Bike Path Around Lake Annecy

Lake Annecy is amazing because you can bike ride around the entire lake! The scenery is glorious, of high mountains, castles, leafy lanes, and blue-green water! The popular bike ride takes about three hours, and goes for 23 miles in a loop, sometimes directly along the lake and sometimes back from the lake. You should do it clockwise because the Le Roc de Chere area on the east side of the lake is too steep to bike uphill from the other side. 

As you go clockwise around the lake from Annecy town, you will bike along a tree-lined path, then past Veyrier du Lac with its beautiful houses, Menthon Saint-Bernard with its castle above you (you cannot see this from the path), the steep uphill climb of Le Roc de Chere which is a sheer cliff on the water, the lovely wealthy town of Talloires with its high mountains such as La Tournette at 2350m, Angon, Duingt with its idyllic castle on the lake (you must get off the path to see it), Duingt Tunnel (which is a dedicated bike path through a tunnel!), Saint-Jorioz (a flat section of bike path away from cars), and Sevrier (where the bike path runs between the road and the lake). There are jovial bike cafes along the path.
For an easier ride, you can go anticlockwise and just do the fairly flat part of the loop for 38 minutes to Duingt Castle, or go clockwise but turn around before the hilly part of the ride (this starts about 4 miles in and has 9% grade steepness in parts). You could also rent an ebike to help with the hilly parts.
The bike path is pretty safe because even where it is no longer dedicated, near Menthon Saint-Bernard, it takes you on a detour through quiet streets.
Another way to see the entire lakefront is to take a boat ride around the lake, starting at the docks of Jardins de l'Europe in Annecy.
Other ways to see the towns around the lake are to take the bus, or rent a car, your best option since it allows you to drive up to the castle in Menthon Saint-Bernard.

Directions

The bike path runs for 23 miles around the lake in a loop, most of the time dedicated except for a part on the east side near Menthon Saint-Bernard, where it detours onto quiet streets. 
You can rent a bike in Annecy at many places. We rented at Roul Ma Poule Location Velos Bike Rental, and it cost $10 for an hour, $16 for two hours, $22 for four hours, and $29 for a day, for a sport bike. Their address is 4 Rue des Marquisats, 74000 Annecy, France, just south of the old town.

Click on map for interactive view