Annecy – APASSION https://www.apassion.com Live life with APASSION Thu, 23 Nov 2023 15:31:13 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://www.apassion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-Mountain-Motif-Grey-32x32.jpeg Annecy – APASSION https://www.apassion.com 32 32 A Summer trip to Lake Annecy https://www.apassion.com/day-trip-to-lake-annecy-in-summer/ Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:08:18 +0000 https://www.apassion.com/?p=3797

Fed by mountain springs, Lake Annecy is renowned for it’s clean, clear waters and is the third largest lake in France. Whether you prefer mooching around boutique shop, stretching your legs to experience stunning views or taking to two wheels for a lake tour there is something to suit everyone.

At it’s north end is the pretty medieval town of Annecy with it’s château, canals and bridges. We recommend a wander round the old town with it’s cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings, head up to the château for it’s views over the lake or sit in one of the many cafés lining the canals and watch the world go by. Annecy offers a mix of traditional and cosmopolitan shops from the finest cheeses to the most ‘a la mode’ fashion.

Take a water taxi or pleasure boat or even hire your own pedlo or motorized boat and explore the lake. The shores are lined with beaches and pretty medieval villages such as Talloires or Menthon-Saint-Bernard, dominated by its Château of the same name.

For the energetic, there are plenty of hikes on offer either around the lake shores or up into the surrounding mountains, affording magnificent views of the town and the lake. There is also a dedicated cycle path that goes round most of the lake with just a small section on the main road. The route is largely flat with just one small climb as you enter or leave the village of Talloires (depending on which way round you cycle!) There are numerous places to hire bikes in Annecy town or around the lake, including electric bikes. The route is 40km and takes about 2 -3 hours depending on your level of ability.

A trip to Lake Annecy wouldn’t be complete without lunch at one of the lakeside restaurants on the eastern shore where you feel as though you are in the French Riviera! The idyllic village of Talloires offers more than it’s fair share of great restaurants including Le Cottage, L’Abbaye de Talloires, or if you are feeling very extravagant, le Père Bise with it’s two Michellin stars. All offer views over the stunningly beautiful port and the sparkling waters for which Lake Annecy is famous.

]]> Fête du Lac Annecy – A Pyrotechnic wonder https://www.apassion.com/fete-du-lac-annecy-a-pyrotechnic-wonder/ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 07:20:22 +0000 https://www.apassion.com/?p=6259

If you’ve never attended the Annecy ‘Fête du Lac’ then you are most definitely missing out on an incredible spectacle of fireworks and lasers. The annual event, described as the biggest firework display in Europe, attracts thousands of visitors to the medieval town of Annecy, and is set on the shores of the lake of the same name.

After much anticipation we drove to Annecy this week (just an hour from Samoëns) to experience this much recommended event for ourselves and we certainly weren’t to be disappointed.

The theme of the evening was the colours of the rainbow and we’d never seen a firework display like it; the sky was permanently alight with a mix of beautifully choreographed fireworks, lasers and 10 metre high water jets all accompanied by a wide range of music.

The 90 minute display included more than 5 tonnes of fireworks from over 50 firing positions, most of which were floating barges out on the lake. The effect was totally mesmerising as the colours reflected off the surface of the water – we really didn’t know where to look!

Given we only paid €10 each for our tickets, which gave us access to the lawns by the Imperial Palace, the views were amazing. We’ll definitely be back next year and hope to book early enough to get tickets for the seated area right at the front of the spectacle so as not to miss a thing!

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