Lake Annecy and Maurienne Passes

This tour combines the turquoise Lac d'Annecy, overlooked by wooded and often-snow-capped mountains; the almost impossibly charming Vieille Ville (old town), with its ensemble of pastel-painted, geranium-bedecked houses and the turreted château which looks like a castle straight out of the Middle Ages with the stunning passes, peaks, valleys and villages of the Maurienne Valley.

Lake Annecy – Not only is it one of the prettiest lakes around, but Lake Annecy is also “Europe's cleanest lake” due to the very early introduction of environmental regulations in the 1960s. Famously painted in oil on canvas by Cézanne in 1896, the lake lies at the foothills of the French Alps and has a rich local history from both before and after the unification of the local region of Savoy with France just 150 years ago. As well as the super lakes and mountains scenery, the area is well known for its local cuisine including its cheeses, its fish such as Omble Chevalier and Féra, and its chocolate, especially the mountain liqueur-based Roseau

Maurienne Valley – is located in the department of Savoie of the french region Rhône-Alpes and at the heart of the spectacular Passes of the Maurienne, comprising of; Col du Télégraphe (1566m), Col du Grand Cucheron (1188m), Col du Galibier (2646m), Col de la Madeleine (2000m), Col du Mont-Cenis (2084m), Col du Glandon (1908m), Col de l’Iseran (2764m), Col de la Croix de Fer (2067m), Col du Mollard (1650m), Col de Chaussy (1533m)