A Weekend Away at Lake Annecy

A weekend away at Lake Annecy makes for the perfect European outdoor adventure.

Lake Annecy gives me butterflies. Its turquoise waters are hidden within the French mountains where people venture to swim, sail and cycle.

The French freshwater lake is famous for its swimming, water sports and outdoor adventure. It’s also the perfect spot for some R&R surrounded by beautiful quaint villages speckled with flowers.

Every year, my uni girls and I try to do a trip abroad. With a preference for train travel and a love of languages among us, we often end up in France.

This year it was my friend Phoebe who suggested a weekend away at Lake Annecy where we could swim and cycle through the mountains – what’s not to love? I’d never heard of the place but the suggestion was immediately met with a yes, yes, yes.

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Ever increasing in popularity, Lake Annecy is full of adventure for the outdoorsy type but can also provide a tranquil setting perfect for hitting the reset button.

Being such good savers, we managed to squirrel away enough for a hostel and the train journey from London.

Trip Highlights

• Cycling around Lake Annecy
• Taking a dip in the lake
• Wandering through the canals
• Renting a pedalo
• French bread picnics by the lake
• Flowers everywhere

When we were not on our bicycles or in the water we found some great spots in Annecy itself.

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Much of our time was spent shopping for French picnics or sitting on the terrace with a bottle of wine.

But we also carved out a day to stroll around the canals and hike into the hills where we found a beautiful cathedral with views of the lake.

Can I cycle around Lake Annecy?

Yes, definitely and it’s awesome. This was without doubt my favourite part of our weekend at Lake Annecy.

Much to our surprise, we managed to cycle the entire 31 miles or 50km around the water’s edge with only a paper map in hand. Old school adventure, keeping it real.

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Most of the lake benefits from an excellent painted cycle path separate from motorists.

But be prepared to pedal in the road at times when the cycle lane disappears into the cliffs or a craggy stone tunnel.

We rented our bicycles from Annecy before following the blue painted cycle path anti clockwise through Sévrier, Duingt and towards Doussard.

Up until this point, our journey was entirely on the cycle path which mostly sits alongside the lakeside and winds into the hills. So if you are cycling with little ones or prefer a more straight forward adventure, this is the stretch for you.

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At Plage de Doussard, we stopped off for a picnic lunch including French baguettes, tomato dips, veggies, berries and crisps – complete with all the Lays flavours you can’t get in the UK. Bolognese crisps… you feelin’ me?

Here we saw lots of people swimming and we had a quick dip to cool off before getting back on the bikes.

About three quarters of the way through, the cycle path disappeared and things got a bit more tricky.

We cycled in the road in single file and headed into the cliffs where we relied on locals for directions.

How to Get to Lake Annecy

To cut down our emissions, we opted for the more scenic route to Annecy and travelled by train.

The journey was one of romance and anticipation as we scoffed French pastries and gawked out the window in excitement.

If you prefer to fly, the closest airport is Geneva across the border in Switzerland.

French trains are awesome. They are cleaner, smarter and more entertaining than ours and take beautiful passages through the countryside. Did you know you can even get double decker trains over there? Pretty cool stuff.

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If you plan ahead, you can find a return ticket for around £120. But fares can creep up into the hundreds so book smart.

All in all, the journey takes around seven or eight hours and involves one or two changes, depending which option you book.

We began our journey on the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord where we made the switch over to the SNCF train to Annecy.

Annecy train station is located in the centre of town where we were easily able to walk to our hostel. If you are staying elsewhere along the lake, a cab ride is advisable.

Where to Stay at Lake Annecy

Annecy is just one small town among many at the edge of the lake. With its picturesque canals, tourist amenities and proximity to the train station, we found it the preferable choice.

But if you fancy something more remote or a little different, I recommend bringing up Google maps and picking out a few more place names that pop up around the lake.

The area accommodates for all types, from hostels for the budget traveller to Air BnBs to waterfront log cabins with direct access to the lake! Next time…

Booking.com

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Lake Annecy really is a beauty. If you are looking for a scenic getaway with family or friends or even some quiet time away to yourself, I cannot recommend it enough.

Have you spent a weekend away at Lake Annecy? What did you get up to?

What travel tips do you have?

Laura x