The distance from my house in North London to my house in Doussard, the south side of lake Annecy is roughly 620miles (1000km). The total journey time, including ferry crossing and two fuel stops was 11.5 hours. If you are heading to Annecy itself, the journey time will be 30 min less as you save the drive along the lake to Doussard (although very picturesque). You can also reduce the total journey time by one hour if you use the Eurotunnel to cross the channel, more if you break speed limits (not advisable).

I started from my London home at 10.15am. It took me just over 1.30hours to get to Dover. Not bad, considering I have to cross from North to East London, navigate Blackwall tunnel and cross M25. I always plan for a minimum of 3 hours for journey time from London to Dover ferry departure as I have been caught out in traffic before and missed a few ferries before. I also use any spare time I have before ferry departure to refuel the car, check tyre pressures, lights etc. Refuelling in Dover gets me further into France without stopping and currently fuel is cheaper in the UK too.

Ferry left on time (they normally do) and with a crossing time of 1.5 hours I reach Calais at 4pm local time (don’t clocks go one hour forward when travelling to the continent). Also make sure you travel to Calais, not Dunkerque or any other port, otherwise your crossing will be longer and your drive to Lake Annecy will be longer too. The route goes broadly Calais – Reims – Troyes – Dijon – than direction Geneva – Annecy – Doussard. It is all motorway until 40miles from Geneva, where you come off the motorway and drive across the countryside to get to lake Annecy. There is not much you can do wrong to get there.

Calais to Reims is just under 200 miles and you are in the centre of the Champagne region. The Champagne is a fairly flat but obviously many wineries vineyards. If you are driving from the Midlands, this is probably half way point and not a bad stopover. I always do the journey in one day, but I do stop to buy Champagne. My tip here, don’t buy near Reims where all the big Champagne makers are based, drive on another 100miles and stop near Troyes, which is still the Champagnes. For me this makes a perfect first fuel stop (300miles into the journey) and gives me an excuse to pass by my favourite Champagne makers.

After Dijon, you pass the Burgundy region, another possible stopover and opportunity to buy wine, this time Burgundy!!
The total drive time from Calais to Lake Annecy will be 7.5 hours if you keep your stops to a minimum and short (6.5 hours if you are super fast and have a big petrol tank). It took me 7 hours but I had to stop 2 times for petrol. If you drive first time or if you travel with a young family you should plan for 8 – 10 hours from Calais. If you try to avoid motorway charges altogether, drive route national, you save 65Euro (£50) but your journey time will increase to 10 – 12 hours.

Cost to drive to Lake Annecy, ferry £80 return, motorway charges £50 one way, petrol £100 one way, which makes return trip cost by care about £380 – £420 depending on ferry cost and fuel consumption of your car. I always leave London late morning 10am ish to beat the traffic. That normally gets me to Lake Annecy around 11pm. I have lunch on the ferry and only stop for fuel. Alternatively leave your UK home before 6am, which can get you to lake Annecy for 7pm in time for dinner in one of the many restaurants along the lake.

For once you can easily drive to lake Annecy.  Journey times from the French ports are less than 10 hours and if you keep the stops to a minimum you can do it in less than eight hours. There are also many great stop-overs on the way such as the Champagne (I always stop to stock up on Champagne), Dijon and Lyon. You can even drive via Paris and take in the French capital on the way.

Annecy is also connected to the TGV rail network. The journey time is less than four hours to Paris. Including a change of train you could be in Annecy from London Kings Cross in less than seven hours.

Driving is probably the most productive and most cost effective option as you will need a car to enjoy the sights around lake Annecy. There is so much to do and see that even if you travel by air or rail you need to hire a car to get to see the region.

When I bought my house here, I bought because lake Annecy is one of the most stunning regions in the world. I also bought here because I can get here by car or by train not only by air. It seemed to me less of a risk that way. I guess many British  holidaymakers will make similar considerations, next time they plan their holiday getaways … may be drawing the same conclusion and making this another reason to visit lake Annecy.

As I am writing  this blog post (sitting in my garden overlooking lake Annecy and the nearby mountains) the first British Airways flight landed in Heathrow airport. It looks like the air traffic ban has been lifted  in London after a 5 days shutdown and it seems a large part of the British air traffic is expected to resume its works.

