Thursday, April 11, a beautiful bike ride along Lac d’Annecy (Lake Annecy), to the precious town of Duingt and back. (Duingt is only 7.5 miles from Annecy, but I dawdled, stopped to take photographs, and stopped for lunch – so I had the bike for more than six lovely hours. I’ve included some bike rental details at the bottom of this post.)
Below: a stop in Sévrier (3 miles from Annecy) for lunch at Le Bistrot du Port, right on the water. (Information about the restaurant below the photos.) I arrived early – 15 minutes after I arrived, it was full.
Below: Duingt is the oldest town on the lake – precious with its Chateau de Duingt on the water, and the town’s buildings made of stone and wood. (More info below.)
Below: Back in Annecy, the Centre De Congres de l’Imperial Casino, on the lake.
Below: Café l’Estaminet, a dinner of Tartiflette (a regional specialty of scalloped potatoes, melted cheese, cooked onions and bacon) at a window table overlooking the Thiou River. In warm weather, they offer a few outdoor tables overlooking the river.
Bike Rental
Cyclable is right by the boat dock. (There are two other bike rental places in town, but this was the closest/easiest for me.)
– Comfy, sturdy bikes (with baskets, helmets and locks) for 7€/hour; 11€/2 hours; 15€/2-4 hours, and 20€/day.
– Open 7 days per week.
Dining at Le Bistrot du Port, in the town of Sévrier
In good weather, they have outside tables. When it’s colder, the inside tables and huge windows offer beautiful views. It’s a little expensive (my main course (Sea Bream) was €19 (this was their lunch “formule” price, which would have included dessert, but I was too full to have dessert), and glasses of wine were €6-7), but it makes a wonderful scenic break about half way to or from Duingt. Their sign says that they’re open every day.
The little town of Duingt
Duingt’s private Châteauvieux Castle, on a promontory over the water, dates to the 1700s (and there’s been a castle here since the 11th century). It’s beautiful to see from both land and lake. Many of Duingt’s buildings date from the 1600s and 1700s, and are in the typical Savoyard stone style. (Annecy and the lake are in the region of Savoy.) Duingt is very small, has a fancy restaurant (and hotel) Auberge du Roselet by the lake, and also has a boulangerie where you can gather picnics to enjoy by the the water. (When I was there, the boulangerie was closed at 2:00, so be careful of the timing.) There are also a few other restaurants in the town.
Back in Annecy – Local dishes at Café l’Estaminet- 8 Rue St Claire.
Their fondue is only for two people, so I chose another local dish, Tartiflette.
Related
- April 13, 2019
- June 5, 2019
