# Things to see and do around Annecy ??



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I have a week booked on the municipal site in Annecy town in August. 

I am now seeking advice on what to see and do in and around the area. 

Can anyone advise me if there is a direct rail line to Chamonix as we really fancy taking the (doubtless horrendously expensive :roll: ) cable car ride to the very top !

All and any other suggestions eagerly sought


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## brianamelia (Mar 17, 2008)

Mrplodd said:


> I have a week booked on the municipal site in Annecy town in August.
> 
> I am now seeking advice on what to see and do in and around the area.
> 
> ...


We have also booked into a site near Annecy in August and have hired a car for 4 DAYS £115 
Bri


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Its a stunning area. There are good cycle paths and paragliding if your feeling adventurous. Plenty of water sports and good swimming all around the lake.

Over the hill a few miles away is the largest lake in France, Lac du Bourget which is also stunning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac_du_Bourget

I haven't been to Chamonix yet but there is info here on the cable car. http://www.chamonix.net/english/sightseeing/aiguille_du_midi.htm think its about £40

Hope to be there end of July / August ourselves.


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

I've only ever stayed here http://www.hotel-imperial-palace.com/en/hotel/14/suites.html and only ever on business.

The town has a pretty run of restaurants.

The lake is stunning and the scenery beautiful.


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## siansdad (Sep 13, 2010)

Be sure to visit the Chateau de Menthon - its above the village of Menthon St Bernard on the eastern or sunny side of the lake. The guided tour around the chateau is a must.

Also, a boat trip around the lake is a good way to spend a couple of hours.

One of the posters here is hiring a car during his stay in Annecy - I think thats a very sound idea as the roads around the lakeside villages tend to be narrow and winding in some places and therefore unsuitable for larger MH's. I'm not sure if the villages have weight limits - they probably do.

Annecy is one of our favourite places - its a beautiful town especially the 'old' town. Its especially stunning in the summer (lots of floral displays etc) but can also become very crowded.

Like most french towns, it has a very good market also but I'm not sure on which days its held.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Annecy*

Paraglide

http://www.lespassagersduvent.com/?lang=en



What is the name of the site you are booked onto?

Annecy and its surroundings are beautiful. Not very well known by brits. Peace is spoiled by loud motorbikes that tear around the lakes roads.

TM


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

siansdad said:


> One of the posters here is hiring a car during his stay in Annecy - I think thats a very sound idea as the roads around the lakeside villages tend to be narrow and winding in some places and therefore unsuitable for larger MH's. I'm not sure if the villages have weight limits - they probably do.


I did not have any problem driving round the lake in my 7.25m 3.8ton motorhome. It was also quite easy to get up to the Col de la Forclaz viewpoint from where there is a wonderful view of the whole lake and where the paragliders leap off but don't try it on Le weekend, it will be too busy and parking is limited. Pick a quiet day.

peedee


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

We arrived in Annecy on Bastile day on the 14th of July 2009 when we took a wrong turn in Italy, ended up in the wrong part of Switzerland and didn't like the Geneva area.  (we are slightly better organised now)

Loddy off here told us to go there but didn't mention that on the 14th of July all of France is on holiday and they all go to Annecy.

It was madness. Every single bit of tarmac that didnt have moving traffic had a motorhome parked on it. It was superb fun though and a really good atmosphere. There were fantastic fireworks on the evening and the weather was superb if a little too hot. We went round the lake a couple of times on the scooter but had to keep stopping to jump in the lake to cool off. The Aires were all full to bursting but we found a quiet spot outside a college that was closed for the holidays.

I would say the roads are fine for a big van but will be much less stressful and easier to park in a car.

The lake full of people!


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Thanks for all the info everybody !!!!

Brian, any chance you could PM me with details of the car hire firm you used??

TM, We are booked into the Muni site Belvedere which is right in Annecy itself from 6th 12th

Just looked at the prices for the cable car, ouch !! BUT I understand its a "must do" excursion so I will just have to bite the bullet!


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## Molenoux (Aug 26, 2010)

Hi Mrplodd

Annecy. We visited a few years ago, and happened to see a firework display on the lake at Annecy. It was fantastic. By far the best show we have ever seen either before or since. I think it was in July/August time of year. There were about one million other folks there as well, (at least it felt like it) But well worth the queuing to leave after the show.

Also lots of wonderful drives in the surrounding district. 

Chamonix. We have visited this area several times. Take the cable car to the top of Mt Blanc, is a must. Pick a day when there is no more than say 25% cloud cover and you will not regret it. Take warm clothing as it can be cool up there. Fantastic. Definitely a 'must do'.

Molenoux


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## brianamelia (Mar 17, 2008)

Mrplodd said:


> Thanks for all the info everybody !!!!
> 
> Brian, any chance you could PM me with details of the car hire firm you used??
> 
> ...


pm sent
Bri


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## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

What camping sites would you recommend, would ideally like access to the lake for canoeing, access to cycle route too, and be close enough to the town of annecy to cycle in. 