I for once had made my contingency plans and checked out train time-tables and got permission to drive my hired car back to Calais if needed. Having said so I  don’t have to go back to the UK before the end of the week and I could think of worse places to be stranded than lake Annecy.

Well, as I said, that was my first trip, now I am more confident with my choices as it’s just a matter of learning. Sans lardons, sans poisson and sans carne, things without meat etc work very well as the chefs really don’t like to alter their menu!!

My favourites are tartiflette, which is a creamy potato baked dish, scrummy, but again beware as it is mostly with lardons and pre-made, so best ask the waiter/ess. The only thing is you can’t get away from cheese in most meals when dining out, even pizzerias obviously, so one thing I try to do before my stay in Annecy,  keep off the stuff! Even vegetables rarely make an appearance on the menu, because they live on green salad – strange because at all the supermarches, the shoppers have leeks in their baskets, yet to appear on any menu? They have lentils and green beans occasionally, but sadly the lentils contain ham and the beans are cooked in goose fat. So annoying!

The best thing that has happened is that we now own a house, where I can delight in France’s amazing vegetables of all shapes and colours from the bustling markets or the supermarches. It’s hard to decide when my favourite season would be as in Spring the vegetables are all earthy and vibrant but in the Summer you have fruits that taste so different to those in England, it’s hard to imagine being the same fruit!

Well, lastly I would hope that I have not put you off visiting lake Annecy or France because it truly is worthwhile, even being a vegetarian! Just be well equipped with the knowledge that it may be difficult, but sticking to what they do have on the menu and adapting it would be the best advice. There will be an abundance of fresh salads that you can have, goats cheese being one that they often serve, in any season. If all else fails and you crave some variety as you may be staying like me, for 3 weeks or longer, you may want to rent somewhere, and you can be your own chef and shopper, great fun.

If fresh water sports are your passion, you will be in for a real treat. From early morning swimming, afternoon sailing or late evening water skiing, the lake got it all. The entire region comes to live and there is an abundance of outlets providing you with whatever water sport equipment your might require. Waterskiing, wake boarding, sailing, kayaking and diving are amongst the most popular water sports. You can also hire all kind of boats including speedboats.

Even if water sport is not your thing you can enjoy one of the many trail around and nearby the lake, perfect for cycling, hiking or even just a gentle walk.

The many villages along the lake come to live with fetes, festivals and weekly farmers markets. You will find something in the calendar on most days and if you are willing to make the effort you will be able to experience the traditional nature of this unique French region.

Talloires lake front lake Annecy

Lake Annecy also boasts on of the world’s most famous hang- and paragliding sites. It is a truly spectacular sight, watching all the colourful gliders in the sky. If you dare you can even enjoy a tandem flight for as little as 80 Euros. Both Talloires and Doussard are used as a base for many paragliding schools and tandem flight operators. Just pass the landing site in Doussard, have a drink, watch the spectacle unfold and make some enquiries. Your family and in particular your kids will love it.

Here my suggestions for lake Annecy activities during July:

• Book an even cruse with one of the operators in Annecy (based next to the main canal just in front of the Old Town) and enjoy lake and mountains whilst having a meal on board.
• Shop the many boutiques lining the narrow stone-paved streets alongside the canals in Annecy’s Old Town
• Relax lakeside in one of the many bars / restaurants – my favourites Chez Ma Cousin for evening dring or Chez Gerald (Bout du lake) for fish dinner.
• Visit the four day long Noctibules festival in Annecy
• Visit one of the many weekly local farmers markets.
• Visit the castle in Menthon St. Bernard and enjoy the stunning views over the lake
• Book a tandem paragliding flight from the top of Col De la Forclaz down to the landing site in Doussard.
• Sunbath on one of the many beaches around the lake.
• Enjoy an early morning swim in one of the cleanest lakes in Europe.
• Book a late afternoon waterski session with on of the local operators.

walking near lake Annecy

July is the time to sunbath, relax and enjoy all what the lake has to offer. Use the first day of your holiday to drive around the lake and find out just how much there is to be done. July is all about enjoying summer lake activities without limits.

