All tours on this holiday have now departed. Future departure dates will be confirmed in due course.
Annecy
Annecy
Annecy
A Room with a View
Annecy
Lake Annecy
Lake Annecy
Montenvers Railway
Yvoire
Les Grillons
Les Grillons
Les Grillons
Les Grillons Chef
Les Grillons
Les Grillons
Glorious lake and mountain scenery
Superb family owned Les Grillons hotel – a Travel Editions’ favourite for 20+ years
Pretty lakeside villages - Yvoire is delightful
Spa towns - Evian is an elegant resort
Cable cars or rack railways - Chamonix offers both
Lake Annecy is one of the most beautiful areas of France and our Lake Annecy by train tour offers the opportunity of a relaxing break close to the attractive lakeside village of Talloires. Visits are made by coach to the stunningly pretty town of Annecy itself, majestic Mont Blanc and Chamonix, Lake Geneva, the spa town of Evian, the medieval village of Yvoire and Geneva.
This is the 7 night/8 day version of this tour but we also have a 6 night/ 7 day tour available too. Please click here for more information.
Day 1: Travel by Eurostar from St Pancras or to Lyon via Lille.
On arrival, transfer by coach to Talloires (approx. 2 hours) and the Hotel Les Grillons.
Day 2: Full day tour to Chamonix.
A busy and cosmopolitan town, Chamonix sits at the foot of Mont Blanc surrounded by the best of mountain scenery – glaciers, snow-capped peaks and lush green meadows. It is the base for all mountain based activities, in summer and winter - for spectacular views take the Aiguille du Midi cable car up Mont Blanc itself, or, for those who aren’t big fans of heights, try the Montenvers rack railway which will take you to the foot of the Mer de Glace glacier.
Day 3: Full day tour to Annecy.
One of the most attractive and popular resorts in the French Alps, the town of Annecy sits on the banks of the lake surrounded by breath-taking alpine scenery. The imposing château on the hill and the Palais de l’Ile provide much historical interest, and you’ll find the canals and narrow passages of the 16th century old town enchanting, especially when the town’s many flowers are in bloom.
Day 4: A full day free to explore or relax at your leisure.
Day 5: Full day tour to Lake Geneva, Évian and Yvoire.
The expanse of Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman to the French) forms a natural border between France and Switzerland. The awe-inspiring scenery and fine climate made the shores of the lake popular for health resorts the most well-known being Évian-les-Bains, where you can take a lovely stroll along the tree-lined waterfront. Take a bottle along to taste the famous water from the Source Cachat on the Avenue des Sources. Picturesque Yvoire is a lovely medieval village of narrow cobbled streets and stone houses sloping down to the edge of the water. The castle and two stone gateways date from the 14th century.
Day 6: Full day tour to Geneva.
In terms of being international and cosmopolitan there aren’t many cities that can compare with Geneva. Its location is fantastic, strung along the shore of mountainbacked Lake Geneva, and it is the place that many international organisations choose to base their European headquarters – you may see the UN, WHO and Red Cross. The museums here are world class and the old town is wonderfully picturesque – heading up the 16th century St Peter’s Cathedral gives great views over the city, lake and mountains beyond.
Day 7: Full day visit to Thones, the Resistance Museum and Chateau de Menthon
This morning we head to the town of Thones for a visit to the Resistance Museum which tells the story of the underground fighters in WWII and free time for exploration and a spot of lunch (not included). This afternoon we visit the impressive medieval Chateau de Menthon, dating back in parts to the 12th century and lavishly updated during the Renaissance. It has been home – and remains so – to the Menthon family for centuries.
Day 8: Transfer back to Lyon station to catch the return TGV to Lille. At Lille, board the return Eurostar service to St Pancras.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 35 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
PLEASE NOTE: As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages.Trollies are available at St Pancras and Paris, but bags do need to be carried on to the platform.
