Type annecy beaches into Google and you get a dozen names that blur together: Albigny, Marquisats, Impérial, La Brune, Angon… I have lived in Annecy since 2018 and I know almost every beach on the lake. Here is what really sets them apart: free or paid, lifeguarded or not, with or without shade. And what you can do with a dog (in summer, almost nothing).
I have sorted the beaches by area. First the ones in Annecy itself, closest to the old town, then the east shore, then the west shore down to the southern end of the lake. The opening hours, prices and rules dated 2026 are the ones for summer 2026. They change from one year to the next, so I always give the date.
Annecy beaches at a glance
- Albigny (Annecy-le-Vieux): free, lifeguarded from 4 July to 31 August 2026, from 11am to 7pm
- Marquisats (Annecy): free, lifeguarded from 4 July to 31 August 2026, from 11am to 7pm
- Impérial: free lawn, paid beach from 4 July to 31 August (€4 in 2026)
- La Brune (Veyrier-du-Lac): free access, lifeguarded swimming from 11am to 7pm in season
- Menthon-Saint-Bernard: paid from 27 June to 31 August 2026 (10am to 7pm), free the rest of the year
- Talloires, municipal beach: free access all year
- Angon (Talloires): free access, lifeguarded in July and August
- Sévrier: free access, lifeguarded in July and August, paid parking
- Choseaux, Clos Berthet (Sévrier): free access, no lifeguards
- Saint-Jorioz: paid and lifeguarded in July and August (9.30am to 5.30pm), free the rest of the year
- Duingt: free access, lifeguarded in July and August
- Doussard, Douss’plage: free lifeguard cover from 1 July to 31 August
If you only have time for one or two beaches in town, read the next section first. It covers the three beaches you can reach on foot or by bike from the old town. The beaches around the lake are a different story, and that is why I split them by shore.
Annecy beaches in town: Albigny, Marquisats and Impérial
Albigny beach: the big beach of Annecy-le-Vieux
When friends turn up in Annecy with children, Albigny is one of the beaches where I take them, along with Marquisats. It is not the best-kept secret on the lake, far from it. But it is the beach where everything runs smoothly.
You will find it on avenue du Petit Port, close to the centre of Annecy-le-Vieux and right next to the Impérial. The old town is not far. The lakeside cycle path runs alongside, which makes a big difference in summer when the car parks overflow. If you come by car, know that parking nearby is paid in season and fills up fast.
For children, it is simple. There are wide lawns for towels and running about, shade in several spots and a very gradual way into the water. Little ones can paddle for a long time, which reassures everyone. Ice cream sellers are a few steps away too. At 3pm, with a five-year-old, that matters.
Lifeguarded swimming at Albigny
From 4 July to 31 August 2026, qualified lifeguards watch the beach every day from 11am to 7pm. Floats in the water and flags on the shore mark the swimming area. Outside those hours, you swim at your own risk, with nobody keeping watch.
One habit I find useful: look at the flagpole before you settle the children in. Yellow means swimming is supervised but you must be very careful. Red means you do not swim, because there is a danger. Purple means no swimming either, because the water is polluted. And if there is no flag at all, nobody is on duty at that moment. These rules come from the City of Annecy.
Lifeguard cover does not replace parents’ vigilance. The City’s guidance says so in black and white. I think it is worth repeating: on a packed beach, it is easy to lose sight of a child.
Free access, showers and accessibility
Access to Albigny beach is free in 2026. Right next door, the Impérial beach charges from 4 July to 31 August (€4 for the standard rate in 2026). I tell you more about it below. Albigny has showers, access mats and Tiralo chairs (amphibious wheelchairs) that you can borrow near the lifeguard posts. There is also a changing cabin adapted for people with reduced mobility. You ask the lifeguards for the key during supervised hours.
In summer, the beach also hosts free concerts in the evening. In 2026, the City of Annecy scheduled some as part of its cultural season called “Ah ! La belle saison”.