Well, that is what I normally do and the past five days have paid off. I skied powder every day all day, something impossible to do in some of the flagship French ski resorts such as La Plagne, Val D’Isere, Meribel or Tignes. There powder is gone after a few hours of snowfall, tracked out by the many expert skiers and seasonaires. Powder snow might last all day at most if you are willing to take the avalanche risk. I take a different and safer approach. I ski locally in ski resorts nearby lake Annecy at low altitude and on hidden secret tree-lined slopes. This largely reduces the avalanche risk and increases visibility even on a bad weather day. Here my last five days:

Day one: Espace Diamant , I normally head to Flumet and take the drag lift up into the domain. That way I can do my first run 40 min after I left my house. : Espace Diamant connects seven small ski resorts and got close to 200km of slopes. This resort has almost no foreign skiers and as a relaxed feel about it. Think ski resort 30 years ago before all the crowds arrived. Powder can still be found even days after the last snowfall. I had a great day skiing powder in bright sunshine – with spectacular views across the Mont Blanc. You have to be prepared to navigate the odd tree!!

Day two: La Sambuy, a local mountain a mere 20 min drive. It snowed all night and all day, visibility was not great. Sambuy is good for these conditions. All the runs are tree-lined and all the off-piste is surrounded by trees, which gives you great visibility even in bad conditions. The only downside, the mountain only got one chair and two drags, but who is to complain if you pay 10euro for half day and share the mountain with seven other skiers. I skied fresh, untracked, knee-high powder all afternoon. I was not complaining.

Day three: I had friends staying over for the weekend, so I was keen to show them Megeve and its powder runs, 35 min drive from my house. Megeve is great when visibility is poor and clouds are lingering. Almost all the runs are below the tree line and after 24 hours of snow fall the powder is fantastic. Somehow this resort never runs empty of fresh, untracked powder to the delight on my friends and me.

Day four: Sunny day and we headed for La Cluzas, the cable car of La Balme to be precise. From there you head straight up to 2500m and into a paradise of off-piste. You can ski the entire mountain with a face almost half a mile wide. Plenty of untouched, fresh powder, especially the first sunny day after heavy snow fall. Beware La Cluzas can be very busy on a Sunday (many local skiers). Starting in La Balme has another advantage: you avoid the sun seeking crowds in the morning and got all that powder for yourself.

Day five: Megeve again – Megeve is always good when it has not snowed for a few days as there are many hidden powder runs still untouched even days after the last snow fall. Why? Because Megeve is full of posh people and beginners, not too many expert skiers. When I am by myself I normally head straight to Cote 2000, which at 2000m is just above the tree line. The lifts there are not busy (partially because posh people don’t like to ski in the shade!!) and there is a good choice of reds and blacks with great off-piste either side. Yesterday I skied fresh powder for five hours over two days after the last snowfall. I had so much fun, I nearly missed the last lift back to the resort.

I still got another five days here on lake Annecy. What will I do tomorrow? One thing is for sure, the weather forecast is for more snow and I will be skiing fresh powder!! Come join me lake Annecy accommodation is easily available

le grand bornand winter

When the weather is bad I can go to a lower ski resorts with mainly forest runs, offering better visibility in poor conditions. When the snow conditions are poor and the temperatures are high, I can go to a higher ski resort and benefit from the more consistent snow conditions. When it snowed I can chose an avalanche-save ski resort and have an early start before piste patrol declare slopes save in other resorts.

And finally just because I am willing to drive to a ski resort I am staying in larger and better accommodation at a much lower cost.

Below my ski resort explorations when I stay on lake Annecy for a weeks skiing:

Day 1: La Sambuy, a small resort 20 min drive from Doussard. There are only three lifts but a good selection of runs for both beginners and advanced skiers. It is a good place to go for your first day. It is great in poor visibility as all runs are below the tree line and ski passes for adults are only 14 euro per day.

Day 2: Le Grand Bornand, a pretty family ski resort 35 – 40 min drive from lake Annecy. The ski resort is blessed by sun, got great, wide slopes and about 20 ski lifts. Ideal for family skiing or if you are into carving. May be not the best for powder skiing but still reasonably prices at 28 euro (adult ski pass) for 90 km piste.

