French Alps.
An alpine lake in the French Alps with turquoise water, dramatic mountain backdrop, and charming lakeside towns. And French Alps mountain resorts where you can soar to the top of Europe and hike with panoramic vistas.
Notes from Christina.
Number of Nights - 10
Time of Year - July 2025
Type of Trip -
Family Travel / Outdoor Adventures
Itinerary
5 nights in Talloires on Lake Annecy
5 nights in Megeve to explore the alps
When we set out to plan this summer’s trip, my husband and I came to the conclusion that we just wanted to go back to the Alps. This would be our third summer in the Alps, after sampling the Dolomites in Italy in 2023, and then a big Switzerland trip in 2024 (that we clearly hadn’t gotten over!). We decided to give the French Alps a go, and honed in on Lake Annecy for its proximity to Megeve, Chamonix and other alpine villages. Little did we know, this would become the highlight of the week for us!
Lake Annecy
Lake Annecy is a stunning alpine lake in the French Alps, near the border of Switzerland. It is referred to as “Europe’s cleanest lake” and is famous for its turquoise water, dramatic Hawaiian-like mountain backdrop, and charming lakeside towns. To be honest, photos did not do this place justice, and we did not expect it to be quite so beautiful. You should have heard the oohs and aaahs in the car as we drove in from the Geneva airport.
Talloires
Talloires is a quiet and picturesque village on the eastern shore of Lake Annecy. I discovered it by looking up Conde Nast articles about the region, and was captivated by its beautiful bay headlined by The Abbaye, a former priory turned luxury hotel. Here we felt like a local French family on holiday. We saw very few Americans and tourists, it was not at all crowded, and there was a lovely public beach on the lake with a hoppin beach bar serving up good pizza, burgers, sandwiches and beer and cocktails. If you walk up the hill, there is a lovely café called Café Gisele with excellent coffee drinks, and an award winning Boulangerie with delicious baguette sandwiches perfect to grab for a hike or picnic lunch. There are also Michelin star restaurants, none of which we tried since we were with young children, and it would have been wasted on them.
We stayed at this boutique hotel, and we really loved it. Our group consisted of two families, and the rooms here have nice configurations if you are traveling with children. I love it when the kids can have actual beds rather than a pullout sofa. Our family suite had a balcony overlooking the beautiful outdoor pool, as well as views of the lake. We loved the location, as it was a short walk down to the bay, the public beach, or up the hill to the café and shops. The hotel had a quaint and lovely walking path to a private lakeside area with lounge chairs and a dock and some grass. It was wonderful. There was a nice breakfast spread of yogurts and pastries in the morning, and they served cocktails on their deck in the afternoon. The staff was friendly, and they helped cater to our every need. There was also on-site parking (book this in advance, the lot is small, and tight!).
This restaurant is directly across the street from the hotel and could not have been more convenient. We had so many meals here. They run the beach bar, with casual fare (and really good pizza!) lakeside, and they also have a more formal dining experience inside. We loved our dinners there; the menu and the views are fantastic in the dining room.
We had our first dinner here, and it is right next door to our hotel. They have a lovely deck for an al fresco dining vibe, the menu was limited, and the food was good (although I did not love the duck).
While it is so tempting to just walk to dinner while staying in Talloires, we were glad that we got into the car one night to drive up the mountain for the views at this restaurant. The panoramic views over Lake Annecy were breathtaking and made for great photos at sunset (see photo to the left). And the food was surprisingly good! The Italian salad and Caesar salad were much better than I had imagined they would be.
To pack a picnic lunch to go, their baguette sandwiches are a must! Or just a baguette for an afternoon snack.
Stop in here for a delicious barista coffee or yogurt bowl.
La Savoyarde and the public beach in Talloires
Activites.
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Water Taxi to Annecy
At the north end of the lake is the “Venice of the Alps,” the old town of Annecy, a stunning city that is absolutely worth a day of strolling its streets and sitting at its cafes. We tried to take the passenger boat from the dock in Talloires, but as it turns out you have to book your passage in advance, online, which we did not do. As the boat came and went without us, we walked into the swanky Abbaye hotel lobby to ask for their advice. They connected us with a private water taxi service, which was definitely more expensive than the passenger ferry, but with two families to split the bill it ended up being a happy accident. We felt like we had a private boat for hire and enjoyed a comfortable and scenic ride across the length of the lake which took approximately 20-30 minutes. They even arranged for a time to pick us back up in Annecy for our return trip.
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Le Gorges du Fier
The Gorges du Fier is a dramatic natural attraction and popular day trip for this area. It features a deep, narrow gorge which was carved by the Fier River over thousands of years. There is a suspended walkway fixed to the rock wall to guide you through the gorge. The cliffs can be up to 86 feet high and the narrow walkway has views down into the churning river below. I will be honest, it was a little terrifying as you hear the walkway creaking and have to move aside so others can pass you by. But it was a fun way to spend the morning, and only a 45 minute drive from Talloires, easy and scenic drive. Parking was also pretty easy. One of the highlights was a little lunch spot we found on our way out of the Gorge crossing to the parking lot. Au Bon Refuge had a beautiful secret-garden like feel with al fresco dining under huge, beautiful trees. We enjoyed our lunch here after the hike through the gorge.
