v2.webp){kind=logo}
- Aiguille du Midi / Mont Blanc massif — The raw high-Alpine experience: a jaw-drop cable car ride to 3,842 m, glaciers close enough to touch, and trails or via ferrata that let you feel the scale of the highest peaks in Western Europe. It’s the mountain world the French Alps are famous for, but up close and unfiltered.
- Lac d’Annecy and the old town — One of the clearest lakes in Europe backed by sharp alpine ridges; cycle the lakeside path, swim in turquoise water, then wander cobbled streets and markets in the evening. The combination of lake culture and mountain backdrop is pure Alpine and hard to copy elsewhere.
- Vanoise National Park & Beaufortain pastures — High pastures, chamois and marmots, classic French alpine huts, plus real visits to Beaufort dairies where local farmers still
- Aiguille du Midi / Mont Blanc massif — The raw high-Alpine experience: a jaw-drop cable car ride to 3,842 m, glaciers close enough to touch, and trails or via ferrata that let you feel the scale of the highest peaks in Western Europe. It’s the mountain world the French Alps are famous for, but up close and unfiltered.
- Lac d’Annecy and the old town — One of the clearest lakes in Europe backed by sharp alpine ridges; cycle the lakeside path, swim in turquoise water, then wander cobbled streets and markets in the evening. The combination of lake culture and mountain backdrop is pure Alpine and hard to copy elsewhere.
- Vanoise National Park & Beaufortain pastures — High pastures, chamois and marmots, classic French alpine huts, plus real visits to Beaufort dairies where local farmers still make cheese the old way. Nature and pastoral culture together — the Alps’ working landscape.
- Écrins National Park (La Meije / Vallouise) — Rugged granite peaks and long wild valleys that stay far quieter than Chamonix. If you want dramatic, technical scenery and high-mountain hikes without the crowds, Écrins delivers authenticity and solitude.
- Abbaye d’Hautecombe (Lac du Bourget) — A lakeside Gothic abbey, burial place of Savoy’s dukes and kings, set on a quiet arm of France’s largest natural lake. History, architecture and a peaceful waterfront that tells the story of Savoyard identity.
- Grenoble’s Bastille and city-mountain culture — Take the short cable car to the Bastille fort for a panoramic fix over the city and surrounding peaks, then stick around Grenoble for lively street markets, alpine sports shops, and a real mountain-town vibe in an urban setting.
- Gorges du Fier (hidden gem) — A narrow, dramatic limestone gorge you cross on a suspended iron walkway just minutes from Annecy. Short, cheap, and spectacular; locals love it for a quick nature hit that most visitors miss while chasing bigger sights.
- Cirque de Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval — A huge natural amphitheatre of cliffs and dozens of waterfalls — easy trails for families, tougher routes for serious hikers — with a wild, theatrical feel that’s quintessentially alpine and very photogenic in spring melt.
- Plateau des Glières (hidden gem) — A windswept high plateau with quiet trails and strong WWII Resistance history: memorials, stories from local guides, and sweeping winter landscapes. It’s a place where landscape and history meet in a way you won’t find on every tourist map.
- Queyras Regional Park & the village of Saint-Véran (hidden gem) — One of Europe’s highest inhabited villages, with preserved stone architecture, narrow lanes and traditional mountain farming. The light, the remote trails, and brilliant night skies make it feel like a different world from the lower valleys.
Spotted a mistake or missing something? Contact us.
Annecy Food Tour – A Full French Meal Experience by Do Eat Better
Annecy Segway Tour - 2h
Annecy Segway Tour - 1h
Annecy Segway Tour - 1h30
Private Market Tour and Cooking Class in Annecy with a Local
Annecy Two Hour Insider Walking Tour With Local Guide
Explore Annecy in 60 minutes with a Local
Electric mountain biking in Annecy
All Inclusive Food Tour of Annecy Old Town with Local Guide
Best Backpacking
.jpg)
Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.