Day 3: Megeve, one of the oldest ski resorts in the French Alps and also one of the poshest. The real attraction of Megeve skiing is the view across to the Mt Blanc. Just 40 min from lake Annecy a few ski lifts up the mountain and you are face to face with the highest mountain in Western Europe.  Although Megeve is connected to other ski resorts such as St Gervais and boasts a massif ski area with almost 50 ski lifts it is frequented by a class of skiers who like to hang out in mountain restaurants and sun terraces. Still a great place to ski for a day or two.

Day 4: Les Saisies (Espace Diamant), a real gem in my opinion. This ski resort is also 40 min drive from lake Annecy but is little know amongst skiers outside France.  The ski resort is still unspoilt and not on the tourist trail for mad skiers and boarders. The infrastructure is a little old and at places  one feels like skiing in the seventies. However that is not necessarily a bad thing. The country side and views are stunning and the whole domain got a slower feel to it. It is more sightseeing skiing rather than race skiing. Ski pass is cheap and with 300km of slopes there is more than just a day of skiing to be done.

Day 5: La Clusaz, probably my favourite ski resort in the region. Postcard village, challenging runs, good off-piste and over 100km of marked piste makes it my preferred playground. I tend to ski 40% of my winter time on lake Annecy in La Clusaz. It is a great resort for a half day blast too with some very efficient ski lifts in La Balme. I tend to leave just before midday for the 12.30 half day ski pass. Four and a half hours skiing at 22 Euro …a real bargain. I love it in La Clusaz. However if the weather is bad you are better off in Megeve or Les Saisies.

la clusaz winter

Day 6: Meribel, Trois Vallee. Not much I need to say about Meribel and Trois Vallee. The largest ski domain in the Alps with 600km of slopes connecting the ski resorts of Courchevel, Meribel, La Tania, Val Thorons and Les Menieurs to name a few. Meribel is an hours drive from Doussard, lake Annecy. You can park for free in Meribel village or for 8euro for the day directly under the ski lifts in the centre of  Meribel. Beware, if you are not a good skier it is pointless buying the Trois Vallee ski pass. I visited the ski resort this season and the ski pass for entire domain is a hefty 48 Euro. If the weather is bad, visit Courchevel as there are more tree lined slopes.

Day 7: What about Valmorel – nice alternative to some of the more famous neighbour resorts in the Trois Vallees. Valmorel got  150 km of pistes, 50 ski lifts and 315 snow cannons. It is at a lower altitude than Trois Vallees but faily snow sure. The resort got a good mix of family- and extreme skiing and some great off-piste. It is a less visited resort and a good option for a Saturday change-over day. Valmorel can be reached from lake Annecy in less than one hour.

Here you go, plenty of skiing to be done even if you are spending the entire winter on lake Annecy.  Should that not be enough for you try Chamonix just under one and a half hours drive from lake Annecy.

Now I am not a great fan of the Tour. Mainly because of its shameless commercialisation and the endless steam of doping scandals. However if you never seen the spectacle, which is the Tour de France, have a look . May be it is your thing. You certainly have to admire the riders and their endurance, crossing France over a 30 day period.

The Tour hits lake Annecy on Thuesday 23th July 2009 for a time trial around the lake.  Departure is from Annecy towards Sevrier, St Jorioz, Doussard, Talloires, Bluffy, Veyrier and finish in Annecy-le-Vieux. The approximately 40 km long route around the lake is certainly scenic but not too challenging. Talloires contains the only one difficulty of the lake with the climb of the Thoron until Bluffy and will be the ideal point to see the rider at their most pain!

My advice: if you are going to see the Tour de France on lake Annecy, reserve a place along the road the night before, stay there overnight and take plenty of food and drink. The road around lake Annecy will be completely blocked. Roads RD 909 A and RD 42 will be closed for circulation between 7 am and 9 pm. Dig in for 48 hours to enjoy a few minutes of riders passing by. That is what it takes to see  the Tour de France, not just on lake Annecy.

