Lake Annecy

Discover Lake Annecy!

Why love Lake Annecy?

You'll love Lake Annecy if you like to observe the details of the surrounding mountains while swimming, in summer.

You'll love Lake Annecy if you love watching the mountains glistening with snow above the lake's winter mists.

You'll love Lake Annecy if you love discovering the sumptuous houses and castles that line its shores in every season, by boat, pedalo, paddle or kayak.

You'll love Lake Annecy if you love the clear, turquoise waters of the lagoons, but also the fir forests and the snowy slopes!

In short, you love Lake Annecy when you want to enjoy an immersive experience in all that the mountains have to offer.

Lake Annecy, a jewel in a natural setting

Lake Annecy is a jewel in its mountain setting. From Le Pâquier, Annecy's lakeside promenade, you can admire its photographic perfection. The shoreline rises gradually on both sides of the lake, the higher mountains rise in the background without overpowering the landscape, allowing a flood of light to illuminate the lakeside villages. But you get the same feeling in Duingt or Talloires - everywhere, in fact.

This lake is perfection.

In winter, the lake may be gray under a heavy sky, but the snow on its shores or on the surrounding slopes gives it a peaceful, not gloomy, atmosphere. At the first ray of sunshine, everything lights up, and the reflections on the lake light up the shores too.

In summer, it's an enchantment of colors: the flowers, the shades of green of the trees, the turquoise blue of its waters...

Swimming like in a lagoon

We swim in warm water, from beaches, pontoons and boats. The water is clean. The atmosphere is that of a seaside resort. In the distance, you can hear the cries of children jumping into the water near the shore, of boats plying the lake, but as soon as you stray from the many beaches, silence reigns supreme once again. You'll love a vacation on the shores of Lake Annecy if you enjoy sporting activities such as diving, running along the cycle path that circles the lake and, of course, cycling.

Cycle around this lake. A marathon-length route awaits you.

A lake in the middle of the mountains

But the peaks that frame the lake are also destinations for more or less challenging hikes. The views are impressive. You have the impression of flying over the lake. Some people actually do it, paragliding. You can take off from the Col de la Forclaz, with its panoramic views across Lake Annecy.

Cultural tourism around Lake Annecy

Lake Annecy is also a great place for cultural tourism.

You'll discover the romantic town of Annecy, with its canals, colorful old town and château, the château of Menthon Saint Bernard, the villas of Saint Jorioz or Talloires... In the evening, you'll enjoy the seaside atmosphere of the villages around the lake, after passing through hamlets of wooden chalets in the morning, as in the Aravisat the bottom of wooded valleys where peaceful torrents flow.

In late winter, you can enjoy the ski slopes of La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand in the early part of the day, and relax on a café terrace, almost with your feet in the water, to admire the sunset at the end of the day. It's this mix of genres that makes Lake Annecy so charming.

This site is at a strategic point in your discovery of the French Alps.

From here you can explore the Lac du Bourgetand GenevaGeneva Chamonix or Megève in less than an hour.

A central location in the Pays de Savoie, cultural, sporting and gastronomic vacations, and the pleasure of having fun just like at the seaside... but in a mountain setting.

Discover this region by reading the following articles from the AlpAddict blog!

Discover Lake Annecy on video

The best webcams around Lake Annecy

(click on the village name)

• Annecy The best-known view of Annecy lake and town! Enjoy the scenery as if you were sitting on a bench.
• SevrierThe view of the mountains surrounding the lake.
• The SemnozFrom the Jura to Mont Blanc, and from the Bauges to the Chambéry valley.
• Plateau des GlièresThe Glières plateau, just a few kilometers from Annecy.
• Doussard plageDoussard beach: on the edge of the lake, just south of the basin.

Not-to-be-missed activities around Lake Annecy

• Visit Annecy's old town
• A crossing of the lake to admire the mountains, houses and gardens lining its shores
• Cycle around the lake, pausing to admire the scenery at Duingt and Talloires.
• Château de Menthon Saint Bernard
• The view from the Col de la Forclaz (and paragliding?)
• The view from the Semnoz, and a walk in the forest
• La Tournette ascent for seasoned hikers
• A walk on Mont Veyrier
• An excursion to the Gorges du Fier
• Discover the Glières plateau, a place of resistance during the Second World War.

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