Annecy🇫🇷

This was the place where the trip properly kicked off.

We stayed here for 4 nights and had 3 full days, so I thought I’d break down exactly what we did each day and what I’d recommend if you’re planning a visit yourself.

We stayed in Sevrier, just outside Annecy.

I’ll link the accommodation below, but for us it was pretty much perfect. Private parking, a little garden area for Luna, and close enough that we could cycle into Annecy when we wanted to.

https://www.booking.com/Share-i0o764

One thing worth mentioning is that you do end up driving quite a bit around Annecy. Even simple things like shops or getting between different parts of the lake are way easier by car, so just keep that in mind. That said, I genuinely don’t think you can go too wrong booking around the lake. Everywhere was beautiful.

After the thunderstorms the night before, we thought the waterfall would be ripping so we headed to Cascade d’Angon to go see it. This was our first drive around the lake from Sevrier and the maps told us it would take 40 mins. I can’t lie, I was thinking I wanted to avoid driving while being here as I’d be doing so much on the trip, but when I tell you this ‘40-minute’ drive felt like a casual 10-minute drive, I’m not joking 🤣 Driving around Annecy was lovely, and this theme continued for every drive around the lake, so if you go, take the maps distance with a pinch of salt.

After arriving, it’s only around a 50-minute hike to the waterfall and honestly it was class. Whether it was because of all the rain or not, there was loads of water coming through and it looked incredible. Luna was a bit unsure at first, but soon settled into it. We couldn’t quite get all the way to the highest point because some of the rocks were a bit too awkward for her, but we still saw everything we needed to see.

Straight after, we headed to Talloires-Montmin as it was down the road. This was hands down the most peaceful place I visited in Annecy. The village sits right on the lake and the scenery is ridiculous. Loads of little places to eat and grab a drink, plus incredible views across the water and a really relaxed atmosphere. The restaurants right on the front were definitely expensive, but if you walk slightly back into the village things become a lot more normal. I ended up sitting on the pier with Luna for ages just taking everything in before heading off to a lovely restaurant to try escargots for the first time, along with a steak and a beer.

The pairing of these two really works as, after the drama, hike and noise of the waterfall, the calmness of Talloires-Montmin felt even better. Great place to bring it back to holiday mode.

This ended up being one of my favourite days of the entire trip. We cycled into Annecy because it was market day. I brushed over the cycling in the video, but this is actually one of the highlights of the day because you see so many parts of the lake up close that you’d never see from your car. Plus, I had the benefit of watching Luna run and explore wherever she pleased.

Quick tip here. Instead of paying tourist bike rental prices, I downloaded the local bike app (basically the French version of Lime) and used one of the electric bikes instead. So rather than paying €40 for a tourist bike, it cost me about €3 to cycle into Annecy. The app was called: Velonecy60minutes.

The market itself was brilliant. Cheeses, sausages, coffee, chicken, pastries, strawberries, pretty much everything fresh you could think of. You’d have seen from the videos that me and Luna ended up doing a bit of a taste test.

After that, we stumbled across the boat rentals. This completely changed the day. We hired a boat and headed out onto Lake Annecy. Honestly, I was absolutely buzzing. Just me, Luna, a cold local beer from the market, pleasant weather, and one of the nicest lakes I’ve ever seen. It’s one of those moments that’s hard to explain properly because nothing dramatic happened. It was just one of those days where everything felt right.

Definitely one of my favourite memories from the whole trip.

(The hire boat cost me about €40 for an hour - definitely worth it.)

By this point it felt like we’d done most of the things we wanted to do around Annecy, so we headed up to Col de la Forclaz for the viewpoint. It’s mostly a drive as opposed to a hike, but there is a short, steep walk from the car park to the main viewpoint. The views are incredible.

You can see the entire lake, mountains, cows, and watch paragliders launching off throughout the day. There isn’t loads to do once you’re up there, but for a viewpoint it’s hard to beat. There are a couple of shops and restaurants which we spent some time at before heading back down into Annecy and having a relaxed afternoon around town.

A really easy way to finish our time there.

Annecy was easily one of my favourite places from the trip.

The lake, the villages, the cycling, the market, the boat day, the waterfall. It just felt like there was a good balance of everything. Literally the perfect balance in fact. It very much feels like if you needed something, you head one way, and if you wanted to go off-grid, you head the other way and could do that too.

It’s also one of the few places from the trip that I’d happily go back to and do exactly the same things again.

Next email I’ll be breaking down Verdon Gorge, including the hikes, the campsite, the failed boat missions, and why it ended up being one of the most frustrating parts of the trip despite also being one of the most beautiful.