MY SUMMER GUIDE TO LAKE ANNECY, FRANCE

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Can I tell you about my happy place?

I’m on my terrace in Veyrier-du-Lac, overlooking Lake Annecy. From where I sit, I can just make out the medieval town of Annecy on the north side of the lake. Talloires Bay stretches to the south. Across the lake from me is Mont Semnoz; behind me is Mont Veyrier and beyond that, Mont Blanc.   

There is a summer thunderstorm brewing.  In the time it took me to drink my coffee, the turquoise waters turned inky and choppy. Ominous clouds formed over Semnoz and are now heading this way. This storm will pass - they always do - and by late afternoon I’ll be reading by the pool or walking by the lake or just sitting here on the terrace, wondering did it actually rain this morning? I can’t remember.

Lake Annecy is my reset button. 

In London, I can’t sit still. The city is filled with determined people like me pursuing goals and being industrious. Doing nothing in London is very stressful. 

But here, next to this lake? I am so calm that watching clouds feels like a good use of time.

In London, I listen to podcasts and nonfiction books and take online courses and shove knowledge and information into my brain like my life depends on it. 

And then I come to France and detox from all that. Yesterday, I took a two-hour walk by the lake and get this — I didn’t even bring my headphones! I walked for TWO HOURS without listening to a self-improvement podcast because why on earth would I need to improve upon this situation? Psychologists would call this a healthy dose of non-cerebral activity. A reset of the nervous system.

At our lake house, I listen to music and birds and the sound of people playing in the water.

I float on my back until my bum is pruning and my stomach is growling.

I watch the water and the mountains change color as the sun sets over Annecy.

In France, I don’t even bother meal-planning because I’ll just end up buying whatever is fresh and available and it will be delicious. 

This is the new and improved me talking! I’ve shed my striving, industrious self and doing nothing is a perfectly acceptable goal. 

At some point I’ll need to pick up the pace a little bit. Next week, friends and family will start arriving from all over the world. They will be On Vacation! They will want to do All The Things! They have limited time and will want to squeeze all the juice from this orange, which I totally understand and encourage. 

But for now, I’m just going to sit here and soak up the silence. This is my happy place. My calm before, during and after the storm. 

***

Below is my Summer Guide to Lake Annecy. It was supposed to be a short list, but I got carried away! Read what’s interesting to you and skip the rest. 

Activities on Water

Every village on the east side (best side!) of the lake has a public beach with a bar, a restaurant and a beach volleyball court. Talloires has a diving board. Menthon has a water slide. Veyrier has live music most weekends through July and August.

Jean-Louis is our guy for waterskiing and wake-surfing. He also rents paddle boats, stand up paddle boards, etc.

Wherever you are on the lake you will find opportunities for:

• swimming, floating, shell collecting

• stand-up paddleboarding / paddle boating

• pier jumping / cliff jumping

• water skiing / wake surfing / kite-surfing

Compagnie des Bateaux acts as a local ferry and also offers breakfast and dinner cruises. (I’ve never done this, so I can’t vouch for it, but they’ve been around for ages.)

Activities on Land

• For walks/hikes, use All Trails to find a hike of suitable length/difficulty. An easy/gorgeous route is Roc de Chere. Hiking to the Cascade D’Angon will leave you winded but it’s totally worth it. A great longer hike is the Mont Veyrier - Mont Baron loop. You can cut the trail in half by driving half way up the mountain. From the top you can can see Mont Blanc on one side and a panorama of Lake Annecy on the other. Truly spectacular.

• Bike rentals are everywhere and easy to find, but if you’re a cycler, you may want to check out Nomad in Talloires. Biking around the entire lake takes between 2 and 5 hours depending on how many times you stop for a swim and a smoothie. And by smoothie, I mean Aperol Spritz.

• Canyoning is an incredible experience. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend it!

• There’s a tennis club in every village that are open to the public. Just stop by and ask how to reserve a court.

Activities in the Air

• Parapenting isn’t nearly as death-defying as it seems! Try it and you’ll be hooked. We always use Adrenaline Parapent in Menthon/Talloires.

