Lake Annecy Greenway

The Voie verte du Lac d'Annecy is the emblematic cycling and pedestrian route of Haute-Savoie: 33 km of dedicated path along the former Annecy-Albertville railway line, closed in 1966 and progressively converted from 1996 onward by the SILA (Syndicat Mixte du Lac d'Annecy). The route runs exclusively along the west shore of the lake, from Pâquier d'Annecy (45,8992° N, 6,1294° E) to Val de Chaise at Marlens, extended by the V62 cycle route to Albertville on the Savoie side.

Features: smooth 3.50 m wide surfacing, flat (cumulative elevation gain ~20 m), waymarked and maintained year-round. Accessible to everyone: cyclists, pedestrians, skaters, strollers, wheelchairs, children's bikes. The route passes through 10 lakeside communes: Annecy, Sevrier, Saint-Jorioz, Duingt, Doussard, Lathuile, Giez, Faverges, Saint-Ferréol, Val de Chaise. According to SILA, the route sees more than 1,500,000 passages a year on its busiest sections - making it the most heavily used voie verte in the French Alps, with peaks of 10,000 passages/day in summer.

Tour du Lac d'Annecy by bike: a full loop of 38 to 42 km, combining the voie verte on the west shore with the D909a shared road on the east shore. Free, open access year-round, 24/7. Free car parks at the main access points: Pâquier d'Annecy, Sevrier, Saint-Jorioz, Doussard, Faverges. 2025-2026 works: 8 widening phases over 15.3 km on the west side, traffic maintained but with occasional diversions.

SILA manages and maintains the 30 km between Sevrier (Beaurivage) and Val de Chaise. The route has three underpasses avoiding crossings with motor vehicles, plus protective barriers at certain intersections. The extension from Bredannaz to Val de Chaise cost close to €9.3 million (SILA, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the Haute-Savoie Department, and the European Union). Major rest area: the former Bredannaz railway station (Doussard), equipped with toilets, a drinking water fountain and a picnic area with tables and benches, where the association Les Amis de Bredannaz displays vintage railway equipment including a locomotive from 1911.

The official tour-of-the-lake loop is given as 40 km by SILA. The east shore, developed in stages between 2010 and 2022, comprises 13.5 km of voie verte, 3.5 km of cycle lane and 3 km of shared roads: there is no dedicated cycling facility through Veyrier-du-Lac and Menthon-Saint-Bernard, and only a single lane is provided through Talloires (in the Angon → Talloires direction). Hillier overall, the east shore is not recommended for families with young children, who should choose the west shore instead.