready for the flight to be over.
We swung back and forth and side to side, which was scary in itself because I was laying almost horizontal in the air at some points. Then it was time for the corkscrews. I have a video recording of this part and you can hear my screams over the wind while closing my eyes tightly.
Eventually we touched down on the ground, and I was so disappointed that it was over. I think we were in the air for about 10 - 15 minutes. It honestly flew by though; I could have been up there for so much longer.
After the touchdown, there was a spot to grab food and a drink while watching other paragliders land from their flights. I got a celebratory beer, before running to catch the next bus back. It was easy enough; I got back on at the same stop, but just got the bus back in the direction of Annecy.
Walking around Annecy and the Old Town
Annecy is a beautiful town to walk around. It lives up to its name, the ‘Venice of France’, with its winding canals lined with lovely flower boxes. There are colorful, old buildings and cobbled streets filled with little shops to peruse, with lots of touristy shops and boutiques.
The Palais de I'Île is probably the most famous spot in Annecy. It was a medieval castle and prison in the middle of the Thiou Canal, which runs throughout the town, and has now been converted into an art and history museum.
Other museums you can visit in Annecy are the Musée-Château d'Annecy, which was castle that has been converted into a museum with restored rooms, towers, artwork, and galleries, as well as the Musée du Film d'Animation, with a collection of animated cinema, made up of numerous objects preserving the history and creative processes of animated cinema.
The Jardins de l'Europe is located right on the edge of Lake Annecy. It is a large green space with trees and open grass, perfect for leisurely walks and picnics in the sun where you can look out to the beautiful mountains and water around you. It is a historic site that has been around since the Middle Ages.
Where to Eat:
Annecy is in the middle of the French Alps and is a neighbor to Switzerland, meaning that the cheese fondue is superb.
My first night in Annecy, I went to Le Freti. Located at 12 Rue Sainte-Claire, Le Freti is a popular stop off for Annecy visitors, with some of the nicest cheese fondue I’ve ever had. They have a variety of fondues to choose from, with the average price being around €23.
The one I had was rich and flavorful, with caramelized onions and a white wine glaze. It came with a bowl of crusty bread to dip in, and was warm and yummy after a long day of travel in the rain.
After cycling for an afternoon, I was ready for a big dinner. I wandered through the busy Old Town and stumbled across the Milton Pub, located at 21 Rue Sainte-Claire.
For dinner, I had the Thai Green Curry Muscles, which were a delicious twist on a French classic! It was perfectly spiced with a creamy curry sauce. I paired it with a side salad and a margarita, which was exactly what I needed when I was tired and sore from my bike ride.
For my lunches, I just stopped by a local Carrefour for an apple and a protein bar, seeing as I was out and about all day and didn’t have too much time to stop for a sit-down meal. After a big breakfast at my hotel, this worked for me, but I was ready for my dinner at the end of the day.
Where to Stay:
Annecy is an expensive city to visit. This was one of the only cities I stayed in on my trip where I was in a hotel, rather than an AirBnB, and I had to find a budget option that was reasonable. A lot of French people were staycationing, as I was visiting just after lockdown and there was still a lot of restrictions on travel to certain countries, so Annecy was even busier than normal.
Annecy’s highest tourist season is from June to August, meaning that it can get very busy. Since Annecy is very close to the border with Switzerland, many people come to Annecy as a day trip and spend the night. This can make it difficult to find accommodation during these months in the summer, and like I mentioned before, really increase the prices.
I stayed at the ibis Annecy Centre Vieille Ville. This was about a 5 minute walk from the train station and another 5 minutes to the Old Town, making it a great location. As this is a budget hotel, it was a very basic room, but I was really only in there to sleep so this didn’t matter to me! Its breakfast option was great to help get my day started before all of the fun things I was about to do.
Comentários