The municipal of Belvedere looks okay but how far is that from the lake
and do you think they would have spaces in July.

Many thanks

Pat


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Pat

If you go onto thier website

http://en.annecy.eu/index.php?idtf=507

You can get the address and feed it into google earth, it looks to be half reasonable site!!

I think the site is about 10 mins walk from the lake

I emailed them via the above website and had a response back pretty quickly. Tell them the dates you are looking at and they will write to you with an estimate and ask for a 30% deposit by return. I have a mate who has a French bank a/c so he wrote a cheque for me as I didnt fancy just emailing my credit card details to them.


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

PAT4NEIL said:


> What camping sites would you recommend, would ideally like access to the lake for canoeing, access to cycle route too, and be close enough to the town of annecy to cycle in.
> 
> The municipal of Belvedere looks okay but how far is that from the lake
> and do you think they would have spaces in July.
> ...


Hi Pat this is what I wrote in my blog of a trip made to Annecy in 2007



> Days 31 and 32
> Municipal Le Belvedere is a terraced site on a steep wooded hillside overlooking Annecy and the lake. There are stunning views from the site but it is a steep descent into Annecy or to the lake side. It was claimed it was a 10 minute walk into Annecy from the rear of the site down a stepped track. We could not use this route and it was just over a mile downhill to the lake side via the road. It was an exhausting walk coming back after a day out round the lake side or in town. You can park a motorhome in a couple of car parks in the Marquisats area of the lake but being a weekend, we observed these full on the days of our visit. There is a bus, but only in the peak months of July and August. We spent three nights here, spending one day visiting the charming town of Annecy and its lake side and the other day walking along the lake side to the adjacent village of Sevrier where we had a long lunch in a lakeside restaurant and a walk back. If you have not been to Annecy I can thoroughly recommend it. It is a beautiful and interesting location with plenty to see and do.
> 
> Day 33
> We just couldn't face another day of having to walk back to site, so with the busy weekend period over and on our third day we decided to check out of the site and explore round the lake with the motorhome. We drove along the lake frontage of Annecy and down the eastern side of the lake until we came to the turn off to the Col de la Forclaz. The tourist office had told us there was a magnificent view of the lake from the top but I was a little hesitant about taking this road shown on my map as narrow and twisty with gradients greater than 13 percent. Noting that the restriction was 19 tons, I buried my reservations on its suitability for our large vehicle and up we went the 10Kms to the summit about 700 metres above the lake. Yes it is twisty and there are a few narrow bits but there is a good view of the road ahead on these sections and ample opportunity to avoid oncoming traffic. Nevertheless, I was grateful for the quiet weekday and I think we only met a couple of cars travelling in the opposite direction before we reached the top. What a view, even though a little hazy! It was so quiet, parking was not a problem. We took our photos, had an inexpensive coffee on the terrace of a café, poked our noses in the souvenir shop and then boldly set off down the 11Kms of the other side. I was even more thankful for the lack of traffic on this section for it had many narrow areas and it would have been better to go down the way we had come up. We emerged unscathed and unflustered back on the main road and set off up the busier western side of the lake. At the southern end of the lake we spotted a nice looking lake side campsite, "Le Lac Bleu" and it was open. It was now past lunch time and finding the rest of the lake side road not quite so interesting on a beautiful hot sunny day, we stopped at a supermarket in Sevrier, bought some wine, meat to BBQ, some strawberries, crème fresh and one of those delicious fruit tarts the French are so good at making, and returned to Le Lac Bleu, where for 20.50 euros with electric, we chose a lake side pitch to die for and settled in for the rest of the day with the other four outfits on site. To say we had an idyllic afternoon and evening BBQ is not an over statement.


It you go to the photo gallery associated with the blog >here< the last 11 photos are relevant to the above and include photos of Belevedere and Le Lac Bleu. I have some more photos of these two sites which I will put in a new post to follow.

peedee


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

*Le lac Bleu pictures*

Pics of Le Lac Bleu as promised.

peedee


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

More pics of Le Lac Bleu and Belevedere. Hope that gives you a better idea of what these two sites are like.

peedee


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Thanks Peedee !

Lac Bleu looks stunning 8O but they are already booked solid for August  (and they are VERY expensive!)

Belvedere doesnt look too shabby either, yes its "only" a municipal site but all I am really looking for is somewhere to park the van and have access to toilets and showers.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Re: Le lac Bleu pictures*



peedee said:


> Pics of Le Lac Bleu as promised.
> 
> peedee


Probably the best site on Annecy (Doussard)

TM


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Site*



Mrplodd said:


> Thanks Peedee !
> 
> Lac Bleu looks stunning 8O but they are already booked solid for August  (and they are VERY expensive!)
> 
> Belvedere doesnt look too shabby either, yes its "only" a municipal site but all I am really looking for is somewhere to park the van and have access to toilets and showers.


There is another site very close to les passangers du vent on the way up to col de forclaz. I will look it up for you.

TM

EDIT:

http://www.camping-horizon.fr/infos/infos-gb.htm

Any use?


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