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Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Sun March 22, 2026
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originally appeared in the March issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe
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The following article was written by Chelsee Lowe
Without fail, I
return from any long journey singing the praises of small towns — the ones I
had never heard of until pre-trip research uncovered them.
Last summer, on an
epic adventure that included a river cruise and brought my family of four to
the Netherlands, France and Switzerland, the most surprising gem was Annecy, a
picturesque lakeside town in the French Alps. We arrived with a hotel reservation
and visions of scenic biking and boating, and we left with core memories made
beneath dramatic mountain peaks and candy-colored paragliders.
Annecy is about
3.5 hours from Paris by train, so it makes for an excellent and relatively easy
itinerary addition if clients want to see a destination that nicely contrasts
the City of Light. A long weekend in Annecy can include both slow and
fast-paced activities, and the scenery is captivating.
Here’s what fun
awaits travelers who make their way to Annecy.
Around the Lake
Thousands of years
ago, Lake Annecy formed as glaciers melted. Today, it is fed by numerous
streams and is considered to be one of Europe’s cleanest lakes — and that makes
swimming and sailing here incredibly popular, especially in the warmer months.
Before we got into
the water, though, we circumnavigated the entire lake. Dedicated bike paths and
quieter roadways make cruising its 25-mile circumference feasible, so we rented
three e-bikes (one with a child seat on the back for my young daughter) from a
local rental shop, of which there are many in town.
Riding clockwise
from town, we had the turquoise lake to our right and the steep sides of the
Alps to our left. We paused at Plage de la Brune (other recommended beaches
include Plage de Albigny and Plage de Marquisats), where sunbathers sought tans
in the rocky sand, and marveled at charming lake-view homes in the hamlets of
Talloires-Montmin and Menthon-Saint-Bernard. Half a dozen times, we stopped
pedaling entirely to simply observe paragliders in their subtle downward spins.
Our grand lap
around the lake took more than three hours to complete, but clients could
easily turn it into a full-day journey, stopping at beaches and shoreside snack
shops along the way.
Visitors can tour around the 25-mile circumference of Lake Annecy on dedicated bike paths. (Photo Credit: Northstar Travel Group/Chelsee Lowe)
Diving In
Next up was time
in the water; the lake was a great reprieve in July, when temperatures
approached 90 degrees. Clients will love strolling around Les Jardins de
l’Europe, a shoreside park with an old carousel, a great playground, canal and
mountain views, and a platoon of pedal and motorized boats available for rent
where the park meets the water. Some of the pedal boats have giant slides
affixed to their center; my youngest daughter gleefully selected the boat with
the tallest blue side, and away we went.
Once out from the
shore, my daughters slid and jumped into the lake to their hearts’ delight. We
tussled with the wind a bit — we’d pedal out, then realize 15 minutes later we
were back near the shore. Merry travelers captained their own boats all around
us, and a sailing school — complete with miniature motorized vessels helmed by
kids who couldn’t have been more than 8 years old — captivated us all. They
were living the lake life, and so were we.
Some of Lake Annecy’s pedal boats have slides affixed to them so guests can splash down into the water. (Photo Credit: Northstar Travel Group/Chelsee Lowe)
Town Sights to See
Annecy’s
most-photographed sight (besides the lake itself) is surely Palais de l’Ile, a
12th-century structure on the Thiou River that has been everything from a
prison and coin-minting workshop to a home for the elderly.
Today, Palais de
l’Ile is surrounded by charming canal-side cafes with striped awnings, and
clients can step inside the structure for a nominal fee to see some of its
restored spaces. We admired it from various angles and enjoyed wandering its
adjacent cobblestone streets.
On Tuesdays,
Fridays and Sundays, market stalls with produce of all sorts pop up and fill
the surrounding old town with lively vendors. It was absolutely brimming with
shoppers during our summer visit.
The Palais de I’Ile is a 12th-century building that sits on the Thiou River in Annecy’s old town. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Armando Oliveira)
Hotels to Book
Our room at
Splendid Hotel Lac d’ Annecy was adequate (and the property is ideally located
across the street from Les Jardins de l’Europe), but on a return visit, I would
spend more for a room at either Rivage Hotel & Spa or Black Bass Hotel.
Both are set by the lake and the main path to town (which is heavily used by
pedestrians and cyclists) and offer wellness facilities. I especially love that
they’re slightly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Annecy’s center, and
that they offer upscale accommodations and on-site dining.
We pedaled by
Black Bass Hotel during our long lake ride, and I stopped to swoon over the
property’s wide grassy lawn overlooking the water. A slow afternoon spent here
is just what I want on vacation — and a pedal boat with a slide that’s only a
few steps away for the kids.
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