Lyon & the French Alps - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 507

( 04 50 09 97 49; www.marcveyrat.fr ; 13 vieille rte des Pensières, Veyrier-du-Lac; d
€200-300, menu €92; Thu-Sun late May-Sep) French celebrity chef Marc Veyrat
has handed over his stove, culinary flamboyance and signature use of wild herbs to
his capable successor Yoann Conte at this Michelin-starred restaurant. In Veyrier-
du-Lac, 5km southeast of Annecy, the baby-blue house by the lake also has a
handful of wonderful rooms.
Information
Tourist office ( 04 50 45 00 33; www.lac-annecy.com ; 1 rue Jean Jaurès, Centre Bonlieu;
9am-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 10am-1pm Sun)
Detour:
King of 12 Castles
If you love nothing better than a castle, you'll love following in the footsteps of gallant
dukes and feudal lords on the Route des Ducs de Savoie (Road of the Dukes of Savoy;
www.chateaux-france.com/route-savoie ) . The route weaves through pristine alpine land-
scapes from Thonon-les-Bains to Avressieux, 30km west of Chambéry, and ticks off 12
castles, abbeys and historic sites, including Château de Ripaille, Château d'Annecy and
Château des Ducs de Savoie.
For acting out fairy-tale fantasies, there's little that beats the silver-turreted, high-on-a-
hillside Château de Menthon-St-Bernard ( www.chateau-de-menthon.com ; Menthon-St-
Bernard; guided tour adult/child €7.50/4.50; 2-6pm Fri-Sun May-Sep) , the birthplace of
St Bernard (1008). Tours of the medieval interior, taking in tapestry-adorned salons and a
magnificent library, are intriguing, but it's the sparkling Lake Annecy panorama that leaves
visitors spellbound.
Getting There & Away
From Annecy's train station (place de la Gare) , there are frequent trains to/from
Aix-les-Bains (€7, 30 minutes), Chambéry (€9, 45 minutes), St-Gervais (€13.50, 1½
hours), Lyon (€23, 2¼ hours) and Paris Gare de Lyon (€75, four hours).