Tour Detail
Click here for more info on Rhone Alpes 
Annecy Lake Hiking Tour
5 Nights / 6 Days
Dates 2009
This tour can depart any day, subject to hotel availability,
Price
939 euros per person, double occupancy. Upgraded hotels included. Solo supplement:
460 euros; Triple rate at 839 euros/person. Single supplement when 2 or more - please inquire. (convert)
Level
Level 2 - moderate overall with good trails but some elevation gain requiring uphill and downhill walks. No technical aspects, treking shoes with ankle support suggested, poles not necessary.
The Trip Includes
5 nights lodging: in 3 and 2 star charming alpine hotels in superior level rooms at each hotel. All with private bath, buffet breakfast, 2 dinners, all baggage transfers, taxi transfers as shown, detailed road book with maps, GPS, and guide book with tourist information, telephone orientation on arrival, local telephone support available throughout the tour for emergency support. All hotel rooms are clean and nice, but not luxurious, dinner menus mid-range. We also include free travel planning to add Paris hotels, car rentals, France hotels, trains, airport transfers, and more.
Details
Arrival city is Annecy by train. TGV access from Paris is available and shuttle service from Geneva.
Yearly events: the Annecy Lake and its surroundings offer a sequence of events such as boat shows, music and film festivals, son et lumière and firework events: top of the bill is the yearly Fête du Lac d’Annecy during the first weekend of August..
On arrival you will receive your travel package with all the useful information on hotels, maps, detailed route descriptions, places of interests, local events and useful telephone numbers.
Additional Night in Annecy or Talloires recommended; rates upon request for either Talloires or Annecy.
Rhone Alpes Festival and Event Info
You are important to us;
so we make you thoroughly prepared and include:
Pre-trip travel documents: you will receive extensive information
as a customer prior to your departure. Upon confirmation we
will send you some general information about preparations
including passport info, training tips, and reading lists.
As a customer you can also Purchase product from Hammer Nutrition,
get 2 FREE issues to Velo News, and much more!
Upon final payment, we will send to you a complete list of
documentation by email including Hotel List, contact numbers,
itineraries, sites to see and information about sites and
culture of the region. We include road signs, packing lists,
travel tips, language phrases, holiday info, tour details,
culture and customs tips, and much, much more!
Annecy Alps Hiking / Walking
Itinerary | Virtual Tour | Tour MapThis self guided hiking tour of the French Alpes is based around the lovely and pristine Annecy Lake. This picturesque setting is ideal Alpes, and includes the charms of the historic Annecy as well as charming villages and towns of the lake and mountains nearby. Annecy is full of art treasures and leisure activities. Its medieval quarter (la Vieille Ville or the Old Town) is a combination of canals, bridges, old architecture and flower displays. The lawns on the bank of the lake or the beach will invite you for a refreshing break. During a boat trip you have a view on the different picturesque little towns around the lake, the forested Verriez, Barron and Semnoz mountains which surround the lake and the summits and mountain chains of Parmelan and Aravis. The next days hiking trails will guide you through the rich fauna and flora of these forests and mountains. Your tour will end on the Col de la Forclaz, a mountain pass where, surrounded by superb panoramas, you can have a retrospective of your hike adventure. As Col de la Forclaz is a paradise for hang gliders, a duo-jump may take you back to the border of the lake…, if not we will transfer you to Talloires! |
 The region around Lake Annecy
is one of the most spectacular settings in all of the Alps. That
it is so close to Geneva and Chamonix as well as many excellent
ski resorts makes this the perfect year-round visit. For a walking
tour, its postcard perfect. |
ItineraryClick on a day to see that days itinerary. DAY 1
Allobroges Hotel3Annecy Conveniently located in Annecy's city center, within easy walking distance of the old town and Lake ... 
Allobroges Hotel3Annecy Conveniently located in Annecy's city center, within easy walking distance of the old town and Lake ...
Auberge Du Roselet2Duingt The Auberge du Roselet hotel is located on Lac Annecy and provides amazing views of the lake and its... 
