Active fun in Annecy

The adventure begins 

We were an excited foursome as we set off early from our hometown to St Pancras International for our much anticipated trip to Annecy. Having browsed a few shops in the beautiful St Pancras terminal, it took just 15 minutes to go from the Eurostar entrance through security, two sets of passport control, to the departure lounge while we waited to board our train. The journey on the Eurostar was comfortable, relaxing and was over too soon. Between activity planning, a game of backpacker and some croissants to get us in the French mindset, we were almost sad to arrive in Gare du Nord. However, we had another relaxing journey to look forward to on the train from Paris to Lyon, after an easy transfer across the city to Gare de Lyon. The InOui trains were one of the highlights of our 14-year-old son’s trip: big comfortable seats, lovely views from the upper deck, and great wifi, enabling him to get his daily fix of Clash of Clans.

Elaine Hollins

Lyon 

Our two days in Lyon were wonderfully varied, as we combined old city wandering and historic sites with more teen-initiated activities. The Roman amphitheatre was a highlight for the adults, offering spectacular views over the city, interesting facts, and well-preserved Roman remains. The Basilica of Notre Dame was equally impressive.

Elaine Hollins

The afternoon brought a pleasant amble through the botanic gardens to play some mini-golf in green peaceful surroundings. However, the game itself was less than peaceful with some epic ‘skills’ on display from all four of us. On the walk back, we happened upon some surprise giraffes as the route diverted through Lyon Zoo. I was pleased to see these beautiful animals had a big enclosure to roam around.

Elaine Hollins

The final morning in Lyon involved a stroll along the Rhône, admiring the beautiful buildings bordering it on both sides and checking out the very reasonably priced lido. We wouldn’t have time to visit on this trip, but it provides a great incentive to entice the boys back to this pretty easily-reachable city.

Annecy bound 

Elaine Hollins

That afternoon, we set off to Annecy for the main portion of our trip. The train journey took us past some magnificent lake views and we rolled into the town two hours later. Having checked into our hotel, we set off to explore, discovering the beautiful labyrinth of an old town and the crystal-clear waters of the lake, surrounded on all sides by mountains. We found a good spot for a paddle in the pleasantly warm water, we called into the helpful tourist office to do some planning for the days ahead, and we lost ourselves more than once in the historic streets. That evening, as we enjoyed the first of many delicious meals in the town, we were excited about the week to come.

Elaine Hollins

Around the lake 

The following days were full of adventure. We did a couple of wooded hikes, one on either side of Lake Annecy, where we were thankful for the shade provided by the trees, and the handily placed logs for picnic lunches. The tree climbing opportunities were pretty good too.

Elaine Hollins

One of the trip highlights was hiring some bikes to cycle the 40km round the lake, the majority of which was off-road. We did have one steep climb but the magnificent views of the lake on the descent made it completely worthwhile. About two-thirds way round the lake, the sky started to look more and more ominous before emitting a loud clap of thunder. The rain soon came, and with a vengeance. We stopped at a food truck with covered seating and sheltered there with other cyclists, watching the rain pour down. Not only did the vendors welcome us, they came out with free sandwiches! A perfect and heartwarming example of the kindness of strangers, and a highlight of our trip. Our 17-year-old pronounced it the best sandwich he’s ever eaten (and he’s eaten a lot of sandwiches)!

Elaine Hollins

On the lake 

Of course we couldn’t come to Annecy without enjoying the lake in itself. Our 14-year-old was very much looking forward to paddle boarding and it didn’t disappoint. It was my first experience of the activity and I was pleased to find I could actually stand up on the board. What a spot to learn! I did have one spectacular tumble, much to the delight and merriment of the boys, but the water was pleasant and I managed to regain my composure and continue my paddle. The boys themselves spent the entire time pushing each other into the water (but as long as they didn’t push me in, I didn’t mind)!

Elaine Hollins

We also spent time just relaxing on one of the many beaches dotted around the lake. We used local transport to find some quieter spots, and found the €7 it cost for four of us to get into one of the beaches well worth the investment due to the relative peace and tranquility it gave us. The adults did a little swimming, then reading, and repeat. Once more, the teens preferred to wrestle with each other in the water.