However here is a thought. You can fly to Geneva and get an airport transfer to lake Annecy. Once there you can hire a bike and enjoy the region the way the local French do. Probably the healthiest and lowest cost travel option for your lake annecy holiday.

Airport transfers to lake Annecy are not expensive. You can get to the lake from Geneva airport for as little as £20 return. Why? Lake Annecy is on one of the busiest ski transfer routes in the Alps. As such there is a healthy level of airport transfer competition. Many for the airport transfer providers have spare capacity outside the winter season. Most of them offer airport transfers to the more popular summer resorts such as Chamonix, Megeve, Les Gets and of course the towns and villages around lake Annecy. Most offer free bike carriage.

The most convenient airports for an airport transfer to lake Annecy are Geneva and Chambery, both less than 40 min transfer time away. Lyon and Grenoble airports are also options but the transfer tends to take 1.5 hours or more and will be more expensive than a Geneva or Chambery transfers.

If you decide to come by train to Annecy you won’t even need an airport transfer.

I have to say I never been in the region without a car, but I will certainly try it next year. I have used airport transfer services from Geneva to Chamonix. The service was very efficient, reliable and door-to-door for £50. I certainly did not miss a car, spending a week in the Chamonix Valley and climbing Mt Blanc, never mind a saving of £100 on car hire and petrol.

Should you want to explore airport transfer options just submit your Geneva airport transfer request to Ski Transfer Finder and see what quotes you can get.  I have also been told that there are very cheap Grenoble airport transfers available. I will try it next season on one of my flying visits to lake Annecy.

I kind of ignore convenience, speed of travel and personal preferences. If you visit lake Annecy you should ideally have some means of transport as public transport services are very infrequent around lake Annecy. However a car is not essential as there are buses, boat services and taxis available for use. Cycling is also an option locally but not from the UK!!!

You basic choices are Air, Rail or Car. Below some of the assiciated cost to travel to lake Annecy from the UK.

By Air to lake Annecy

There are plenty of regular and budget airline flights from UK airports to Geneva (most convenient), Chambery, Lyon and Grenoble. Car hire is available at all these airports.

Return flight from UK:  £60 – £100 (late booking suring peak periods £200+)

Airport Parking / Airport transfer UK: £8/day

Car Hire in France: £25/day (£30 if you include insurance)

Airport transfer lake Annecy: £25/person

Total 7 days pp (car hire option):  £285 – £335 (single person), £180 – £210 (two people sharing)

Total 7 days pp (airport transfer): £145 – £175 (single person),  £115 – £145 (two people sharing)

By Rail to lake Annecy

Annecy got a fast rail connection TGV. You can travel Kings Cross – Paris – Annecy in as little as 7 hours. In Annecy you got car hire options.

Return train ticket from UK:  £160 – £320 (depending on how flexible you are)

Car Hire in France: £25/day (£30 if you include insurance)

Total 7 days pp (car hire option):  £330 – £500 (single person), £250 – £410 (two people sharing)

Total 7 days pp (no car hire): £160 – £320 (single person),  £160 – £320 (two people sharing)

By Road to lake Annecy

By Road the fastest route is Calais – Annecy via Dijon about 900km. By motorway, the journey takes normally between 8 – 10 hours depending on the number of comfort breaks. By route national the journey is a lot longer and slower and is not feasible in one day and requires an overnight

European Roadside Assistance:  £30

Motorway fees return: £140

Petrol return (estimated): £200

Total 7 days pp:  £370 (single person), £185 (two people sharing)

Here you go. Some figures so you can make a budget for your holiday to lake Annecy. The train journey is probably the most enjoyable but also the most expensive. As a single person , flying from the UK is probably the cheapest option. As soon you are two people or a small group the journey by car will work out the lowest cost option and you got the flexibility. The drive is not too bad and you can stop of in the Champagne to stock up on some reasonably priced Champagne. I always drive if I stay longer than a few days, that way I can bring back some of the local produce to the UK.

Just in case you need accommodation on lake Annecy. My house sleeps up to seven and mid season prices are £500/week inclusive bed linen, towels, local tourist tax and utilities. That works out less than £15/day if you are five people sharing.

Enjoy the planning