Hotel Arcalod2Doussard Martine Littoz-Monnet has beautifully designed the interior of the hotel. The 33 bedrooms are light... 
Hotel Le Lac3Talloires Le Lac Hotel is located in the heart of Talloires, just a few meters from the lake of Annecy and the... 
Virtual TourSee more of this region by clicking below for the virtual tour
Tour Map
Optional Services:Travel insurance, Paris museum & metro passes, Paris day tours, Lido shows, and other services. Cell phone rental and luggage storage services. Note: prices subject to change based upon currency fluctuations. See Booking Terms and Conditions. |
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Day 1 is arrival day in Annecy. Check in and then go discover this charming town; Old Annecy, awarded “Town in Bloom”: walk around in the authentic streets, visit the old prisons, the museum at the castle of Annecy, go and see the lake area or take a guided cruise on one of the boats of the Compagnie des Bateaux… Telephone orientation at 6pm. Dinner on your own. 
Day 2: The Semnoz: At 9am a taxi will take you to the top of the Semnoz (25 min), a vast mountain nature reserve rising from 500 to 1699 m. We suggest 1 of 2 walks: The first one is the itinerary walk Crêt de Chatillon (top of Semnoz) through the forest until Crêt du Maure. A great descent with beautiful viewpoints. A distance of about 16km – 10 miles returns you to Annecy. 
Day 3: On the Rive Gauche (left lakeshore) to Duingt: To day you will do a flat walk along the west shore of the lake starting at the Annecy Town Hall. Along the dock in the port of Annecy the trail takes you through a park and along the nautical club where windsurf, sailing and rowing activities take place. Initially the trail is close to the main road but at Beau Rivage (after about a mile) you follow a bike track close to the lake. Sévrier is the first village that you will meet. You can leave your itinerary to visit the eco-museum, the fascinating pewter factory and the museum of bells. In the village of Saint Jorioz, when leaving la Vieille Eglise you see in front of you the beautiful 15th century Castle of Duingt, perched on a tiny peninsula. Along The Sentier des Roselières we reach the village of Duingt where you will be welcomed in a hotel with a private beach. Total distance: about 15 km (9,4 miles) on flat paths. Difficulty: none. 
Day 4: The Taillefer walk. After a walk around in the alleys of the old village of Duingt we start our climb on the Taillefer mountain. The climb starts at the stations of the cross and brings you initially to the cave of Our Lady of the Lake where we have a last superb view on the northern part of the lake. You come to a point where you can view the Col de la Forclaz and the Tournette mountain chain on the opposite side. You walk downhill to the rural valley village of Entrevernes, where on its southern end you pick up the GR for a climb for another superb view on the southern part of the lake, where hang gliders descend from Forclaz, your destination for to day. You ascend and descend about 850 m in total over a distance of 10km. Level: easy with some short steep ups and downs, no significant difficulties. Dinner. (B,D)
Day 5: From Doussard to Col de la Forclaz: You start in the picturesque settlement of Arnand with its always blossomed houses. You follow the path in the forest east of Doussard to cross the National road and join Verthier where some houses date from the 16th century. A climb of 650 m (1950 ft) over about 4 kms ( 2,5 miles) will bring you to the Col de la Forclaz. Your climb be will awarded splendid views on the Annecy lake and over La Tournette. This mountain pass is one of the most important in Europa to practice hang gliding. Enjoy this place and watch the hang gliders depart at about 10 minutes further on; a spectacle, not to be missed! At 4:30pm a taxi will take you down to charming Talloires lakeside town of peace and gastronomy where you will appreciate a swim in the lake or a cool drink on a terrace overlooking the lake. (B,D) 
Day 6:Departure after breakfast. To join Annecy we recommend a boat trip from Talloires to Annecy in the morning. Or, simply hire a taxi to go back to Annecy. The boat crossing of the lake is faster than a car ride Talloires-Annecy.
Cycling Tours
Walking Tour Regions |
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| Alsace | Burgundy | Dordogne/SW | Languedoc | Normandy | |
| Brittany | Champagne | Paris/Ile de France | Loire Valley | Provence | |