• Accrobranche (ropes course) is usually a family favourite. There’s a place in hills above Talloires, but we prefer Aravis Parc d’Adventures in Thônes. There are various levels - so if you are a weenie like me you can skip the black-belt level routes and stay closer to the ground.

• Via Ferrata - This is a love-it-or-hate-it activity. Dan took the girls and thought he would love it. He was wrong! He thought he was going to die and still shudders when describing it. The girls loved it and want to do it again.

Summer Camps for Kids

We’ve been coming to Lake Annecy since the girls were little and I always put them in some sort of summer camp (stage d’été). Their favourites were: Pony Camp in Thônes, Tennis Camp in Annecy-le-Vieux and Dance Camp at Centre Artys. The soccer camp that my youngest went to is no longer running, but FC Annecy now hosts summer camps and they look great!

Shopping

Talloires has a bi-weekly arts and crafts market where you can find locally made products ranging from soaps to lamps.

Annecy has a brocante fair on the last saturday of every month.

Also in Annecy: Try the little shops along Rue de l'Île… Yes, they can be touristy and hit-or-miss, but I always get lucky. I found a gorgeous Indian block print dress that I lived in all spring. And there’s a chapellerie (hat store) which is always popular with out-of-town guests. There’s a great Vinyl and Coffee shop just out of the old town. Murmur is a nice gift shop with locally made jewellery, decor, journals and more. And of course, I always ALWAYS love a trip to Monoprix. It’s like a French Target! I especially love their pyjamas.

Skip the mall in Annecy (called the Centre Commercial)- it’s nothing special. Instead walk to Galleries Lafayette. There are several boutiques and local pop-ups that circle the department store - plus a few good casual eating spots and a climbing gym!

If outdoor gear is your thing, you’ll find most major brands in Annecy or neighboring Epagny. If luxury brands are your thing, drive to Geneva.

Restaurants

My favourites seem to change seasonally and yearly. I’m currently enjoying:

• Le Pecheur: This is our local spot and a perennial favourite. It’s right on the lake, and you can watch the sunset while you wait for the waitresses to finish flirting and come serve you. They have loads of tables and the atmosphere is always fun and lively. Never disappoints. They don’t have a website or phone number though, so just turn up and wait. 10 Av. General Doyen, Veyrier-du-Lac

• Haven: An excellent Ausie brunch place in Annecy.

• Auberge du Lyonnais: On the canal in Annecy. Make reservations - good for a nice night out.

• Chez Ingalls: A traditional French restaurant bizarrely inspired by Little House on the Prairie. It’s super weird but surprisingly elegant and the food is pretty good! We asked our server why the restaurant was themed on this random American TV Show and she said (I’m translating) “Because there used to be a chicken farm nearby.” Which is a ridiculous answer for so many reasons, but let’s go with this one: I grew up LOVING Little House on the Prairie and I’ve read all the books and watched every single episode of the TV series, including the all the specials. But if we played the word association game and you said Chicken Farm, I would never in one million years say Little House on the Prairie. And yet somehow in the middle of the French alps, there’s a restaurant that serves a Nelly Burger and has a wine cellar that’s called Le Cave de Charles.

Groceries

Honestly, I usually eat at home because you can make a world class meal with some local cheese and produce. All you really need to know is: go to a fromagerie for your cheese, go to a boulangerie for your bread and go to a live market for your produce. Stop by the local supermarket for everything else. I could write a whole book about grocery shopping in France, but I’ll leave it there for now!

Where to stay?

• For years, we used VRBO and stayed in many wonderful places at various price points. I recommend staying on the east side of the lake: Veyrier-du-Lac, Menthon St Bernard or Talloires.

• My favourite hotel in the area: Le Palace De Menthon. We call it the Wes Anderson Hotel and you can see why! Even if you aren’t staying there, it’s a great place to have an apéro (pre-dinner drink and nibbles).

Whew, this was a long post. If you are visiting Annecy, I hope you find it helpful!

I’ll do a Winter Edition in January!

<< This post was previously published on Substack, where you can sign up for my Sunday Letters. >>

xo, L