About Bureau des Guides d'Annecy
The Bureau des Guides d'Annecy is the city's historic mountain guiding office, introducing visitors to the peaks, cliffs and gorges around Lake Annecy since 1972. Staffed by state-qualified high-mountain guides and climbing instructors, the bureau is the go-to organisation for anyone wanting to experience the vertical and alpine terrain of Haute-Savoie safely and with expert local knowledge.
Their year-round programme spans the full range of mountain pursuits. In the warmer months they run via ferrata outings on equipped cliff routes — accessible introductory courses for families and children alongside more demanding lines — plus rock climbing in the surrounding limestone, canyoning descents and high-mountain mountaineering. When winter arrives the focus shifts to ski touring and snowshoeing in the nearby Aravis and Bauges ranges, with three via ferrata sites at Thônes, La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand just minutes from the city. All technical equipment and instruction are provided.
What distinguishes the bureau is its depth of expertise and its standing as an institution rather than a seasonal pop-up. Guides know every route, season and condition intimately, and can build a private or small-group itinerary around a client's level and ambitions — from a first taste of climbing to a multi-day alpine objective. For travellers who want to get off the lake and onto the surrounding mountains with genuine professionals, it's the definitive Annecy operator.
