Best Hikes near Annecy & Haute Savoie region

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Annecy and the Haute-Savoie region have some of the best hikes! It is a dream destination for hikers offering amazing mountain scenery. This area of the French Alps has something for everyone.

Why hike in near Annecy and in the Haute Savoie region?

One of the main reasons Annecy and the Haute-Savoie region is such an incredible hiking destination is how easy it is to get to. You can fly into Geneva Airport, pick up a rental car, and be in the mountains in under an hour.

This makes it ideal for:

• A long weekend adventure
• A summer hiking holiday
• Or even a spontaneous escape from everyday life

Within a short drive you’ll find the best hikes near Annecy! You will find beautiful lakes, beautiful mountains, charming villages and some of the most scenic trails in the French Alps. I knew the hiking around Annecy would be good, but I didn’t expect to be so impressed by the scenery. Every hike had incredible views!

One of the best things about hiking in France is the refuges you often find at the top of the mountains. This was my favourite part, as it meant you could relax at the summit and enjoy a refreshing drink after the climb.

How to get to Annecy?

Getting to Annecy is surprisingly simple, which makes it perfect for both long weekends and longer adventure trips.

From most places in Europe, it’s easy to find cheap flights to Geneva using Skyscanner, especially if you’re flexible with your travel days and times.

To experience Annecy and the mountains you will need to rent a car. You can pick a car up directly from the airport and be in Annecy and the mountain hikes in less than an hour. Most hikes are easily reachable by car.

You could get the train to Annecy and you can access hikes such as Mont Veyrier, Mont Baron, Col des sauts and Col de la Forclaz. You can book trains here.

Best time to go visit the trails

The best time to go hiking in Annecy and the Haute-Savoie region is late May to late September.

• May, June & September – perfect balance of warm weather and quieter trails
• July & August – long sunny days and open mountain huts

We visited in August, and it was beautiful — but also extremely hot, with temperatures reaching 38°C.

Because of this, we planned most of our hikes for early morning or in the late afternoon/sunset time, which made the experience much more comfortable and gave us cooler-ish temperatures and quieter trails.

Tip: If you’re visiting in peak summer, start hiking at sunrise and aim to be off exposed trails by early afternoon. Read my guide on planning the perfect sunrise hike.

Where to stay in the area

Where you base yourself can shape your whole holiday, and the Annecy region has loads of great options.

Annecy old town

Best for: first-time visitors, no-car trips, atmosphere

Annecy Old Town is perfect if you want to be right in the middle of everything — cafés, restaurants, the lake, shops and transport links.
You can walk to the lake, catch buses to nearby trailheads, and enjoy the evenings without needing to drive anywhere.

Where to stay: ibis Annecy Centre Vieille Ville

Talloires

Best for: lake views, peaceful stays and for couple stays

Talloires is one of the prettiest villages on Lake Annecy. It’s quieter than Annecy town but still close enough for day trips, and it sits right under the mountains which is perfect for walking around the lake and going on hikes.

Where to stay: Abbaye de Talloires

La Clusaz or Le Grand-Bornand

Best for: full alpine experience, high-mountain hikes

Le Grand-Bornand & La Clusaz are proper mountain villages with endless hiking straight from the door in summer. If you want that wake up in the Alps and head straight onto the trail feeling, this is the place. It’s especially good for multi-day hiking trips. The hotel which I have recommend also has a spa which is perfect after for relaxing after hiking!

Where to stay: Hotel et Spa Le Vermont

The Best Hikes Near Annecy & in Haute-Savoie

With so many incredible trails to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start — these are the hikes that really stood out to us.

Col des Sauts, Mont Veryier & Mont Baron

You can start this hike right from Lake Annecy, which is perfect if you don’t want to rent a car but still want a great day out on the trails. The hike begins at Petit Port, where there’s plenty of parking if you drive. The trail starts just past the restaurants and shops across from the lake, and it’s well marked. If you prefer to follow a route, like me, you can use this All Trails route.

Once you reach Col des Sauts, you’ll be rewarded with stunning views over Lake Annecy. The first part of the hike is through the forest, which is a bonus in the summer as it keeps you shaded from the sun.

From Col des Sauts, you can continue to Mont Veyrier, which is another 20–30 minutes with less climbing since you’re already near the top. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also continue to Mont Baron, about 10–20 minutes further. This section is beautiful — you’ll be walking along the crest of the mountain with constant views of the lake below.

From Mont Baron, the trail loops back through the forest to Creux de Loup, which brings you to Sous Pré‑Vernet, roughly the midpoint of your ascent on Col des Sauts. From there, you head back down to the lake on the same path you started on.

The route is well signposted. In the summer there are usually other hikers around, therefore you should not get lost!

The whole route is around 10–11 km, making it a full and rewarding day hike with plenty of incredible views. You can finish in Annecy Old town with a nice glass of wine or beer!

