Annecy and the Alps

Four of the French Alps’ most celebrated named passes come in a single stretch, based three nights beside a lake nicknamed the Venice of the Alps – eight nights through Annecy and the high mountains.

From£2,195pp

Duration8 days

StyleGuided

Best suited toExperienced riders

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An independent Stradora pick. Details from the operator's published information, last checked 28 Oct 2026. Stradora DiscoveryChosen independently by our editors because we think it's worth the drive. We're not partnered with this operator: dates, prices and booking are handled by them, and we last checked their published details on 28 Oct 2026.

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8 nights through France

Eight nights built around Lake Annecy with four named Alpine passes, at an easier pace than the operator’s hard Alps tour. Own bike through the tunnel or a hired BMW.

A medieval fortress hotel in the Ardennes opens it, then the route runs through Champagne and the Jura to Besancon, which is UNESCO listed for Vauban’s seventeenth-century citadel and is reckoned the greenest city in France.

Lake Annecy gets three nights. The town is called the Venice of the Alps for the canals through its old quarter, the lake is among the cleanest in Europe, and there is a castle in the middle of it all. One day is free for the lake and the old town, and another is a ride out into the French Alps.

The Italian Alps follow, with the Petit St Bernard, the Croix de Fer, the Madeleine and the Iseran, the last of which is the highest paved pass in the Alps at around 2,770 metres and open only from early summer. An optional rest day at Courmayeur sits beneath Mont Blanc on the Italian side. Beaune and Burgundy wine country close the tour before the run home. Hotels, breakfasts, three dinners, the crossing, maps and GPS routes are included, with fuel and other meals separate. The price is quoted per person. Three nights in one place is what makes this the Alpine tour for riders who would rather enjoy the passes than collect them, and Annecy is a far pleasanter base than the ski resorts most Alpine itineraries use.

Style

Guided

Duration

A week or so (7-10 nights)

Region

Europe

Vehicle provision

Bring your own vehicle

Starts/ends

Folkestone, United Kingdom

Support

Guide, Roadbook / navigation