Annecy, France
Annecy is often called the “Venice of the Alps” for the many canals that meander throughout the picturesque Alpine town. But that’s where the similarity ends. Here you will find no gondolas, no funky smelling water, and most importantly, no hordes of tourists.
Annecy (pronounced ANN-uh-see) is located in the Haute-Savoy Department in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of southeast-central France. The flashy resort town of Chamonix to the east may get more attention in this part of the country, but Annecy can surely measure up in terms of activities, scenic beauty and charm.
Once the home of the ruling Counts of Geneva in the 13th and 14th centuries, and later the Counts of Savoy, the old town (Vieille Ville) blends seamlessly with the new town along the shores of Lake Annecy. With interesting shops, historical sites, boating, biking and a fantastic farmer’s market, it’s an ideal live-like-a-local destination.
exhibits in a historic castle
Annecy is a 40-minute drive or a 2-hour bus ride from the Geneva airport, or a 4 1/2 hour train ride from Paris.
If you do drive, you will need your car only for optional day trips. But once you see the lake, the markets, the bike paths and the shopping, you may not want to go anywhere else during your visit.
A Pasture and a Park with Lake and Mountain Views
All visitors are drawn to Le Paquier, the expansive and welcoming 17-acre pasture nestled beside beautiful Lac d’ Annecy, the lake known for the freshest water in Europe. Here you will find picnickers, strollers, joggers, and others enjoying sailboats, peddle boats, kayaks and gorgeous mountain views.
Nearby across the Pont des Amours (Bridge of Love) is Jardines de l’Europe, an historic tree-filled park that is also great for walking and picnicking.
A Market That is hard to Miss
Aside from the lakefront area, you can visit a museum in a restored castle, Musee-Chateau d’Annecy, or one in a 12th century island prison known as Le Palais de I’lle. You can window shop along medieval streets, visit five bell towers, and attend the annual International Animated Film Festival in June.
But you cannot and should not miss the Annecy Farmer’s Market which is one of the most unique and impressive markets we have seen in our travels.
In the old town on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays (the Sunday market being the largest), vendors set up their stalls along the cobblestone streets and across bridges spanning the canals, offering cheeses and chickens, sweets and spices, and everything from arugula to zucchini. Then on Saturday along Boulevard Taine in the new town, you can join the locals for a combined produce and flea market.
Enjoy Scenic beauty While Staying Fit
In addition to the water sports, you can rent a bike to navigate the 21-mile paved greenway that encircles Lake Annecy. For more of a (steep) challenge, fitness junkies can bike to the summit of Le Semnoz, site of a mountain-top finish in the 2013 Tour de France and a favorite takeoff spot for parasailers. Two running events, including a Color Run, took place while we were in town.
Our Experience
- We drove from Geneva airport to Annecy, but only needed a car once during our stay to visit some of the surrounding areas. Our apartment was just a 2-minute walk from the old town, convenient to shops and restaurants.
- One day we rented bikes to ride the loop around the lake, and on another day spent a leisurely interlude on the water in a rented boat. Most of the time we just enjoyed exploring the streets, markets, parks and neighborhoods.
- The Sunday market was so big and varied that it took us an hour and half to navigate all the stalls, before returning to the ones we liked most for our purchases. I was especially intrigued by several regional Haute-Savoie cheeses that I can’t find back home — Abondance, Beaufort and Reblochon — all made with raw cow’s milk, and all delicious.
- We used the car one day to drive to the summit of Le Semnoz. As a Tour de France enthusiast, I was excited to arrive at the top of an actual hors catégorie climb (so difficult it’s classified as “beyond categorization”), albeit in a car. Afterwards we watched parasailers unpack their gear, suit up, take off and silently fly over the beautiful green valley.
- As in other towns where we’ve traveled, we found a few nice restaurants and also prepared some of our meals at home with the fresh, local and bountiful ingredients from the market. Our meal preparation is fairly simple and without too much fuss, because we let those fresh ingredients speak for themselves. One day on a whim we grabbed some blankets and wine from the apartment, cheese and fruit from the market, and joined the other locals for an impromptu Sunday picnic by the lake.
Our Live-Like-a-Local Criteria Rating:
We hope one day you get to “live like a local” in this town or another one like it.
For more on Annecy, go here.