Camping La Ravoire – family friendly camping in Annecy France

Filled with crystal clear, turquoise water, flanked by tiny fishing cottages and surrounded by towering mountains, Lake Annecy is nothing short of breathtaking. If you’re looking for camping Annecy is the perfect location. Globalmouse Travels writer Laura samples the delights of the Haute-Savoie region and a family friendly campsite at Camping La Ravoire.

*AD / Press trip. To read more please see my Disclosure Policy.

Camping La Ravoire is a small, family run campsite at the southern end of the lake. With a laid back, friendly atmosphere.

There are 130 plots on the site made up of a mix of touring pitches for tents and caravans, safari tents, mobile homes and wooden chalets.

The site feels like an alpine village in its own right. Clean and tidy, there is a small shop stocked with essentials, a snack bar, a playground and an indoor and outdoor pool.

The accommodation – Camping Annecy France – A family friendly stay at Camping La Ravoire

We were staying in a Relax mobile home with an amazing view of the mountains.

The Relax sleeps six people in three bedrooms, with plenty of room and seating inside and out, a fully equipped kitchen, toilet, large shower and air-conditioning.

The Relax is nicely styled, with a comfortable, homely feel, and it was clear that it had been planned with families in mind.

There is a huge amount of storage so that everything can be easily unpacked and stowed away. Black-out blinds in the bedroom are a bonus for children (and parents) who need a good solid night’s sleep.

There was a drying rack for towels and swimming stuff so they don’t need to be artfully draped over every available chair.

My personal highlight was the dishwasher and enough crockery to mean that no one had to do any washing up between meals.

This attention to detail takes away the worry of everyday tasks, everything falls into place, leaving you free to enjoy your holiday, and spend your time wondering about where to explore next.

Camping La Ravoire – The facilities and activities

The Camping La Ravoire site has plenty to keep children of all ages happy.

Alongside indoor and outdoor swimming pools, there is a small playground with a bouncy castle, multi-sports pitch and a petanque area.

Before we arrived, Camping La Ravoire sent us a link to their app which told us everything we needed to know to really make the most of our holiday.

It was full of practical information such as directions to, and the opening hours of the nearest supermarket, direct booking for extras like bed linen for your stay, plus the all important schedule for the huge range of upcoming activities running on-site.

There are several free activities happening every day. From creative sessions for children every morning, yoga classes for older kids and adults, diving lessons in the swimming pool, mini disco for younger children, and the highlight for our 12 year old, a foam party in the pool for everyone.

We stayed by Lake Annecy for a week, but could have easily stayed for a full two weeks and never run out of things to do.

As if all the activities on the campsite weren’t enough, there is a huge amount going on all the way around the lake itself.

Cycling and hiking are popular, with cycle paths and footpaths signposted everywhere.

You can rent bikes from the site and the app gives you all the information you need to find the best cycling and walking routes in the area.

The site has links with companies that offer amazing adventurous sports like paragliding and canyoning amongst others.

For those of you who prefer to keep your feet on the ground, there is a boat trip around the lake.

All these options, and more, can be booked directly through the site reception. Damien and Kayleigh have a depth of local knowledge that could keep you busy for weeks.

Taking the boat to Annecy

We took the boat all the way up to Annecy one morning and spent a wonderful afternoon walking around La Vieille Ville, the old town.

Annecy is often called the Venice of the Alps.

The canals which run between the old stone buildings and the maze of narrow streets, suddenly opening up into large market squares make for a magical feeling.

It’s also the perfect setting to indulge in beautiful patisseries under the shade of the colonnades.

From the minute we saw the lake, we were all desperate to go in for a swim.

A short walk from the campsite (or an even shorter bike ride) is the beach and nature reserve at Doussard.

There are fantastic views up the lake which you can enjoy either basking in the sun on the sand, lazing on the grass under the shade of a tree, or from the terrace of the snack bar whilst enjoying an ice cream.

The water is deliciously clear and cool, and lake swimming has such a different feel to swimming in the sea, we can’t recommend it highly enough.

Equally as wonderful as swimming in the lake is hiking up a mountain and looking down onto it from up high.

As I said there are footpaths signposted all around the lake, many of them telling you how long the walk to the next point of interest is in minutes which is so useful.

Perhaps the most famous view point on the lake is Col de la Forclaz, which has panoramic views stretching down the lake.

Any time of day, you can look up and see flocks of paragliders floating around in the sky, many of whom jump from Col de la Forclaz.

We decided that this would be the perfect place to watch the sunset one evening. Sitting in the warm glow of the fading sun, with the sound of the cow bells tinkling in the background, the lake winding away into the distance, it was the perfect way to end the day.

Camping La Ravoire – Best bits

We loved that there was so much to do on and around the campsite for all of us.

With Annecy only a 25 minute drive away, you really do have the best of both worlds – a city break and an outdoors holiday in the countryside all rolled into one.

I was surprised by how many activities there were on the campsite. It’s not something that they shout about on their website.

The fact that all of these were free and most of them were drop in sessions was a fantastic added extra to the holiday.

You can find out more at about camping Annecy and our family friendly stay at Camping La Ravoire at their website here. Don’t forget to check out our best things to do in Annecy with kids.