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and we have arranged a 10% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the thebaggageman service. Tel: 01844 264890
Les Grillons Hotel, Talloires
The three-star family-run Les Grillons Hotel (now in its 3rd generation of the Casali family) is located 2km south of the lakeside village of Talloires, which is 10km south of the town of Annecy. The hotel is located on the lake and facilities include extensive grounds, swimming pool (seasonal opening), jacuzzi, bar, restaurant, lift to all floors and comfortable rooms with all modern amenities including air-conditioning, wifi, safe, telephone and TV. Dinner is served each evening in the atmospheric restaurant with 100% home-made food with fresh products from the local area all cooked by the chef Steve. Guests will receive a friendly welcome at this family-run hotel with a welcome drink on arrival.
Les Grillons Hotel Website
OUR VIEW ON THE HOTEL
Many, many past clients have described Les Grillons as 'first class', 'excellent' and 'superb' - it has been receiving rave reviews for over a decade. You will receive a lovely warm welcome from the charming staff, and the hotel's position in lovely grounds is tranquil and beautiful. The hotel is just two kilometres outside the popular resort town of Talloires and offers views over the lake, surrounding mountains and meadows.
Pre-tour accommodation is available at the Premier Travel Inn, London Kings Cross St Pancras, about a 5 minutes walk from St Pancras International, at an approximate rate of £90 per room. Bookings can be made direct with the hotel on 0871 527 8672 or visit their website.
Excellent holiday with interesting excursions at a really good hotel.Very nice room with balcony and view over garden ,lake and mountains. The Tour Manager Gill was first rate.She was very articulate and her management skills were excellent and knowledge was very impressive. My only criticism of the holiday was the inadequate portion size of vegetables with the dinners.
Review by Seabrooke who travelled 30-September-2023
Gill, the tour guide worked extremely hard and was very friendly and approachable. She helped us have a really enjoyable trip Jon Sutcliffe
Review by Sutcliffe who travelled 30-September-2023
Excellent trip.Good experience.we were lucky with the weather and Gill was caring and extremely helpful and informative.Your brochure describes everything as it is.My son and his partner felt just as we did it was their first trip with you and l don’t think it will be their last. Thank you.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 30-September-2023
Went on this tour over a Christmas period before the pandemic and had booked to go back over Christmas but hotel has changed hands within the family and they now don't open at Christmas! Absolutely excellent tour and with the new trip to the Resistance Museum made it even better. Tour guide, Gill Thompson, was very knowledgable about the area and very helpful.
Review by Stewart who travelled 30-September-2023
Tour manager Gill was fantastic - as before on previous trips she was effective, informative and friendly. The trip was very enjoyable, the hotel nice, the food good, the location beautiful and the weather good too ! The travel tor/from London was more stressful/tedious than usual because of the very large numbers of other travellers (possibly related to rugby events) and the number of changes. A train to Annecy itself would be better, or perhaps even via Geneva rather than Lyons ? One other point worth mentioning: at evening meals the tables were set for 8 people making it difficult to talk to those across the table owing to the high level of noise in the restaurant. Is it possible to set tables for 6 maybe? and to make moving around the tables on successive nights easier, rather than being stuck with the first group you happen to meet, as seemed to happen?
Review by Sharman who travelled 30-September-2023
Review by Bullock who travelled 30-September-2023
The last trip to the resistance museum was not for me, i understand that most enjoyed it but I think we should have been told it was in French with sub titles. I have macular degeneration so I couldn't read the sub titles, If I had known I could have gone elsewhere.
Review by Harding who travelled 30-September-2023
Very enjoyable first holiday with your company. Excellent tour guide, had done her homework and nothing was too much trouble.
Review by Blackmore who travelled 30-September-2023
Particularly impressed with the high quality of the meals at Les Grillons. We were conscious of comments from a few of the tour group who would have been more comfortable with "meat and two veg" and maybe a little pre-warning eg a specimen menu would have helped them.
Review by Lamb who travelled 30-September-2023
Beautiful holiday near Annecy in a friendly hotel. Good local food. The Tour guide was kind and led with interesting notes about the places we visited. Great people on holiday with us too. Thank you.