What is not allowed at Albigny
The beach accepts no animals, even on a lead. No barbecues either, and no smoking, e-cigarettes included. Rubbish goes in the bins provided.
I say this all the more easily because it concerns me. With Rhéa, I only come here off season, when the beach is empty. But the signs are there all year and the City’s rules make no exception for any period. So I do not recommend doing the same. If you want to swim with a dog, it is better to pick another spot on the lake (more on that below).
Crowds, seasons and duck fleas
In summer, especially on a Sunday in July, the beach is packed. Arrive in the morning if you want space and shade, or come late in the afternoon when families start leaving. From autumn to spring it is almost empty. That is when I like it best, because the view of the lake and the mountains no longer depends on how big a patch of grass you managed to claim.
One last point, which people often mention in reviews: cercarial dermatitis, known in French as the “duck flea”. It is a harmless skin reaction that causes spots and itching in some people after swimming. According to the City of Annecy, you reduce the risk by not feeding the ducks, and by showering and drying yourself thoroughly after your swim. You should also avoid long swims in shallow water. If spots appear, the City advises asking a pharmacist for advice or seeing a doctor.
Marquisats beach: the Annecy beach you can walk to from the centre
Marquisats is a bit like Albigny, with a few differences that matter. It is the other beach in town that I go back to when I have friends with children. You will find shade, an easy way into the water and lifeguards in summer.
It sits on rue des Marquisats, on the other side of the old town from Albigny, on the shore that leads towards Sévrier. You can walk there from the centre along the lake, or cycle on the cycle path. There is also a bus. Line 15 links the station to Duingt and stops at “Marquisats”, right next to the beach. By car, the beach is small for the number of people it draws, and parking gets complicated in summer. The bus or a bike is a lot easier.
Lawn, shade and access to the water
What I like here is the lawn, with trees that give shade at several points in the day. It is easy to settle in, the way into the water is simple and the slope is gentle. Toilets and showers are on site.
It is also the starting point of my most convenient paddle outing from Annecy. The Marquisats water sports base is open all year, just a few steps away. I tell you everything in my article on paddle boarding spots in Annecy.
Marquisats off season and early in the morning
Like Albigny, this is a beach I prefer when it empties. Outside summer, and in the morning in July and August, the mood is much calmer. You mostly see people running along the lake, with a view of the Semnoz ridges opposite. It is a good option if you are short on time and want a moment by the lake without giving up your whole afternoon.
Lifeguards and the inclusive beach
As at Albigny, lifeguards watch the swimming from 4 July to 31 August 2026, every day from 11am to 7pm. The same flags apply (yellow, red, purple, or no flag when nobody is on duty).
Marquisats is also the first inclusive beach in Annecy, since 2025. The project won the city’s participatory budget and was built with local associations such as APF France Handicap, the Association Valentin Haüy and UDAPEI. In 2026, the inclusive beach opens from 4 July to 31 August, every day from 11am to 6pm, with two trained staff to welcome visitors.
It has a safe, guided path, an audio guide totem at the entrance, sound beacons and an interactive wristband to reach the water. There are also accessible changing rooms and toilets, Hippocampe and Tiralo chairs, and five parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility. To prepare your visit, the City invites you to contact the staff directly, as they are not on site all the time.
What is not allowed at Marquisats
The rules are the same as at Albigny: no animals inside the beach area, even on a lead, no barbecues, and a smoke-free beach (e-cigarettes included). For Rhéa it is therefore the same story as at Albigny: off season only, and knowing that the rule itself stays in place.
Impérial beach, the closest to the old town
Right next to Albigny, the Impérial beach is the one you choose when you want to stay in town and have a drink with your feet on the grass. It touches the Impérial palace, with a bar, deckchairs and music. It is a lively beach, not a quiet one. If you want silence, move along.
Two things to know so you do not get caught out. The lawn in front of the Impérial is free, and that is where you spread out your towel. The developed beach costs €4 in 2026, from 4 July to 31 August. I no longer go there since it became paid, but I understand why people do. It is very handy when you are already in the area.
