Annecy in 4 days: the complete itinerary, from the lake to the peaks

From four days on, Annecy stops being a visit and becomes a stay. You no longer tick a list; you take the lake whole — by bike, in a day — and the mountains for real, not just from a viewpoint. Here is the order we recommend, and above all how to reshuffle it with the sky.

Day 1 — The town, early

The first day is the hour-by-hour day: the Pont des Amours and the Pâquier before nine, the old town and its industrial canals, the market on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, the castle at eleven. In the afternoon, a first contact with the lake — a beach within walking distance — and in the evening a table in the streets climbing uphill, not on the quays.

It is also the day to keep in reserve: if the sky turns on another day, this is the one you move — it works under the arcades.

Day 2 — The lake loop by bike

A full day, and one of the finest of the stay. Cycling around the lake is explained by people who do it: the real distance, the direction of travel that changes everything, the Roc de Chère climb, and where to swim on the way. Leave early, pack the picnic from the previous day’s market, and stop more often than planned — the east shore late morning, the west shore and its light late afternoon.

With children or less certain legs, replace the full loop with an out-and-back on the greenway to one of the five swim spots.

Day 3 — The east shore, on foot

The day of rested legs — but not idle ones. Bus or car to Menthon or Talloires, then:

• The Roc de Chère in the morning — nature reserve, easy loop, viewpoints over the turquoise water.
• Talloires at midday, the bay and the jetties.
• The Angon waterfall in the afternoon, the handrail path that passes behind the fall.
• Menthon castle late in the day, open to visitors in summer.

This day works in almost any weather: it is the one to place on the day with the least reliable forecast.

Day 4 — A real mountain day

The clearest sky of the stay is for this day.

• Walkers: La Tournette, 2,351 m, the highest summit overlooking the lake. Classic route from the Col de l’Aulp, cabled finish to the Fauteuil, early start compulsory. Our guide says who it suits — and who it doesn’t.
• Families and contemplatives: the Semnoz, by bus in summer, with the whole lake from the summit and a plateau to walk without climbing.
• Want to fly: the Col de la Forclaz, 1,150 m above the lake, tandem flight or simply the spectacle of the take-offs.

Grey day on day 4? The Gorges du Fier — the 250 m walkway bolted to the cliff — then the rainy-day plan for the afternoon.

How to reorder with the weather

Day	Weather needed	Swap with
Town (D1)	None	— this is the reserve day
Lake loop (D2)	Reliable sky, little wind	East shore (D3)
East shore (D3)	Almost any	Town (D1) if heavy showers
Mountain (D4)	Clear sky, dry morning	Gorges du Fier + rain plan

What we wouldn’t do

• The car in town: it only serves the day-4 passes.
• Two mountain days in a row: the legs, and the lake waiting.
• Booking all four evenings on the quays: fifty metres uphill, you eat better.

Four days are also four precise dates — with their events, their season, their forecast. Our Annecy-specialised AI concierge writes the four days hour by hour from your answers, with the verified events on your dates, the routes between stops and a rain plan B for each. Day 1 is free →