Review by Hitchcock who travelled 01-October-2022
It has been many years since our last Travel Editions holiday. The hotel was excellent in every way and Karen Blackwell our Tour Manager has reignited our interest in TE holidays. She was friendly, flexible, knowledgeable and got the balance just right.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 01-October-2022
Excellent trip and tours. The tour manager Karens knowledge of. the area was shown by her keeping all the group well informed. The train journey was excellent and incident free, unlike many of my friends are experiencing on airlines
Review by Anonymous who travelled 01-October-2022
Travel editions provided a most enjoyable holiday aided by warm sunny October weather. The rail coach journeys both out and back worked well with tour guide Karen ensuring we were at the right place at the right time. Les Grillon hotel proved to be a lovely place to stay with very friendly and efficient staff . Excellent continental breakfasts launched the day with fine dining provided in the evenings . The latter might have been too rich for some but courses could be easily skipped if so. Tours gave a good feel for the beautiful region. Karen was efficient and friendly throughout. We will certainly look to see what rail tours Travel Editions come up with in 23/24
Review by Anderson who travelled 01-October-2022
Review by Anonymous who travelled 01-October-2022
You cannot go hungry at Les Grillons! I'm a veggie and was served excellently. Enjoyed the holiday enormously but would have preferred a through train to Annecy from Paris, to eliminate the long and dull coach trip from/to Lyon. Karen (tour leader) excellent, weather unexpectedly superb for Oct, and the local tranquillity delightful at Talloires. The area can be expensive, but most places now accept cards. Evian to me only seems to trade on its water-history, but the Resistance Museum should be compulsory visiting - moving and informative. Not sold on the Chateau visit but others were. The free day should be after the Annecy visit, for those who would want to go back better informed. One tip - don't try walking to Annecy from the hotel (As I did and failed) - the first part is uphill, sometimes steep! Big issue across our destinations was accessibility - Outside of main centres, France has a way to go on providing ramps etc , but as the hotel now has a lift that doesn't apply to Les Grillons. Talloires and Yvoire are delightful; this was my forth attempt to take this holiday, the previous three hit by Covid, well worth the wait. Like some others, did not want to come home...
Review by Kosminsky who travelled 01-October-2022
Review by Anonymous who travelled 06-May-2022
Apologies for delay - just found this in spam. Angela was a very good guide, and got us all home safely when we were 4 hours late for the eurostar, but your previous guides had set a very high standard.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 06-May-2022
Review by Coker who travelled 06-May-2022
Outward journey was good. Only rated transport poor because of TGV breakdown between Lyon and Lille-Europe on the return journey. Great effort by Angela to get all of us seats on the later Eurostar
Review by Anonymous who travelled 06-May-2022
No fault of yours, TGV problem meant we were4 hrs late arriving in St Pancras. Fortunately our taxi was prepared to wait. Much praise to Angela Minton for managing to rebook Eurostar and her reassuring presence.
Review by Ward who travelled 06-May-2022
Superb accommodation with wonderful food. Angela Minton worked hard to ensure we had the best possible holiday especially when there was a glitch with our return journey. Can't praise her highly enough!
Review by Hunt who travelled 06-May-2022
Review by a who travelled 06-May-2022
This was a truly excellent holiday. It was well described beforehand and the reality well exceeded high expectations. Fabulous hotel in an amazing location. Tour guide Angela was truly amazing and kept everything really smooth and enjoyable for everyone. Even when the train broke down on the way back she was calm and well informed and made sure that replacement arrangements were in place. All the tours were interesting and there was a good mixture. Thank you a brilliant holiday.
Review by Beaty who travelled 06-May-2022
Lake Annecy is a very beautiful area and the hotel is situated by the lakeside with a lovely garden, pool and views of the lake. The hotel is very comfortable with large rooms and the service and food is outstanding. Angela the tour manager did a great job of managing the holiday, moving our visit to Chamonix and Mont Blanc, to ensure we had the best weather. Minor criticism is that the visit to Yvoir was too long and it is very commercialised with high restaurant prices. On the journey home our TGV broke down which delayed our arrival at Lille by several hours but Angela was excellent, kept us all informed and got us seats on the next Eurostar back to St. Pancras. I would highly recommend the Lake Annecy holiday and look forward to a return trip.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 06-May-2022
The last time we did this tour we went from St Pancras to Lyon direct avoiding a two and a half hour wait at Lille. Hotel was excellent with dinners maybe not quite as good as before. Considering the price of the tour and current price escalation’s probably not surprising. Chamonix tour disappointing and the cancellation of cheese factory tour a real pity. Enjoyed that last time around. Apart from getting Covid on tour it was a good holiday and I would still recommend it to all.