Parking is hard, as you are right in the city. The nearest paid car parks are the Impérial, Sainte-Bernadette, avenue du Petit Port and Belle-Étoile. On foot or by bike from the old town, it is much simpler.
Albigny, Marquisats or Impérial: which of the Annecy beaches should you choose?
For a huge beach where children run around, Albigny is the better pick, with its large lawns and gentle slope. It is also much busier. If you want a smaller beach, closer to the old town on foot and calmer early in the day, or if accessibility matters to someone in your group, Marquisats is the right choice. For a bar, deckchairs and music, go to the Impérial. Whichever you pick, come early in July and August, and choose the bike or the bus.
The beaches on the east shore: Brune, Menthon, Talloires and Angon
La Brune beach in Veyrier-du-Lac
La Brune is about 4 km from Albigny along the cycle path, and about 3 km from Menthon-Saint-Bernard. It is a very sunny grass beach with a sandbank at the water’s edge. The way into the water is gradual, which makes it an easy beach for children.
It has flown the Blue Flag (the Pavillon bleu, a European label for clean, well-managed beaches) since 2009. Access is free, with lifeguarded swimming from 11am to 7pm in season. There is also a floating chair lent free to people with reduced mobility, plus showers, toilets, a snack bar, a restaurant and play areas for children.
On site, the Deck de Veyrier is the beach’s water sports base, facing the sunset, with zero-emission rentals. In summer, the village also runs “Plages en scène” there (concerts, open-air cinema and shows). In 2026, four free evenings were on the programme, between late June and early August.
Menthon-Saint-Bernard municipal beach
This is a grass beach with shade under the trees, which makes a change from the beaches in Annecy itself in the middle of the afternoon. It has a diving platform, a paddling pool for the little ones, pontoons, showers and toilets.
In July and August it becomes paid (from 27 June to 31 August in 2026, from 10am to 7pm) and lifeguards watch the swimming. The rest of the year, access is free. The price is worth checking with the village before you come with a big family.
Talloires municipal beach
This is the biggest of the Talloires beaches, right next to the village centre. It is always very busy and lively. Access is free all year. You will find a bar, a restaurant, a beach volleyball court, a pétanque court and a loan service for balls and table tennis bats. The water sports centre sits inside the beach area (sailing, paddle, kayak, catamaran, courses and rentals). There are 440 parking spaces nearby. A defibrillator is available at the lifeguard post from 22 June to 1 September.
The beach does not accept dogs.
Angon and the Cassines beach
Angon is about 1 km from the centre of Talloires. You enter the water on a gentle slope, which is handy with children. Access is free all year and the beach is lifeguarded in July and August. There is a bar, food, a car park nearby and a picnic area.
Right next door, the small Cassines beach, near the campsite and the restaurant, is more sheltered from the north wind and calmer.
These beaches do not accept dogs, and signs say so. Off season, when nobody is around, we go there with Rhéa anyway. It is tolerated in practice, not allowed: the signs rule, and in summer the answer is no.
Respecting the lake and swimming safely
Lake Annecy is a protected site, and the rules you find from one beach to the next have a reason. The most important one: where lifeguards are on duty, look at the flags before you get in the water. Yellow means be careful, red means no swimming and purple means no swimming because of pollution. No flag means nobody is watching. Outside lifeguard hours, you swim at your own risk. On an unsupervised beach such as Choseaux, nobody watches over you all season. Stay near the shore and avoid swimming off alone, far from the bank.
For nature, a few simple habits help. Put your rubbish in the bins or take it home. Do not light a barbecue where it is banned (Albigny and Marquisats). Do not feed the ducks, which is also a City of Annecy tip against duck fleas. And shower after your swim.