Elaine Hollins

A culinary adventure 

Our evening meals were varied - traditional French, Italian, Japanese and, our favourite, a vegetarian Middle Eastern restaurant in Annecy, which we visited twice. At lunchtime, we enjoyed some delicious baguettes from a selection of boulangeries and sandwich shops dotted around Annecy. These made the perfect picnic item to nourish and energise us during our active days.

Elaine Hollins

However, I think it was the plentiful and varied range of ice creams and sorbets that really got the boys’ attention. From day one we embarked on a mission to try a new flavour every day. This proved insufficient to sample enough flavours so the boys heroically volunteered to have two ice creams a day instead of one. Such altruism!

Elaine Hollins

Homeward bound 

After six wonderful days, it was time to leave Annecy and start our journey home. However, the trains were a highlight in themselves so we were only a little sad to leave.

Elaine Hollins

The InOui to Paris was once more timely, comfortable and equipped with teen-friendly wifi. Although it would have been possible to make it home in a day, we opted for a night in Paris as it’s never a chore to spend time in the French capital. We stayed in the Montmartre area and enjoyed roaming its streets, sampling some delicious patisserie, and sneaky peeks of the Sacre Coeur from many a corner.

Elaine Hollins

The next day we headed to the Gare to du Nord for our Eurostar journey home, which was smooth and relaxing. To accompany our board games, we treated ourselves to some drinks on the train in celebration of another wonderful family interrailing adventure. We’re looking forward to next year’s trip already.

For those considering train adventures with teens, Byway had some questions for our boys and their unedited answers are below. Read on for teen inspiration.

1. What was your favourite memory from the train/one of the destinations visited? 

• Paddle boarding on Lake Annecy.

• Cycling round the lake, getting caught in a thunderstorm, and getting free sandwiches from the pop-up cafe we sheltered at

(Personally, I could have lost the thunderstorm!) 

• The downhill cycle from Talloires back to the lake 

• Jumping off platforms on the lake

(I was quite happy to sit and read on the sidelines!) 

• Comfy seats and great WiFi on InOui trains 

2. ⁠What was the most beautiful or unexpected view you saw out of the train window? 

• Passing many beautiful lakes on the way from Lyon to Annecy 

(I very much agree with this) 

3. ⁠What was a funny, memorable or most surprising thing that happened? 

• Funny - Table football with mum and dad, some of our shots at mini-golf in Lyon, and mum’s fall off her paddleboard  

(Glad I provided such entertainment!) 

• Memorable - The amazing footballing street performer in Annecy, the cycle round the lake and the thunderstorm, the best veggie burger ever tasted (restaurant in Annecy) 

• Surprising - Annecy is much bigger than expected and there were sooooo many ice cream flavours to choose from 

4. ⁠What is the first thing you want to tell friends about? 

• Great activities on and around the lake and the footballing street performer 

5. ⁠Where would you like to go back to? 

• Annecy - DEFINITELY 

 (I concur!)

6. ⁠Did you learn anything interesting? 

• The best restaurants are often not in the main area 

(I’ve been telling them this for years!) 

7. ⁠Which part was the most difficult? 

• Hiking up the hills that surround the lake in 30C heat coz it was mum's birthday 

• Choosing which ice cream flavour to have and where to eat in the evening as there was so much choice

(Lychee and rhubarb sorbet was my personal favourite) 

8. ⁠Were the train journeys like you expected them to be? 

• Yes because we’ve done Interrailing before and the trains were as nice as always 

9. ⁠Do you have any tips for teenagers travelling with their parents?  

• Research fun physical activities at the destination so you don’t have to go to museums 

• Bring plenty of travel games for the trains and restaurants or bars 

• Introduce your parents to games based on reaction speeds - you’ll wipe the floor with them!

10. ⁠Describe your Byway trip experience in 3 words 

• Connor - Chilled, tasty, enjoyable 

• Thomas - Fun, easy, adventurous