Annecy - Haute Savoie - France

practicebicycle cycling holidays in the French Alps offer you something special! Starting with your location for your week in one of the most beautiful and popular resort towns of the French Alps, Annecy.  Annecy is known as the "Venise of Savoie"and is positioned between Geneva and Chambery and sits on the northern edge of the famous "Lac Annecy", with it's cool, clear, turquoise waters.  It won't take you long to understand why it was given this unique name with the "Thiou" canal entering from the lake and water passing through enchanting cobbled streets and narrow medieval alley ways.

With Annecy positioned at the base of the natural beauty of the French Alps, its position allows you to see spectacular panoramic views, at any time of the day or night and with "Mt Blanc" the White Mountain, the highest peak in the Alps and also Europe at 4807m (15,771ft) close by.

But immediately to the East, Annecy is surrounded by the peaks of the range known as "La Tournette" and the entrance to the "Grand Alps" and many famous climbs, and of course scenery that takes your breath away!  and to the West the long wooded ridge of "Le Semmoz and the wonderful valley of the "Bauge" and onto the Rhone river.

Annecy is a town of both natural and man made beauty, rich in history and coupled with modern up to date facilities and shops, cinemas and restaurants, with sports and leisure activities for all. This makes Annecy an unforgettable place to visit and perfect for both cyclists and accompanying non-cyclists.

It has drawn many comparisons of other wonderful towns around the world from our guests such as " the town of Bath in England is to London" and the Italian city of "Florence in Tuscany is to Rome" what Annecy represents to Paris, truly escapism that will remain with you for a lifetime!

You can easily access this unique town of France by the International Airports of either Geneva or Lyon (utilised by many of the U.K budget airlines) and also conveniently serviced by the TGV (Grand Vitesse Train) direct from Paris, a great way to see the varieties of French countryside pass by on the speedy 3.30hr journey.

A brief history of Annecy begins in the 12th century when it was the home of the Counts of Geneva and the capital of Geneva before it became the House of Savoie in 1401.  During the French Revolution, the Savoie region was conquered by France and Annecy became apart of the departement of Mont Blanc.  When Savoy was annexed by France in 1860, Annecy became the capital of the new departement of Haute-Savoie.

Modern day Annecy has many attractions including some magnificent buildings of the 12th century including; "Chateau d"Annecy" which is now a museum to the lake and area, also the "Palace de I'sle" (old prison), which has become a symbol of the town and is an unusual boat shaped building in the centre of the Thiou canal and amongst the most photographed monuments in France.

You will be amazed with the local sites and activities that Annecy has available to you and all easily accessible on foot, take a relaxing guided tour exploring the historic places of interest or relax in the local cafes and restaurants before a chic shopping experience.  No visit to Annecy would be complete without a stroll through the "Old town markets", watching the locals going about their daily life or take yourself into one of the many boulangerie to sample a "croissant" or "pain au chocolate".  Then of course the magnificent Lac Annecy, which you will enjoy each day as we ride out of town but there is something special and different in seeing the town and surrounding Alps from the water on your leisure boat trip or the ambience of a twilight evening dinner cruise.