Planning on heading over to France to watch a few stages of the Tour, plus get some good riding in. Have been looking at Lac Annecy as we’d like to get to both a time trail and a mountain stage. However, it would appear that Annecy is both very busy and very expensive!

So any suggestions / recommendations for somewhere which is:

– within about 30/40 miles cycling distance of Annecy and / Le Grand Bornand (still happy to be by Lac Annecy if anyone can recommend somewhere suitable)
– self-catering (for 2 people) – apartment / chalet / gite / cabin on a campsite
– not absolutely heaving or massively expensive
– has a good range of cycling routes (without having to drive)

Would prefer village / countryside to town centre. Also open to any other possible Tour watching locations eg Gap / Embrum, but don’t want to be based by Bourg D Oisans.

Cheers folks!

theres a campsite right near the center of grand bornand, i stayed there for over a week, they have apts of various sizes as well as pitches for camping. its a great site and the couple that own it are really nice. they have a few garages/sheds where you can lock up your bikes if you need too.

http://www.campinglescale.com/en/services/

Not sure if they have cabins etc but we parked our motorhome at Camping Bleu Nicolas, right at the bottom tip if the lake. Got a pitch waterside and it is beautiful. Give them a call they might recommend somewhere if tehy dont have some.

if you look on google maps, alongside route d’annecy there is a old tarmac-ed railway line I think I goes all the way to Annecy

We also stayed at Grand Bornand site, brilliant location ,there’s a really good open air municipal pool.

We stayed here last year at the start of our Alps trip. We had a duplex.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/residel.en-gb.html?aid=356983;label=gog235jc-city-en-fr-annecy-unspec-gb-com;sid=7f4c1140936466d4dc922ac539660598;dcid=1

Rooms were good and clean, there is bike storage in their garage. Supermarket is 2 mins walk. Its on the main road that runs around the lake and 5mins walk to the lake.

Would stay there again

Thanks for the suggestions – will definitely check them out.

Any other recommendations?