At the southern end, the Bout du Lac national nature reserve has its own rules. A 2025 prefectoral order governs how people move and park in the reserve and its protection zone, so respect the signs. Finally, check the weather before you leave. Storms can arrive fast in the mountains, and the safest thing is to get out of the water as soon as the sky changes.
The beaches on the west shore and at the southern end of the lake
Sévrier municipal beach, beside the cycle path
Sévrier is a family beach, reached directly from the cycle path, with a lovely view of the Dents de Lanfon and the Tournette. The bottom is sandy and the way into the water is gentle. There are play areas for children, showers, toilets, a snack bar and a restaurant on site. The sailing and canoe-kayak clubs are a few steps away. The village lends a ramp and floating chairs free to people with reduced mobility.
Access is free all year, with lifeguarded swimming in July and August. It is the parking that costs money. It is paid at a meter from 9am to 7pm, even on Sundays, at €2.20 an hour in July and August for the beach car park and the harbour area. Remember to display your ticket, as checks are frequent.
Choseaux beach (Clos Berthet), the most low-key
A few pedal strokes after Sévrier, still along the cycle path, Choseaux beach (also called Clos Berthet) is a large stretch of grass with a small access point to the lake. It is near the campsite, access is free and swimming is not lifeguarded. It is quieter than the big municipal beaches, and handy if you are cycling round the lake.
Saint-Jorioz beach
Saint-Jorioz is a big beach of sand and grass, facing the Dents de Lanfon and the Tournette, and it has flown the Blue Flag since 2010. There is shade under large trees, volleyball and pétanque courts, a diving platform, pontoons and play areas for children. You also get a snack bar, a restaurant, showers and toilets.
In July and August it is paid and lifeguards watch the swimming from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Prices in summer 2024 were €2.60 for an adult and €1 for 10 to 17 year olds, free under 10, with a €1 entry from 4.30pm. They may have changed since. The rest of the year, access is free.
It is also one of the best equipped beaches for accessibility. It holds the Tourisme et Handicap label, with a ramp and two amphibious chairs available free of charge.
Duingt and Doussard, right at the southern end
At Duingt, the municipal beach is a partly shaded grass beach facing the Duingt castle, with a fine panorama. Access is free, swimming is lifeguarded in July and August, and there are toilets and light snacks. The cycle path is close by, with the diving and sailing clubs a few steps away.
At Doussard, Douss’plage sits right at the end of the lake. Lifeguard cover is free from 1 July to 31 August. There are two paid car parks, a launch ramp and access to the Bout du Lac nature reserve from the beach. It is about 100 metres from the cycle path that links Annecy to Albertville. Outdoor toilets and a shower are next to the snack bar.
Free or paid Annecy beaches: what changes in 2026
Most beaches on the lake have free access: Albigny, Marquisats, La Brune, Talloires, Angon, Sévrier, Choseaux, Duingt and Doussard. The paid ones are the Impérial beach (€4 from 4 July to 31 August 2026), the Menthon-Saint-Bernard municipal beach (from 27 June to 31 August 2026) and Saint-Jorioz (in July and August). Outside those periods, Menthon and Saint-Jorioz are free like the others.
Above all, think about parking: it is often the car park that costs money, not the beach. At Sévrier it is paid from 9am to 7pm, seven days a week. At Doussard, both car parks are paid. Around Albigny and the Impérial, parking is paid in season. And remember that lifeguard cover lasts only for the summer. Outside it, the beaches stay open, but without lifeguards.
In short, here is how I would choose. If you want a free beach with a lawn and shade close to the old town, pick Albigny or Marquisats. The Impérial is the one for a drink by the water, and it is the only beach in town you pay for. La Brune and Saint-Jorioz both carry the Blue Flag. And if you want a quiet spot on your bike ride round the lake, stop at Choseaux.
Dog friendly beaches in Annecy: what the rules say
Let’s be honest: at Lake Annecy, with a dog, it is complicated. The rules ban animals inside the Albigny and Marquisats beach areas, even on a lead, and neither Talloires nor Angon accept dogs on their beaches. For the other beaches (Menthon, Saint-Jorioz, Sévrier, Duingt, Doussard), the signs at the entrance rule.
