Hi !
After Provence (Pernes les Fontaines) we will be heaidng to French alps for 4 nights before taking our flight back home from Lyon. What would be the best base ? We have thought about Annecy but it seem it could be hellish in august (we will be ther august 5 to august 9) .
Thanks !
Annecy is an extremely pretty place but was packet to the gills during my June 2017 visit and also extremely hot. Certainly you'd need air-conditioned lodgings.
Stay in Chamonix,very scenic alpine Town and you gan visit the mer Du Glace and Agile du Midi.
Mike
Annecy and Chamonix are great but:
- both are busy in Aug, especially Annecy
- Annecy is a good 2-3 night stay, but 4 nights pushes it a bit and it's not great for day trips (slow roads along the lake, and the highway tends to bypass areas of interest - you could go to Chamonix for the day but it would be a bit rushed).
- Chamonix is far from Provence, and Chamonix to Lyon isn't that close either.
This does not mean that you should go elsewhere, but since you are looking for alternative suggestions, I would look into the Ecrins region. La Grave, a small village at 1,400m elevation, would be a great base for hikes, mountain excursions (there's a cable car whisking you up to a glacier at 3,200m), beautiful viewpoints (Oratoire du Chazelet ; col du Galibier).
Chamonix may be far from Provence in European terms, but in Canadian terms its a snap. We stayed in Chamonix, rented a car and drove to L'Isle sur la Sorgue in Provence in a short enjoyable day.
Chamonix is a great place. The cable car to the Aiguille du Midi runs right from town and is thrilling! If you want, you can continue your day and go all the way to Italy by a series of cable cars.
Golly. ViaMichelin estimates the round-trip from Chamonix to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue at a minimum of 9 hours with no stops.
Thanks for all those answers ! 9hours roundtrip is not a short and enjoyable drive even from a canadian perspective !
Annecy have as much people who like it than people who tell me to avoid it. Maybe we will have to redo all that part. Chamonix is pretty expensive and find lodging for 2-3 nights is not easy.
La Grave in les Écrins....we will look into this.
I've been to Annecy and Chamonix. Annecy is pretty but it wouldn't be an Alps base for me. Chamonix was very nice. I was there after mid-September so I can't speak to August crowds. I imagine both will be fairly crowded.
I've made several trips to Annecy, including a week stay in an apartment. While I really liked it, I'm sure that it would be crazy busy in August. We were always there in early Spring, and even then it could get very crowded.
acraven: 4 1/2 hours according to Google Maps. I think we took about 6 but stopped in Annecy.
OP: What is this about a round trip? I thought you were going from Provence to the Alps, so I estimated the (one-way) drive for you. If I misunderstood, sorry.
Pretty much anywhere in the Alps is going to be crowded in August. Most Europeans go on vacation in August and people are out in force, enjoying themselves. Don't let that stop you though! There is plenty of room in the mountains to spread out and get away from everyone. I highly recommend Chamonix...we have been there many times in the summer. Even though there are lots of people in the area the hiking is fabulous and the beauty of the mountains there can't be beat.