Our housesitters recommended this hike to us, and it was easy to see why — it’s a must-do if you’re visiting Annecy!

Col de la Forclaz

Col de la Forclaz is one of the most well-known viewpoints overlooking Lake Annecy, and for good reason. This hike is all about the views! Amazing views over the lake, dramatic mountain backdrops and constant paragliders floating through the sky.

You can hike up to Col de la Forclaz via a number of scenic routes, depending on where you start from, making it a great option for different fitness levels, but if you don’t fancy hiking up there, like we did you can actually drive straight to the viewpoint and do a nice easy 30 minute hike up.

At the viewpoint, there is also a great restaurant called Le Balcon du Lac which has amazing views overlooking Lake Annecy. Opening times are on there Instagram or website.

You can see the All Trails route here, if you fancy the hike up.

Tip: This place is a great place for sunset overlooking the mountains and Lake Annecy.

Le Parmelan

Le Parmelan is one of the most iconic hikes near Annecy, you dont need to travel far from Annecy to get those amazing mountain view points. The drive is around 30 minutes. This was our favourite hike, and I actually found this hike on Tik Tok and was so glad that we did!

We tackled this hike on a clear summer day and were blown away by how quickly the scenery changed, It starts off in shaded forest and slowly turns into this big, open mountain landscape with incredible views the higher you go.

The final section opens up into huge panoramic views across the surrounding mountains and countryside. On a clear day, you can see Lake Annecy in the distance — and we were lucky enough to spot Mont Blanc as well.

We chose to hike up via Petit Montoir after reading reviews mentioning a particularly steep section on the standard route. This turned out to be a great decision. While the climb was still challenging, the trail felt more manageable and steady, especially in the summer heat!! The path was well-marked, but definitely one where pacing yourself and carrying plenty of water makes a huge difference.

Le Parmelan is one of those hikes that feels properly rewarding tough enough to feel like an achievement, but accessible enough that you don’t need technical equipment. This hike was the highlight for me, so not one to miss!

Lac Lessy

Lac Lessy is a beautiful hike which is close to La Clusaz which is around 30-40 minutes away from Annecy, it was a memorable hike for us. The scenery feels postcard-perfect, with open mountain scenic views almost the entire way and the lake appearing right at the end as a real reward for the effort, plus there was a refuge where you could relax and soak up the sun mid way through the hike.

The hike is around 10km, but there are several route options depending on where you start. We followed an AllTrails route starting at Restaurant Le Repaire in Le Grand-Bornand, which included a lot of up-and-down elevation and felt particularly tough in the heat. The trail was well marked, but definitely one where pacing yourself and carrying plenty of water is essential — especially in summer.

You can find the exact AllTrails route we used here, which we found helpful for navigation and planning.

Lac Blanc Hike

Lac Blanc is one of the most famous hikes in the Chamonix region and sits around 1 hour 30 minutes from Annecy by car, making it an easy and worthwhile day trip if you are renting a car. We added this hike into our itinerary after it being recommended to us. The trail offers amazing views overlooking Mont Blanc for almost the entire way. What makes this hike even better is how flexible it is — there are several route options depending on your ability, and you can take the Flégère cable car to shorten the hike if you prefer a more relaxed climb.

Usually we would be up for a longer hike, but we left this hike until our last day and we were so tired from all the other hiking. The route was overcrowded as went in August in peak summer and school holiday season, if you are doing this hike get to the cable car for opening so you can avoid the crowds.

It is a stunning hike with views of Mont Blanc all along the route. There is many routes which you can take depending on your ability as you can get the cable car up via Flegere and make the hike shorter.

If you’re planning to do this hike, here is a full guide covering routes, difficulty, timing and what to expect along the way.
Read everything you need to know about hiking to Lac Blanc here.

La Tournette

La Tournette is the highest peak overlooking Lake Annecy and one of the most challenging hikes in the area. The most common route starts from the Prés Ronds / Col de l’Aulp area and is roughly 10–12 km round-trip, taking around 6–8 hours depending on your pace and how often you stop. La Tournette is considered a hard hike and is best suited to confident hikers with a good level of fitness. Here is the route on All Trails.

This hike was high on our list, but unfortunately we didn’t manage to fit it in during our trip. The views over Lake Annecy and the surrounding Alps are meant to be absolutely stunning, and it’s one we’d definitely prioritise next time — so I wanted to include it here in case you don’t want to miss out like we did.

What to Pack for Summer Hiking

Packing properly can make or break a hiking trip, especially when you’re dealing with long days, strong sun and changing mountain weather.

Packing List

• Plenty of water – hydration bag
• Sun protection – hat, sunglasses and SPF
• Light layers as it might be cold at the top.
• Power bank – battery pack
• Good hiking shoes with good grip
• Snacks
• Offline maps – All Trails is great for this.