There are a multitude of things to do in Annecy with kids whether you are looking for an adrenaline filled week of adventure, a stay in a chic lakeside hotel, or you feel like pitching your tent at the foot of a mountain. Here’s our round up of what to see in Annecy courtesy of Globalmouse writer Laura who spent a week with her family enjoying Lake Annecy activities and discovering and exploring the highlights of the area on a camping trip to Camping La Ravoire in Annecy.
Table of Contents
1. Lake Annecy with children – Roc de Chère Nature Reserve
The Roc de Chère Nature reserve has an exceptional level of biodiversity and covers roughly 170 acres between Talloires and Menthon St Bernard.
Just like so many other places in this area, we went walking. All of the viewpoints are well signposted and footpaths in the reserve are easy to follow.
Although you climb quite high above the lake walking up to the top of the Roc de Chère, the trail isn’t very steep so an easy walk with kids, and the woodland is bursting with flora and fauna.
We saw some fantastic fungi and flowers, lizards, lots of different butterflies, a frog, squirrels….all sorts.
Nature has also provided the perfect rocky plateau at the top of the mountain with panoramic views across the lake, perfect for sitting and eating your lunch so definitely take a picnic, some snacks and plenty of water.
2. What to do in Annecy – Adventure sports
Look up at the mountains virtually any time of day in Lake Annecy and you will see people paragliding.
It’s lovely to watch. Full disclosure, we were not up there with them, but had we been saying longer I really think that we might have been tempted to join them.
Lake Annecy is considered one of the best places to go paragliding in the world, and it is no surprise, the view must be second to none.
The sight of the mountain peaks and wooded valleys, couldn’t fail to spark a sense of adventure. Perhaps canyoning, rock climbing or abseiling will be more your thing?
With so many companies offering packages for all ages, Lake Annecy is the perfect place to try something new.
3. Annecy activities – Hike to the top of Angon Waterfall
If you like hiking you will be spoilt for choice around the lake.
There are loads of really well sign posted footpaths all over the area, and I loved how many of them told you how far you are away from points of interest in km or minutes.
We picked the Cascade d’Angon, listed as an easy family walk, for our first foray up the mountain. I have to say, it was pretty steep.
There are some fun scrambles up short, slippery rocks at the beginning, but once you’re out the other side, you are walking through beautiful, shady woodland, with the odd glimpse out across the lake that keep coaxing you on up the incline.
The walk is 100% worth the effort.
The views from the top are outstanding.
Later the same day, looking back at Angon from the other side of the lake, our 12 year old son couldn’t believe he’d walked up so high.
4. Cycling
Cycling is extremely popular all over the alps.
This year the 20th stage of the Tour de France started in Albertville, just 25km from Doussard where we were staying.
There are cycle hire companies all over the place with pretty reasonable prices, offering bikes for all the family, and trailers.
There are countless cycle paths in the area, and some ideal family trails around the edges of the lake.
The wide paths are separated from the road by a barrier in lots of places, with clearly marked crossing points anywhere they meet a road. Even the wobbliest cyclist can feel completely safe.
5. Lake Annecy with kids – Water sports
The list of watersports available on the lake is almost as long as the lake itself.
There is the ever popular paddle boarding, waterskiing, wakeboarding, motor boats, rowing boats, sailing, canoeing, scuba diving, not forgetting our personal favourite (if you can even call it a sport?) pedalos.
On a hot day, nothing could be more enticing than the thought of sliding into the lake for a swim.
The water is a wonderful blue. And so clear you can see huge carp swimming lazily around in the sunshine looking for food, and watch the coots as they dive all the way down to the bottom of the lake.
6. Spend the day in Annecy
Often called the Venice of the French Alps, Annecy is an absolute gem.
Sitting on the banks of the northern tip of the lake, part chic shopping destination and part historic Old Town, this romantic city will almost certainly win your heart.
We spent a very happy morning wandering through the old town, looking in the shops, eating patisseries in a gorgeous market square, admiring the canals and then finally ending up stretched out on the grass in the Jardins de l’Europe with ice creams watching the world go by.
Despite being popular with tourists, Annecy manages to retain a chilled, friendly atmosphere.
If you’re staying nearby we would definitely recommend setting at least half a day aside to spend in Annecy, if not more.
7. Family holiday in Annecy – Take a boat trip around the lake
A boat tour lets you see Lake Annecy and it surroundings from a completely different angle.
The route we picked was a two hour circular route around the lake, with the option to get off the boat at one of eight stop off points. The audio tour was only in French, but fortunately we had downloaded the free app that gave the English version of the tour for our history obsessed 12 year old.
I am glad we spotted this app as the history of life on and around the lake was very interesting and we ended up spotting places that we wanted to go back and visit as we passed by.
A particular highlight for us had to be the view of the Chateau Menthon St Bernard which is rumoured to be the castle that inspired Walt Disney to design Sleeping Beauty’s castle (although truth be told there are a lot of places make the same claim).
8. A day at the beach
There are places to pull in on a bike or in your car pretty much all the way around the lake, which is perfect for a paddle or a quick dip. But if you want to make a day of it finding a beach is ideal.
Doussard beach has amazing views up the lake towards the Dents de Lanfon mountains.
The beach is extremely pretty, split into two by a small stream with a long beach and plenty of grassy shade.
There are marked swimming areas, a lifeguard, a pontoon, snack bar, small playground and toilets.
At the far end of the beach is Doussard nature reserve. These marshy wetlands are home to many different species of animals and birds.
There is a trail running through the reserve and a medieval tower that has been converted into an observatory.
It’s a great family walk taking around 45 mins and completely pram friendly.
It’s worth knowing that several of the beaches around the lake have an entry fee in the high season but Doussard is free all year round. There is a charge for parking, but it is also accessible on foot, or by bike.
9. Annecy with children – Dinner by the lake
In a funny way I almost look forward to the last night of holiday.
Not because I want to get home, but because we like to go out for dinner and talk about everything we have done on our holiday and decide which our best bits were.
It’s a lovely family moment, one last hurrah before heading back to normality.
We had an early morning flight to catch out of Geneva so we packed everything up, cleaned our accommodation and went out looking for an easy informal dinner.
Whether you choose to pop out for a bowl of frites or a Michelin star dining experience, you won’t be disappointed. There are all kinds of places to eat so close the the water’s edge that you can almost feel the lake lapping at your toes.
10. Sunset at Col de la Forclaz
Col de la Forclaz is a mountain pass with sensational views up Lake Annecy.
We drove up to the top to catch the sunset one evening having spent the day watching paragliders silently gliding down through the sky having jumped from one of the stages at the top.
The drive up the mountain was extremely pretty. A charming combination of wooden alpine chalets, hairpin bends and at one point a silver Porsche convertible whooshing past us at terrific speed. It was everything we expected from a drive up into the mountains.
You can park fairly near the highest point, and decide how far up you want to walk to get the best view.
Between the car park and the summit there is a smart restaurant, aptly named Edelweiss, and then slightly further up again is a more casual bar. Both places have terraces to enjoy the view from.
Special mention from us has to go to the cows grazing on the mountainside. Standing in the glow of the setting sun, looking out across the lush green slopes, listening to the cows quietly grazing and the bells tinkling around their necks, was just dreamy. Like being in a Milka advert.
None of us had ever actually seen this picture book version of an alpine scene before. And it was an unexpected highlight that left us all with a warm fuzzy feeling.
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