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Biking Lake Annecy
There is a mostly paved cycling trail around Lake Annecy. To bike the entire lake, it is a long loop- around 26 miles (42 km). Most of the route is flat or gently rolling, but the east side north of Talloires has a steeper section up and down the mountain. With kids, we wanted to avoid this part of the trail, so we opted to rent bikes from Nomad Bikes in neighboring Agnon (in a campground), and set out south from Talloires with the aim to make it across the lake to Le Bon Wagon in the town of Duingt. I had heard about this train station that had been converted into a bike shop serving up smoothies, pastries, and poke bowls in Conde Nast Traveler, and it was a nice destination to have. At first, we intended to rent all electric bikes, but the availability was low, so we ended up with regular pedal bikes. The weather looked threatening, and some rain clouds were moving in, but we set out anyway to see how far we could get. The path offered up beautiful views of the lake and the kids really enjoyed it. Well, we didn’t quite make it to Duingt. The skies opened up when we were almost there, but we were forced to pull off for cover in another converted train station café with a bar. We took shelter and ordered some chicken nuggets, croque monsieurs, smoothies and beers and waited out the downpours for a chilly couple of hours. From there we headed back to Talloires, biking around 13 miles in total.
Megeve and Chamonix
For the second half of our trip, we moved from the lake into the mountains for our alpine adventures. I must admit, I had a bit of depression leaving the perfect setting of Lake Annecy, but was excited to get up the mountains. In retrospect, I think we would have been better off staying closer to Chamonix as most of our big activities centered in that area, but Megeve village was ritzy, beautiful and high-end, and a lot quieter than the busy Chamonix resort town.
Megeve
This hotel is a bit outside of Megeve village, a little up the mountain, with valet parking and a 20+/- minute walking path down to the village. It was very nice, with an indoor pool and spa in the basement, nice restaurant and beautiful décor. The rooms were spacious and had balconies overlooking Megeve. I didn’t *love* it here, probably because I was comparing it to our hotel in Talloires which was so convenient. I do wish we had booked somewhere within Megeve village for the ease of it. But there was nothing glaringly wrong with the hotel, just maybe not the best fit for what I was looking for.
We liked this restaurant so much, we ate dinner here twice. The outdoor patio seating was so lovely, the food was great, and we had a friendly and fun server named Nikola who served us both nights and was just a delight.
Our friends had a really lovely lunch here and loved it.
Chamonix
This famous alpine town is nestled at the foot of Mont Blanc and known as a popular international ski resort in the winter. The village itself is so charming, with wooden chalets, cozy cafes and markets and a rushing river. Dramatic peaks and glaciers can be seen at every turn. Chamonix was about a 30-40 minute drive from where we were in Megeve, but we spent two days here going up Mont Blanc, doing a bike, and strolling and shopping its streets.
We purchased this pass to cover our trip up the Aiguille du Midi cable car (which can be quite pricy), knowing that we could also use it for the Montenvers train, and for gondolas in Megeve. I never really worked out if we got our money’s worth buying this pass, but it certainly made it easier and allowed us to reserve our time in advance for going up to the summit of Mont Blanc.
The Aiguille du Midi cable car in Chamonix is iconic, one of the highest cable cars in the world, carrying visitors to the summit of Mont Blanc (12,605 feet, or 3,842 meters) in about 20 minutes. The engineering is incredible, and even though I found it terrifying (it is so steep!) it was quite the experience. Definitely worth doing, although beware that the altitude may affect you. Stay hydrated beforehand, and an early morning reservation is generally better for visibility as the clouds tend to roll in in the afternoon. At the top, you will find panoramic terraces with sweeping view of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps, as well as the “step into the void” glass box, which we didn’t do. There is a café and gift shop, where we had to duck in to have a break and a drink and adjust to the altitude. Plan a couple of hours for this visit and be prepared to be amazed!
Grand Balcon Nord Hike
If you would like to do a hike, take the cable car back down to the midstation of Plan de l’Aiguille (where you will have switched on the way up). Many hikes depart from this spot, and there is one snack bar where you can load up on picnic snacks and drinks for the journey ahead. Our group decided to do the Grand Balcon Nord hike to the Montenvers Mer de Glace station.
The Grand Balcon Nord hike is about 6.8 km (4.2 miles) point-to-point. Some websites say 2-3 hours at a steady pace, but for us it took about 4 hours. We were attempting it in its “downhill” or easiest direction, although do not be fooled- there are some spots where you have to climb. We were hiking with two eleven-year-olds and one nine-year old, and they all did great. But I would call this more of a moderate hike than an easy hike. The trail is at a high altitude with sweeping views of the Chamonix Valley below and jagged peaks above. A lot of the trail is rock covered, so prepare to walk over uneven rock, sometimes wet with trickling glacier runoff. It was quite different from the soft dirt paths in Switzerland, a lot harder on the feet. The trail forks towards the end with the right side heading up, up towards the glacier and the left side (which is slightly shorter) heading into a more wooded and narrow path. Our group split one family did each route. The right side is the most popular, although prepare for a steep climb with amazing views. The endpoint was the Montnevers hotel and restaurant, which looked and smelled amazing but required a reservation so we could not eat there, much to our dismay! At the Montnevers Station there was a snack bar that was sold out of just about everything, but we stopped for quick snack break before taking the Montnevers – Mer de Glace cogwheel train back down to Chamonix (this ride was included in our Mont-Blanc Multipass.
Chamonix Amusement Park
If you are visiting with kids, this area near the town center was great for families. It had a mini mountain coaster, slides and trampolines, small rides and games, mini golf and a playground. There was also a small restaurant for the adults.
