Cycling loop: Tour de la Tournette
One of the area's great classics, with a beautiful descent between Serraval and St-Ferréol, and an easy return leg along the Annecy Cycleway.
Direction: clockwise
Landmarks and connections: Annecy-le-Vieux (common route with Tour du mont Veyrier n°2) ; Thônes (separation with Tour des Glières n°45 then Croix Fry circuit n°46) ; Faverges (junction with the greenway, known as the Promenade cyclable )
Description: Up to the Plaine d'Alex, the route is shared with Tour du Mont Veyrier no. 2. When the two routes separate, take the dedicated cycle path to the left of the RD16 to avoid 4 km of departmental road. A little further on, you'll pass the Musée de la Résistance de Morette and its cemetery (Nécropole Nationale des combats en 1944 du plateau des Glières).
Once you're in Thônes, turn left before the church, then right at the roundabout onto the RD12, which, after an easy climb up the Col du Marais and a beautiful winding descent from Serraval to St-Ferréol, takes you to the plain and the Lake Annecy cycle path.
A word about Thônes, which certainly deserves a break. You'll certainly be surprised by the architectural similarities of its facades and vaulted passageways to Annecy's old town. You should also know that it was in Thônes that Jean-Jacques Rousseau experienced the famous episode of the "cherry idyll" that he recounts in his Confessions: "After dinner [...] we went to finish our dessert with cherries. I'd climb the tree, and throw them bunches, and they'd give me back pits through the branches. On one occasion, Melle Gallay, putting her apron forward and her head back, presented herself so well, and my aim was so accurate, that I knocked a bunch into her bosom, and laughed. I was thinking to myself: aren't my lips cherries! How willingly I'd throw them at them... ".
Landmarks and connections: Annecy-le-Vieux (common route with Tour du mont Veyrier n°2) ; Thônes (separation with Tour des Glières n°45 then Croix Fry circuit n°46) ; Faverges (junction with the greenway, known as the Promenade cyclable )
Description: Up to the Plaine d'Alex, the route is shared with Tour du Mont Veyrier no. 2. When the two routes separate, take the dedicated cycle path to the left of the RD16 to avoid 4 km of departmental road. A little further on, you'll pass the Musée de la Résistance de Morette and its cemetery (Nécropole Nationale des combats en 1944 du plateau des Glières).
Once you're in Thônes, turn left before the church, then right at the roundabout onto the RD12, which, after an easy climb up the Col du Marais and a beautiful winding descent from Serraval to St-Ferréol, takes you to the plain and the Lake Annecy cycle path.
A word about Thônes, which certainly deserves a break. You'll certainly be surprised by the architectural similarities of its facades and vaulted passageways to Annecy's old town. You should also know that it was in Thônes that Jean-Jacques Rousseau experienced the famous episode of the "cherry idyll" that he recounts in his Confessions: "After dinner [...] we went to finish our dessert with cherries. I'd climb the tree, and throw them bunches, and they'd give me back pits through the branches. On one occasion, Melle Gallay, putting her apron forward and her head back, presented herself so well, and my aim was so accurate, that I knocked a bunch into her bosom, and laughed. I was thinking to myself: aren't my lips cherries! How willingly I'd throw them at them... ".
From 15/04 to 31/10.
Description
- SITRA services :
- Route BOUCLE
- Route
- 450 Route
- 62 Distance (km)
- Levels of sporting experience :
- Level red
Localisation
FICHE_INFO_SIMPLE_LIBELLE_DESTINATION
74000
Annecy
GPS coordinates
Latitude : 45.902418
Longitude : 6.12992
Car Park: Préfecture
Tarifs
Free access.
View also
04 50 45 00 33
You can do it! The signposted direction was chosen to make the only climb on the circuit as easy as possible and to allow you to stay close to the lake, especially for the section after Talloires.
04 50 45 00 33
If you hate steep climbs, this is not the ride for you. Great view overlooking the lake.
04 50 45 00 33
An easy tour to see the hidden-side of this little mountain from Annecy.
04 50 45 00 33
Very close to Annecy, it start as for the Tour of the Montagne d'Age. During the descent, the views over the city, the lake and ranges are epic.
04 50 45 00 33
Start by following the Pont de la Caille Circuit, and then continue through Cruseilles.
04 50 96 69 69
A very athletic circuit that culminates with an ascent of the Col de la Colombière. Cycling the route clockwise minimises the time spent on the busy main road through the Arve Valley and allows you to climb the shady side of the Colombier.
04 50 45 00 33
Quieter than the Aravis, with a superb, sinuous descent.
04 50 45 00 33
Also called the "Prince of Wales" in honour of one of the most prestigious visitors to have cycled the route. The view of Mont-Blanc from the Col des Aravis is not to be missed.
04 50 45 00 33
From the Col de Tamié, it is only a short detour to the Abbey, where you can try the monks' famous cheese.