Review by Marshall who travelled 06-May-2022
Perfect, except for the French train breaking down on our way home, making a 3 hour journey 7 hours, and missing our connections. However, Angela sorted it all out, and we got home eventually.
Review by Collins who travelled 06-May-2022
Our highest praise goes to our wonderful tour guide (? Karen Dean if I remember aright ?), who was a source of abundant information making every part of our holiday more fulfilling, and never ceased to watch out for those needing extra help. Also of exceptional merit was our mamzing family run hotel, with a gastronomic delight every evening, and creative menus using locally sourced ingredients.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 21-September-2019
Overall a very good holiday. Excellent tour guide who obviously had well researched the area and provided us with a lot of interesting information. Most of the excursions were excellent. unfortunately our time in Geneva was cut short due to a demonstration taking place. The day spent visiting Evian and Yvoire was somewhat disappointing as their season appeared to be over and the weather was not the best.. Travel was hectic and luggage space limited. The bar on the TGV was closed so we were not able to get any drinks though we had some water from the hotel. We were recommended to move from coach on the Eurostar as the steward on the train said they had a problem with the toilet which was causing a pungent smell. We appreciate this was not within your control as tour operator! Really helpful hotel staff and in spite of the journey we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and would be more than happy to recommend Travel Editions.
Review by Marrison who travelled 21-September-2019
The whole tour worked very well and more than met our expectations. The tour manager, Karen was one the best we have ever had she was friendly, helpful and constantly thinking ahead to manage any problems.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 21-September-2019
The tour manager was very relaxed and experienced and knew the area well. The hotel was first class and the food gourmet. Some of the excursions were of greater interest for me than others .In retrospect I could have easily forgone the visit to Geneva in favour of something closer to the hotel and of more local and historical and cultural relevance to France. But that’s just me. Perhaps there’s just too much to see / choose from in a large city in only a few hours . The Resistance museum was very interesting as was Chamonix .
Review by Miles who travelled 21-September-2019
Review by Cooke who travelled 21-September-2019
Sadly the two rail companies ( Euro Star and TGV) left much to be desired. The French TGV on the return journey was a disgrace with flooded toilets in the First Class area, closed bar with no food or drink and wrecked tables and refuse containers in the bar. On Euro Star return journey the First Class area and facilities seemed to be clean and well prepared but I understand the Standard Class was disgusting with blocked toilets and foul odours throughout the caraiges and passengers having to request seating in First Class to escape the stench. Not the usual standards expected from these two companies. Travel Editions were, as usual. excellent in all areas of customer satisfaction, thank you.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 21-September-2019
Hotel was excellent, especially dealing with my diet (Coeliac) and my husband (vegetarian). Karen, Tour Manager, was very good as were most of the tours. Our only complaints was with the return TGV, which was old and crowded. Also Lille Europe was like a building site, perhaps alternative arrangements should have been made! J Maher, Wirral
Review by Maher who travelled 21-September-2019
Karen the tour guide was excellent The hotel, rooms, and food were faultless. The owners and staff were so helpful and courteous and absolutely nothing was too much trouble. We would highly recommend this trip. If there is a criticism it was the TGVs lack of space for luggage but that is not the fault of Travel Editions. Overall a trip to be recommended
Review by Wood who travelled 21-September-2019
We were surprised that the day in Geneva was so short. It was, in fact, only 4 hours in the City. We left the hotel at 9:00 and were back in the hotel before 4:30, which meant over 3 hours before dinner. We had expected to have 5/6 hours to spend in the city. The hotel was excellent with wonderful dinners provided for us all.
Review by Goodwin who travelled 29-April-2019
Hotel Les Grillons excellent with outstanding food.
