Towns & cities · Annecy
1 Annecy
Nicknamed the "Venice of the Alps" for its canals lined with colourful houses, this Savoyard prefecture overlooks the clear waters of its lake.
View full page →A weekend around the lakes of Savoie
Annecy, Lake Bourget and Lake Aiguebelette offer three very different atmospheres less than an hour's drive from one another.
Our day-by-day itinerary
The map shows the numbered stops in visiting order, with one colour per day. The line follows the roads where available; otherwise it joins the stops as the crow flies. Distances and times are approximate (by car, without traffic).
Day 1 — Annecy to Lac d'Annecy
Annecy, its old town, its castle and its lake.
Driving for the day: about 15.2 km, or 31 min behind the wheel in total (excluding visits).
↓ 4.8 km · about 9 min by car to the next stop
Castles · Haute-Savoie
2 Château d'Annecy
It was built in successive stages from the twelfth to the end of the sixteenth century, then left to decay in the seventeenth and served as barracks until 1947.
View full page →↓ 10.5 km · about 22 min by car to the next stop
Lakes · Haute-Savoie
3 Lac d'Annecy
Lake Annecy, sometimes nicknamed the "blue lake", is a lake in France located in the Alps, in Haute-Savoie.
View full page →Day 2 — Aix-les-Bains to Lac d'Aiguebelette
Aix-les-Bains and Lake Bourget, then swimming or a walk around Lake Aiguebelette, calmer and better preserved.
Driving for the day: about 38.6 km, or 45 min behind the wheel in total (excluding visits).
Towns & cities · Aix-les-Bains
4 Aix-les-Bains
A spa town renowned since Roman times, nestled on the shores of Lake Bourget, the largest natural lake in France.
View full page →↓ 7.3 km · about 12 min by car to the next stop
Lakes · Savoie
5 Le Lac du Bourget
Lac du Bourget is the largest natural lake in France, 18 km long, surrounded by the Épine massif, La Chambotte, the Mont du Chat, Mont Revard and the Bauges.
View full page →↓ 31.3 km · about 33 min by car to the next stop
Lakes · Aiguebelette-le-Lac
6 Lac d'Aiguebelette
The 3rd largest natural lake in France, with emerald waters, largely private and closed to motor boats, at the foot of the Épine mountain.
View full page →Practical tips
Sites are numbered in the recommended order. In summer the beaches are very busy: favour the morning, and find out about authorised swimming areas.
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