A charming city on the edge of the lake in its mountain. And alpages, summits, glaciers, trails, villages. The chamois crumble, the marmots whistle, the eagles crash, the herds make their sonnets tinkle. This region is an invitation to move to the good alpine air, to regalate the eyes and papillae, to oxygenate its neurons and to nurture its calves, to fill red blood cells and sun! This is a mountain to hike, climb, climb by bike, descend into live waters, fly paragliding and nap on the meadow, at the cottage, under the tipi… Sleep in trees, drink the milk of morning trafficking and cross the mountain. Fast! Walking shoes!
A lake at the foot of the Alps
Surrounded by wooden rostrums and pontoons, the lake of Annecy is a jewel where the mountains are reflected. The Bout du Lac reserve attracts ornithologists. Its clear and fresh waters from the glaciers, known as fish, also attract fishermen who hunt char, lake aristocrat, but also feras (lavarets), poles, pike and rainbow trout. The lake evacuates its waters by the Thiou and the canal du Vassé which shape so nicely old Annecy. You have to stroll through the cobbled streets, spend the small bridges on the canal, flee from ancient building of old fashioned storylines and stop on the terrace, because the haute-Savoyard know-how is above all in the plates. There is also a local cuisine in the good franks served on wooden tables covered with charcoal and white carpet, cheese and country wines.
This small city of 53,000 people is illuminated at the famous Lake Festival in August, enchanting thousands of Aboriginal people and tourists. Germs of fire and multicolored sparks enchant the lake. In summer, however, it is in the alpages that transhment tourists are left to take charge and enjoy a preserved nature, in the good air of the mountain. It's gone, direction the Alps. Rest, walk and feet under the table. The names of villages and mountains resonate like sonnets and the August sky with its shining stars. Annecy, Manigod, Chamonix and the majestic Mont Blanc to do everything.
Mountain Mountain
Mont Blanc's tourist offers are on a mountain backdrop in an impressive variety: golf in Grand Bornand, enjoy the farm at La Clusaz, swim in a organic lake in Combloux. This lake of one and a half acres is located in the center of the village of Combloux, in a preserved alpine landscape with a breathtaking panorama, facing Mont Blanc.
Breathe, you've arrived! Take the heavy and slow step of the mountain. Exit screens, laptops, billboards, artificial life from downstairs, excessive consumption and days overflowing. You are closer to the sky and connected to the real! You will enjoy the invaluable benefits of the mountain. Fill your gourd at the fountain of clear and fresh water. Bag on the back, twin twins. Go on the trails, fold your eyes on the chamois. There are many formulas available to you: with an accompanying guide; on day parole: without accompanying, but we organize your circuit (itinerary, lodging, transport of your luggage); or in total freedom, you draw and organize your crossing with bivouacs and nights in refuge.
Families will choose a circuit with donkeys, nice accomplices of children, more or less stubborn, sometimes nasty, often tender, they do not refuse their back to young hikers.
Rock and ice
The magnificent wild Aravis massif invites for authentic and all-azimuts of the mountain and its inhabitants. Wear good shoes, a map and topo-guides, a compass (even a GPS), consult the weather, remember your protective cream and sunglasses, put in your backpack a survival cover and all it takes for the duration of your itinerary and to resist when the mountain becomes evil! For those who do not have ad hoc steel calves, cabins, funiculars or cable cars give rise to breathtaking summits and panoramas. Direction Chamonix. The famous small creeper train joins (since 1908) the Montenvers site, perched at 1,913 m above the sea of ice, and its stunning panorama on Drus and Grands Jorasses.
We reach the Cave of Ice, accessible by a walking trail (20 minutes walk) or by a cable car. This grotto repulsed every year evokes the life of the Montagnards at the beginning of the nineteenth century. You can walk back to the valley. From Chamonix, the Brévent cable car gives him access to the Brévent, another point of view on the Mont Blanc chain, the needle of Midi and the needles of Chamonix on one side, on the chain of the Fiz, and the valley of Diosaz on the other. The site is a departure from large accessible hikes and outdoor activities (mountain bike, paragliding…). Another alpine ascent by the tracks: Mont Blanc tram in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. The TMB, the highest train in France and one of the last creeper trains, takes you to the Aigle Nid (2,372 m). From here, the experienced and equipped mountaineers access Head Rousse and Taster for the ascension of Mont Blanc. Lovers of mountain mountains will be seduced by the wonderful village of Manigod, dear to Marc Veyrat, in the heart of the Aravis.
Lake Flavors and Fisheries
After a few hikes, excesses are tolerated. Moreover, the mountain well-being is traditionally combined with generous plates and well-filled glasses! The vineyards of Haute-Savoie offer some subtle white wines. Crepy, good companion of fish and fondue, butt, sparkling ayze ayze, the decoupling (adapted to the edge of the lake), the fruity ristrail and rare marignan (a confidential vineyard that does not reach the 10 hectares!). The mountain charcuterie slowly smoked in the dryers of the altitude chalets and the alpage cheese platters are sufficient for our happiness. But in a less caloric version, there are also the raw fish: River trout in all its states, sucker, blue, green sauce, almonds. The big trout in the lake are getting ready or blowing. The lavaret is served as a whole with butter or sucker, in a net in the oiling… His cousin the ferrari, doomed like a small lake salmon, presents herself in a net, puffed, crust. But the king of local gastronomy remains the char of the lake of Annecy. Very popular, the little just lemon frying remains the emblematic dish to share with friends, with happiness on a pontoon on the edge of the lake.
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When is it? All four seasons! In summer, you'll find yourself in holiday mode. The fall offers its low rates and shimmering colors. Winter: ski and tanning in the altitude sun. In the spring we enjoy the arrival of flowers and herds.
Go there. By car, by plane (Annecy airport) or by train (direction Annecy or Albertville).
AIR FRANCE - More information on the site
VOYAGES SNCF - More information on the site
Useful. To prepare his getaway best.
TOURIST OFFICE SAVOIE MONT-BLANC - More information on the site