Lathuile beach, in Doussard, is an unsupervised grass swimming spot. The Sources du Lac tourist office presents it as the ideal place if you have a four-legged companion. It is the lead I would give you first for a dog in summer.
For my part, off season, when nobody is around, I go with Rhéa to places where it is banned on paper, such as Angon. It is tolerated in practice, not allowed. I do not recommend it, and in summer the answer is no wherever there is a sign.
Getting to the beaches of Lake Annecy without the hassle
The simplest way is by bike. The cycle path around the lake serves the beaches, and traffic around the lake is difficult in summer. From the old town to Albigny and then La Brune, you follow the water almost all the way. And if you prefer to walk, I wrote about my walk around Lake Annecy (the article is currently in French only).
The bus works well for Marquisats: line 15 links the station to Duingt and stops at “Marquisats”. By car, expect paid parking that fills up quickly in summer. In every case, the morning is the right time, with fewer people, more room and some shade.
If you are staying a few days, I have also written about what to do in Annecy and which places to see, to fill the days when you are not swimming.
Frequently asked questions about Annecy beaches
Which beach should you choose in Annecy with children?
Albigny and Marquisats are the most practical from the town: lawn, shade, a gradual way into the water and lifeguards in summer. La Brune, in Veyrier-du-Lac, also has a gradual entry and the Blue Flag. Saint-Jorioz is a big beach of sand and grass with play areas for children.
Are there free beaches in Annecy?
Yes, most of them. Albigny, Marquisats, La Brune, Talloires, Angon, Sévrier, Choseaux, Duingt and Doussard have free access. In summer, the Impérial (the developed beach), Menthon-Saint-Bernard and Saint-Jorioz are paid.
When is swimming lifeguarded in Annecy?
At Albigny and Marquisats, every day from 11am to 7pm from 4 July to 31 August 2026. La Brune follows the same hours, from 11am to 7pm in season. Menthon-Saint-Bernard is lifeguarded from 10am to 7pm from 27 June to 31 August 2026. At Saint-Jorioz, it is from 9.30am to 5.30pm in July and August.
Can you take a dog to the beach in Annecy?
Not on the Albigny, Marquisats, Talloires and Angon beaches, which do not accept dogs, even on a lead. The Sources du Lac tourist office presents Lathuile beach, in Doussard, as suited to dogs.
Which Annecy beach is accessible to people with reduced mobility?
Marquisats is the first inclusive beach in Annecy, open from 4 July to 31 August 2026, 11am to 6pm, with two staff members. Albigny offers Tiralo chairs, La Brune a floating chair, Sévrier a ramp and floating chairs, and Saint-Jorioz a ramp and two amphibious chairs.
Are the beaches on Lake Annecy open all year?
Yes, the beaches stay accessible all year, Talloires and Angon included. Lifeguard cover only exists in summer, and Menthon-Saint-Bernard and Saint-Jorioz are only paid in July and August.
How do you get to Marquisats beach without a car?
On foot from the centre along the lake, by bike on the cycle path, or by bus on line 15 (station towards Duingt), stop “Marquisats”.
Which Annecy beaches have the Blue Flag?
La Brune, in Veyrier-du-Lac, has flown it since 2009, and Saint-Jorioz since 2010. The Blue Flag is a European label for clean, well-managed beaches.
Is there parking at the Annecy beaches?
Yes, but it is rarely free in summer. Around Albigny and the Impérial, parking is paid in season. At Sévrier it costs €2.20 an hour in July and August, from 9am to 7pm. At Doussard, both car parks are paid. In town, a bike or the bus is a lot easier.
Which Annecy beach is the quietest?
Choseaux (Clos Berthet) is quieter than the big municipal beaches, but nobody lifeguards it. In town, I find Marquisats calmest outside summer and early in the morning in July and August.