Review by Bardell who travelled 29-April-2019
An excellent tour with a good mix of interesting destinations on the days out. We particularly enjoyed the day in Chamonix, the visit to Yvoire, and the “local” day visiting a cheese factory, a Resistance Museum and a nearby chateau. We were a little less enthused by the day in Geneva, though. On previous Travel Editions tours, we’ve tended to avoid ones where evening meals are included at the hotel, as we normally prefer to be adventurous with restaurants, but we need not have had any concerns - the cuisine and service were excellent, as many previous reviewers have noted. The hotel and its owners and staff were also most welcoming and helpful.
Review by Peters who travelled 29-April-2019
Review by who travelled 03-September-2018
We particularly want to thank Karen,our Tour Manager. She was so knowledgeable ,pleasant and efficient that we could not fault her in any way. Hotel Grillons was one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in. The food was out of this world and wonderful comfortable bedroom. We had a wonderful holiday.
Review by Lawton who travelled 03-September-2018
Best tour yet, loved everything especially cuisine at Les Grillons, every meal a delight. Hotel had spacious well appointed rooms and staff were first rate. Our excursions were well planned, every day something to look forward to.
Review by Richardson who travelled 03-September-2018
The hotel was superb; no wonder you have been going there for 20 years. The room was outstanding and Auralie and the staff couldn't be faulted. The food was excellent (tho' to be picky we'd have preferred the odd casserole.) Karen was outstanding. Our only "good" marking is because we were not too impressed with Geneva, partly because of the "second mortgage" prices and,to us, the soulless atmosphere downtown.
Review by Nicholls who travelled 03-September-2018
This was our first experience of an 'organised' tour and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Karen was brilliant. Very organised, confident and well informed. We liked the fact that we were left to our own devices once we arrived at the tour destination. Itinerary good but found the last day a bit rushed. Would thoroughly recommend your company.
Review by Jewell who travelled 03-September-2018
Our guide Karen proved to be immensely capable , knowledgeable and charming.
Review by Pendry who travelled 03-September-2018
Review by who travelled 23-September-2017
Friendly hotel, out standing area to visit.
Review by Mr D Porter who travelled 10-September-2016
Review by who travelled 03-September-2016
An excellent. And we'll run holiday Gill quitely looking after everyone's needs An excellent hotel with first class food
Review by Mr C Jones who travelled 10-September-2016
Another very well organised holiday.The hotel was very welcoming and the food excellent.Gill was always helpful and her local knowledge made every trip very enjoyable.
Review by Mrs Olive Clark who travelled 10-September-2016
Review by Mrs Alison Mackerell who travelled 10-September-2016
We enjoyed the Annecy trip more this second time as it was warm and sunny all week. Hotel still fabulous and hospitality great. Tom and I walked up 800 metres behind the hotel passing the waterfall and reaching the retreat at the top. Miss Emma is a delight and following in her mothers footsteps.We shall return
Review by Mrs Sally Byfield who travelled 10-September-2016
Lovely hotel with wonderful scenery. Food at the hotel was exceptional and the owners were extremely friendly and helpful. Tour manager was lovely and extremely knowledgeable about the area.
Review by Mr & Mrs A Bray who travelled 10-September-2016
Lovely hotel . Position ,staff , food excellent. Tour manager dealt well with people who needed extra help I.e wheelchairs on tour and at stations. Her history knowledge impressive also spoke French very well . Would recommend this holiday.
Review by Mrs Judith Harper who travelled 10-September-2016
We chose this tour after researching similar tours available from other organisers because it appeared to be more relaxing than the rest, which it proved to be. This was helped by the excellent tour guide who is very knowledgeable and v.helpful. This was our first ever holiday on an organised trip. We would consider others in the future.
Review by Mr David Billett who travelled 10-September-2016
Review by Mr Harold Milne who travelled 03-September-2016
Overall we had an excellent holiday. The only downsides were that nearly everything was closed in Geneva on the day we visited it (8th Sept) due to a public holiday and we would have liked more time at the Resistance cemetery/museum on 9th Sept. The hotel and food were superb.
Review by Mr peter thomas who travelled 03-September-2016
