In
June 2011 we set off on a road trip to participate, along with a team of colleagues in the charity event know in the Netherlands as Alpe d'HuZes, the aim being to climb by bike up to
Alpe d'Huez, the legendary mountain stage of the Tour de France. Our route would take us to
Horgen (near Zurich,
Montreaux,
Annecy,
Chambery and onto
Alpe d'Huez before returing via
Strasbourg.
 |
| Preparing for departure |
Our first destination enroute was the town of
Horgen close to Zurich to visit some family, just a 6 hour drive from our home in Eindhoven. We stayed in the
Hotel Schwan, a cosy hotel in the town centre, close to the lake and the station, check out
www.hotel-schwan.ch/e_news.php
 |
| Terrace area outside the Hotel Schwan, Horgen |
Whilst staying in Horgen we took the opportunity to enjoy some beautiful weather and scenery from the back of our bikes with a spin round Lake Zurich, well half of it, next time all of it.
On our last evening in Horgen we enjoyed a lovely family meal at a great restaurant overlooking Lake Zurich. When you visit Switzerland you are always guaranteed spectacular scenery and it doesn't get much better than the view over Lake Zurich.
 |
| Lake Zurich |
Leaving Horgen our next overnight destination was Annecy however enroute we stopped off in Montreux to visit Chateu Chillon which along with the town of Montreaux is situated on the shore of Lake Geneva. Perhaps most famous for its Jazz Festival, Montreux is worth checking out especially for a visit to the Chateau which is one of Swizterland's most visited monuments. For more information on the Chateau check out www.chillon.ch/en.
 |
| Chateau Chillon |
From Montreux we drove into France to Annecy where we would stay the night before heading onto our destination, Alpe d'Huez the next day. We stayed in the beautiful Imperial Palace Hotel on the shore of Lake Annecy. The staff there were great, only too happy to ensure that our bikes were securely locked away overnight.
 |
| Imperial Palace Hotel, Annecy |
 |
| Lake Annecy |
After a lovely overnight stay in Annecy, we left the next day to drive further into the mountains enroute to
Alpe d'Huez.
Really enjoyed your text about Annecy. I'd love to see that beautiful Lake Annecy, too. have a look at my travel guide for Annecy :
ReplyDeletehttp://www.escargotholiday.com/france/destinations/Annecy.html
Hi Nicola, thanks for your comments, yup Lake Annecy is stunning. Will check out your travel guide.
ReplyDeleteAndy