Boat hire on Lake Annecy: with or without a licence, jetty by jetty, with the prices
Without a licence, an electric boat on Lake Annecy costs €65 to €80 an hour, depending on the jetty and the number of passengers. The price lists of six hire firms, opening hours that change from one shore to the other, and the charges the price pages leave out.
On Lake Annecy, "taking a boat" covers three different purchases: hiring a licence-free electric boat, hiring a motorboat with a licence, or joining a scheduled cruise. Depending on the option, the price can be up to five times higher.
This page compares the price lists published by the hire firms in 2026, jetty by jetty. For guided cruises and restaurant boats, our Lake Annecy cruise page covers the companies and the durations.
How much does a licence-free boat cost on Lake Annecy?
At most hire firms, the rate is €65 to €80 an hour, and half an hour costs €40 to €55. For four hours, allow €250 to €300.
The price depends first on the boat's capacity, not just on the jetty. In Saint-Jorioz, the hourly rate is €75 for 1 to 3 people, €80 for 4 to 6 people.
| Jetty | Offer | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Annecy, Pâquier (Green Boat) | Electric, 2 to 3 people | €45 for 30 minutes to €280 for 4 hours |
| Saint-Jorioz | Licence-free, 1 to 6 people, per hour | €75 for 1 to 3 people, €80 for 4 to 6 people |
| Doussard, Bout-du-Lac beach | Licence-free, 6 seats | From €65 an hour |
| Doussard, Déronzier jetty | Licence-free | From €70 an hour |
| Veyrier-du-Lac, La Brune beach | Licence-free, up to 8 people | €130 for 90 minutes, €180 for 2 hours, €240 for 3 hours |
"From" prices refer to the smallest boat. For a group of six, the real price is at the top of the range.
And with a licence, what budget should you plan for?
A motorboat is on another scale. In Doussard, a seven-seater requiring a licence costs €95 an hour; at V-Boat, boats of 150 to 200 hp cost €130 to €150 an hour.
At Champs-de-Mars, the 150 hp Quicksilver 605 is listed at €105 for 30 minutes to €340 for 4 hours. Without a coastal licence (permis côtier), these models can only be hired with a skipper, when the hire firm offers one.
Peer-to-peer platforms blur the comparison: Click&Boat advertises €63 to €684 a day, €373 on average. That average mixes pedalos and waterski boats, so it says nothing about the price of a standard boat.
The jetties open at 9am in summer, and the first slots go first: staying within walking distance of the Pâquier or a west-shore beach saves losing the morning in the car. The search for summer accommodation in Annecy lets you sort by distance to the lake.
See places to stay near the lake →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.What time do the jetties open?
There is no common timetable across the lake's hire firms. Green Boat is open 9am to 7pm in July and August, 10am to 6pm from April to September; V-Boat, on avenue du Petit-Port in Annecy-le-Vieux, 9am to 7pm from April to September.
At the Bout du Lac, opening hours are much shorter outside summer: 2pm to 6pm from 14 May to 30 June and in September, 10am to 7pm in July and August. A June visitor who turns up in Doussard in the morning will find the jetty closed.
Several hire firms, including Nautilac at the Pâquier, also say they close on rainy and very windy days.
What should you ask before paying?
- The real capacity: one hire firm rents a boat approved for six to five adults at most, or six with young children.
- Extra charges: deposit, fuel for motorboats, cleaning and overtime are not set out consistently on the price pages.
- The weather rule: no page consulted publishes a clear postponement or refund policy when the jetty closes.
- Documents: Green Boat requires an adult with a piece of ID, and asks you to arrive ten minutes before departure.
The same hire firm's website says some boats cannot be booked while advising you to book others. Ask by phone about the specific model you want.
When can you find a boat without booking?
Photo: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
No hire firm or organisation publishes occupancy rates, by the hour or by the day. What follows is inferred from opening hours, not from a count.
Jetty opening time remains the safest moment to choose your model. Early afternoon at weekends in July and August is the most exposed; late afternoon sometimes frees up boats, but the hire time available shrinks before they have to be returned.
For an idea of how busy the water gets, the SILA observatory publishes its boat counts, quoted on our cruise page.
And how much does a cruise cost?
The Compagnie des Bateaux du Lac d'Annecy, departing from 2 place aux Bois, charges €19 per adult, €12.50 per child for one hour and €22 per adult, €15 per child for an hour and a half. Children aged 0 to 3 pay €2, and pets €5.
These prices appear on the tourist office listing updated on 25 September 2026, with no explicit year of validity. Departure times are not given there: check them at the self-service ticket machines at the landing stages.
For four adults, an hour's cruise costs roughly the same as an hour in a licence-free boat. The cruise comes with commentary; a hired boat goes where you like, including towards the Bout du Lac nature reserve, which you can skirt but not land on.
Paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing or paragliding above the lake: activities you can book online, with duration and price shown, are gathered on the Annecy activities page.
See activities on Lake Annecy →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.Where can you swim after your boat trip?
The jetties at Doussard, Saint-Jorioz and Veyrier-du-Lac are right next to public beaches. Our guide to Lake Annecy's beaches shows which ones are free, and the water temperature page tells you when swimming becomes pleasant.
For a trip to the Bout du Lac, the south shore is more practical than the centre: Doussard and Talloires are a few minutes from the cheapest jetties on the lake. The search for accommodation around Annecy also covers these villages.
Compare places to stay around the lake →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.Sources
Green Boat Annecy (updated 13 September 2026), V-Boat (2026 prices), Nautilac (2025), Ponton de l'Embarcadère (24 September 2026), Déronzier jetty (26 September 2026), Annecy Location Bateaux (25 September 2026), locationbateauxannecy.com (2026), Sources du Lac d'Annecy tourist office (2025), lac-annecy.com (Compagnie des Bateaux and La Brune beach listings, 2026).
Platforms: Click&Boat (19 August 2026), SamBoat (2024, updated 2026), Funbooker (2026). Research compiled on 28 September 2026. No statistics on hire volumes, and no consistent refund policy for bad weather, were found.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a licence to hire a boat on Lake Annecy?
How much does an hour in a licence-free boat cost on Lake Annecy?
Can you hire a boat without booking?
Do the hire firms open when it rains?
How much does a cruise on Lake Annecy cost?
Camille Perrissin
Camille grew up in Sévrier, on the west shore, and swims in the lake from April to November. She has been taking the water temperature herself since 2019 and knows where the bottom suddenly drops away. She writes about the lake without ever turning it into a postcard.
