Lake Annecy cruises: operators, departure times and the only published fare
Four companies run the cruises on Lake Annecy, with departure times that vary “depending on demand and weather”. Only one publishes its prices: €19 per adult, €12.50 per child for one hour. The SILA observatory recorded 1,211 boats on the afternoon of Sunday 21 August 2022, the known peak of boat traffic on the lake.
A “Lake Annecy cruise” is not a festival or a yearly event: it is a permanent offer run by several companies, from the Compagnie des Bateaux du lac d'Annecy to Croisières des Alpes, with a busier season from April to October.
Here are the options, the departure times each operator publishes, and what is known about the price: only one operator shows it.
Who runs the cruises on Lake Annecy?
- Compagnie des Bateaux du lac d'Annecy: guided cruises all year round, departing from 2 place aux Bois in Annecy.
- Croisières des Alpes: sailings from 1 April to 31 October, departing from the Jardins de l'Europe, quai Napoléon III.
- Libellule, a restaurant boat: lunch cruise boarding at 11:30am, dinner cruise boarding at 7pm.
- Green Water: one-hour cruises booked online, leaving on the hour or the half hour depending on demand.
None of these operators publishes passenger history or a company record: the listings focus on what is on sale now, not on how long the company has been sailing.
Which cruises are there, and when do they leave?
- Tour du Lac (Croisières des Alpes): 1 hr 30 to 1 hr 45, with departures advertised at noon, 1.15pm, 2.30pm, 3.45pm, 5.15pm and 6.30pm, “depending on demand and weather”.
- Cœur du Lac: 30 minutes on the central part of the lake, throughout the day.
- Lunch cruise: 2 hr 30 to 3 hr on board, meal served, back at around 2pm to 2.30pm.
- Dinner cruise: boarding at 7pm, estimated return between 9.30pm and 10.30pm according to partner websites.
- Navibus: 2 hr 20 on the water for the return trip, as much a practical service as a sightseeing one.
A 2025 guide gives an indicative timetable for July and August: 9am to 7pm, last session at 6pm. Other sources mention hourly departures from 10am to 6pm.
Times therefore vary by operator and by year: check the day's timetable with the company you choose.
How much does a cruise on Lake Annecy cost?
Only one company shows its prices. The tourist office listing for the Compagnie des Bateaux du lac d'Annecy, updated on 25 September 2026, gives €19 per adult, €12.50 per child for one hour and €22 per adult, €15 per child for an hour and a half.
The child rate applies from 4 to 12; under-4s pay €2 and pets €5. Croisières des Alpes, Libellule and Green Water publish no full price list on the pages consulted: ask for their fare at the counter or by phone before making the trip.
Some customer reviews mention extra costs (drinks, options) on top of the base fare, but these accounts remain anecdotal and are not quantified in the sources consulted.
Staying near a landing stage saves a rush for a fixed departure: the Jardins de l'Europe area and the old town are within walking distance of the three main departure points. The search for summer accommodation in Annecy compares distances.
Compare hotels near the landing stages →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.When is the lake at its busiest?
The observatory of the SILA (Syndicat intercommunal du lac d'Annecy, the body that manages the lake) flies over the water several times a year and counts the boats. Its counts give 4,193 boats in 2022, compared with 2,756 in 2018, with a peak of 1,211 boats on the afternoon of Sunday 21 August 2022.
In 2024 the total fell back to 1,583 boats, the lowest since 2018, about 2.6 times fewer than in 2022. These figures cover every kind of craft, not only commercial cruise boats.
They still confirm that mid-July to late August concentrates the traffic, and that weekend afternoons remain the busiest slots. No operator publishes occupancy figures per cruise, and the travel-site advice to aim for 9am to 11am rests on experience, not on passenger counts.
Do you need to book?
Buying at the ticket office on the day works for most sightseeing cruises, subject to availability. Booking becomes necessary for lunch and dinner cruises, and is recommended in high season for the most popular slots.
To combine a cruise with a ride around the lake, our guide to cycling round Lake Annecy details the route and the distances section by section. To place the landing stages in relation to the centre, the Annecy map gives the basic landmarks.
To round off the outing with an afternoon swim, the Lake Annecy beaches list lifeguard hours sector by sector, and Lake Annecy in figures gathers the core data.
Other water activities can be booked online, with the price shown: paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing are listed on the Annecy activities page, with duration and price, unlike the traditional cruises.
See water activities on Lake Annecy →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.Sources
Lake Annecy tourist office (listings for Compagnie des Bateaux, Libellule and Croisières des Alpes, 2026), croisieres-des-alpes.fr, bateaux-annecy.com, greenwaterannecy.com, SILA (boat traffic observatory reports, 2022 and 2024).
generationvoyage.fr (2025), loisirs74.fr (2026), Lake Annecy practical guide 2024-2025, Savoie Mont Blanc Tourisme (visitor numbers by site, 2022). Research compiled on 12 September 2026. Only the Compagnie des Bateaux shows its fares, on its tourist office listing updated on 25 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cruise on Lake Annecy cost?
How long does a Lake Annecy cruise last?
Do you need to book a Lake Annecy cruise?
When is Lake Annecy busiest with boats?
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.
