Lake Annecy is one of the most beautiful areas of France and in the world for that matter. You can get there easily via Geneva airport or travelling by Eurostar and TGV trains. The easy access to lake Annecy provides the opportunity for a relaxing festive break together will a trip to savour the winter sights at this magical time of year. From Annecy to can easily get to Megeve, Albertville, Chamonix and Mont Blanc, Lake Geneva and the spectacular sights along the Route des Grandes Alps including the spa town of Evian and medieval Yvoire.

For the Christmas period, Annecy and all the towns and village nearby present themselves in all of their festive glory. You can enjoy a fusion of light, pine trees, snow, lake and mountains all certainly getting you into the Christmas mood. The lake and the lovely old town of Annecy offer a range of hotels and self-catering accommodation most close to the railway station and within a short walk of all the main sights.

Enjoy your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners in a warm and cosy Savoiyard local restaurants, sample the local festive fare, as well as may be a Christmas Day lunch in the nearby ski resorts of La Clusaz, Megeve or Grand Bornard, combined with a afternoon on the ski slopes?

We do you want to celebrate your Christmas.

In a recent study, 12 lakes have been highlighted because they show nature at its most spectacular. Lake Annecy was on the list together with Crater Lake, United States, Peyto Lake, Canada, Lake Malawi, Malawi, Taal Lake, Philippines, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, Loch Lomond, Scotland, Lake Garda, Italy, Plitvice Lakes, Croatia, Lake Nakuru, Kenya, Lake Matheson, New Zealand and Lake Bled, Slovenia.

Here some of the write-up on lake Annecy: “The lake in the heart of the French Alps is a looker, but don’t expect to spend your visit gasing over the water in quiet reflection. Lake Annecy is all about activity — particularly in July August, when Paris shuts down and the French take extended holidays. Sailors, kayakers, wakeboarder and water-skiers enjoy the water; bikers and hikers hit surrounding nature trails; and refugees from the city fill the outdoor tables at the lakeside restaurants and bars.” The report goes on about other activities, but our blog got more details on all things you need to know about lake Annecy. One last extract: “Repeat visitors plan their trip for the first Saturday of August, the fete du lac, when a staggering, nearly two-hour-long fireworks display illuminates the water.”

We agree, but you can also enjoy lake Annecy in spring, autumn and winter, where you got the lake to yourself and can experience the charm of a great all year holiday destination. Best of all, with the new motorway, lake Annecy is only 30 min drive from Geneva airport. Ideal for a short activity break or a romantic weekend in the old town.

For affordable lake Annecy accommodation visit our holiday home website

Below availability and discounts:

w/c 16 July 2011 – reduced price £950/week (reduced from £1050)

price includes bed linen, set of towel, utilities and tourist tax for up to seven people.

w/c 06/08 August 2011 -reduced price £990/week (reduced from £1100)

price includes bed linen, set of towel, utilities and tourist tax for up to seven people.

For more information email info@maison-shanti.co.uk or visit our website for lake Annecy accommodation.

I know my way to lake Annecy but still had problems

I have been driving from Geneva to Annecy at least 100 times in my life. I always hire a car on the Swiss side, which gets me onto the motorway next to the airport and with the new motorway extension into Annecy within 30 – 40min drive.  Yesterday I did not.

I got ‘conned’  by one of the online car hire companies into hiring a car from the French side. The only provider (holidaycars) only gave me the choice of  ‘Geneva airport’ which by default should be the Swiss side of the airport, but when I booked and printed the rental voucher it told me that the car has to be picked up on the French site. I was a little puzzled, but can’t be too difficult.

From the French airport side to lake Annecy is more difficult

Here the difficult bit. I checked out via the Swiss side, than had to go through customs again to get to the French side. The car hire desk on the French side had a massif queue (because car rental tends to be a little cheaper on the French side) so I waited 40 min to get a car. The Swiss operation is much bigger and much slicker. Once I got the car, I had to drive through a ‘French’ corridor road to get me into France, heading away from Annecy into the wrong direction. Once in France nothing is signposted and you need a navigation system to find your way to Annecy.

Knowing the region, I turned around and headed back towards Geneva and aimed for the motorway. Here another annoying thing. In Swiss you pay motorway fees for the year so if you hire a car on the French side this is not included and using Swiss motorways for 7 miles or 5 min cost you 30 Euro. Hire on the Swiss side includes motorway fees!! After 30 min of navigation through the suburbs of Geneva I got back onto the motorway, nowhere to buy the vignette to display so I chanced it and got over the boarder to France without paying. Not a risk you want to take when on holiday.

Go Swiss when travelling from Geneva airport to Annecy

What should have been an hours drive from Geneva to my house in Doussard, became a two hours drive. Including the wait at the car rental desk almost a three hour journey. I have a good sense of direction and know the area well so I did not get lost. Imagine you do this the first time.

My advice for your travel from Geneva airport to lake Annecy. Don’t checkout on the French side, don’t hire a car on the French side. Pay a little extra and get a car on the Swiss side and go straight onto the motorway. Don’t take a change! You will be better of that way.

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Winter has long been one of my favourite time on lake Annecy. Crisp air, clear views and a deserted lake makes winter a special time of year. Ideal for long walks along the lake. An ideal time of the year to re-charge your batteries away from it all. The water in the lake, although very cold at this time of the year, looks very still and peaceful. Not the time to swim, but a good time to appreciate the lake as it should be seen: wild, beautiful, unspoiled and free of summer tourist crowds.

The downside to winter on the lake is that many lake-side bars and restaurants are closed. So you need to plan your lunch carefully. May be take a pick-nick or head to Annecy old town, which has always places open for a snack, drink, lunch or dinner.

If you ski, lake Annecy offers an stunning choice of ski resorts nearby. There are at least 5 resorts within 40 min drive from the lake. See my other posts on skiing near lake Annecy. Being a skier myself, I love the winters here on lake Annecy. It allows me to get away from it all, enjoy the peace of the lake and the nearby mountains …. and it allows me to dive in and out of ski resorts for a half day skiing here and there….  On that note, I am off to La Clusaz for a half day skiing. 23euro ski pass is a bargain too, compared to the 48euro a day in the bigger more famous ski resorts in the region.

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.