Things to do in Annecy
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Annecy
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring, best overall window, lake paths and market in full flow, swimming starting in June.
Summer lake peak and crowd peak, water warmest, swim and hike early and dine late.
Autumn connoisseur season, September keeps swimmable water without crowds, then fondue season starts.
Winter markets, fondue and ski base season, January is cheapest and quietest outside holidays.
Best months are late May to June, outside festival week to taste, and September.
What's on
- Annecy International Animation Film Festival Mid to late June each year
World leading animation festival with open air screenings on the Pâquier, and a full town price spike.
- Venetian Carnival late February/early March
Masked costumed figures posing on the bridges and in the lanes, cold and uncrowded outside the weekend.
- Fête du Lac First Saturday of August
Major fireworks and pyrotechnic show over the bay, ticketed grandstand plus free viewing around the bay.
- Noctibules July, several nights
Night time street arts festival in summer.
- Retour des Alpages second Saturday of October
Flower decked cattle paraded through the old town, old trades, folk groups and local produce tasting.
- Annecy Christmas Market through December
Christmas market in the old town and by the lake, with ice rink and lights on the canals.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Annecy
Vieille Ville
Pastel canal lanes, stone bridges and flower boxes, best before 9am and again lit up after dark.
Palais de l'Île
Annecy's island prison emblem, a perfect photo stop even if the small interior exhibition is skippable.
Lac d'Annecy
Clean mountain lake for swimming, pedalos, paddle, motorboats and cruises toward Duingt and Talloires.
Château d'Annecy
Counts of Geneva castle above the old town, worth it for the climb, regional museum and terrace panorama.
Marché d'Annecy
Working old town market for Reblochon, Beaufort, cured meats and honey, best before the 10am crush.
Jardins de l'Europe
English style lakefront gardens linking the old town to the Pont des Amours and the Pâquier lawn.
Pont des Amours
Iron footbridge with the postcard canal view to the lake and mountains, best at 8am or at dusk.
Le Pâquier
Vast lakefront lawn for picnics, pétanque, festival screenings and the Fête du Lac fireworks viewpoint.
Where to stay in Annecy
Vieille Ville
first trip, all-round base
Walk everywhere, eat on your doorstep, market mornings on Place Sainte-Claire, lake five minutes north.
Lakefront / Albigny-Impérial
views, swims and calm
Grand park, Albigny beach and palace hotels, with the old town a flat 10 to 15 minute lake walk away.
Annecy-le-Vieux
local, longer and quieter stays
Residential village feel on the north east shore, quick bus or bike into town, and Le Clos des Sens.
Station / Courier-Carnot
practical value base
Lower priced chain and apartment hotels by the station, supermarkets and buses, 5 to 10 minutes to the canals.
East-shore villages
luxury lakeside resort stay
Talloires, Menthon and Veyrier bring private beaches and trails, but you need car, boat or bus for town dinners.
Think twice about
- Immediate Gare / bus-station blocks
Functional, trafficked and least attractive for a holiday base, though hotels five minutes away are fine for logistics.
- Cran-Gevrier / Seynod main-road strips
Safe suburbs sold as Annecy that strand you on arterial roads a bus ride from the lake, with no evening stroll.
- D909 lakeside main road frontages, east shore
Front facing lake view rooms trade the view for traffic noise from early morning, book set back or garden side.
Best restaurants in Annecy
Le Clos des Sens
Three star defining table, local plant and lake fish tasting menus from Savoyard producers and its gardens.
Auberge du Père Bise
Two star dining in the lake's most romantic room, mountain herbs and lake fish on the water in Talloires.
Restaurant 1903
The relaxed restaurant at Père Bise, the way to eat in this house at lunch without the tasting price.
Yoann Conte
Two star intimate produce led luxury in the blue house, with the lake at the end of the garden.
L'Esquisse
One star tiny old town room, the best value starred dinner in town and walkable from old town hotels.
Le Fréti
Fondue institution since 1974 with its own ageing cellar and some 16 fondues, the group and family room.
Ô Savoyard
Trusted canalside Savoyard table with tartiflette, seasonal raclette and lighter lake fish plates too.
Brasserie Brunet
Local brasserie pick with short seasonal menus, pâté en croûte and lake fish, lunch menu is the value play.
Outdoor things to do in Annecy
Voie Verte du Lac d'Annecy
Smooth 42km greenway circling the lake, flat on the west shore with swim and bakery stops on the way.
Col de la Forclaz
World class paragliding launch above the lake, for tandem flights or watching wings launch at sunset.
Plage d'Albigny
Biggest town beach, with lawns and shade, supervised in season and closest good swim to the old town.
Plage des Marquisats
Local, sporty free beach at the south end of town beside the municipal outdoor pool complex.
Plage de l'Impérial
Manicured paid beach by the Impérial Palace, with loungers, pontoons and a bar for a calmer swim.
Mont Veyrier
Classic ridge hike to Mont Baron with a continuous balcony view straight down the length of the lake.
Roc de Chère
Protected forested knoll above Talloires with short loop trails and lake viewpoints in one to two hours.
La Tournette
Highest summit above the lake, a serious 1400m climb with chains near the top and a huge panorama.
Best hotels in Annecy
Auberge du Père Bise
Legendary Relais et Châteaux lakeside address with private beach, spa and two restaurants in Talloires bay.
Yoann Conte
Blue shuttered lakeside maison with a two star table, private pontoon and gardens to the water.
Le Clos des Sens
Small contemporary hotel wrapped around the three star restaurant, hushed and grown up above town.
Impérial Palace
Belle Époque grand hotel in its park on the Albigny peninsula, with pools, spa and its serviced beach.
Le Palace de Menthon
Early 1900s palace in a park with its own port, for a car based swim and dine lake stay.
Le Pélican
Modern design hotel between lake and old town, with outdoor pool, lobby bakery and lake view suites.
Splendid Hôtel
Classic mid range hotel at once old town and lakefront, book a lake view room for the point of it.
Hôtel du Palais de l'Isle
18th century house in the canals with views to the Palais, the romantic mid range postcard pick.
Is Annecy expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €98 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €220 a person |
| Splurge | €424 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lac d'Annecy: a few days ahead
- Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard: a few days ahead
- Col de la Forclaz: a few days ahead
- Canyon d'Angon: a few days ahead
- Canyon de Montmin: a few days ahead
- Golf du Lac d'Annecy: a few days ahead
- Golf de Giez: a few days ahead
- Golf de Montrottier: a few days ahead
- Starred restaurants weeks to months ahead. Good old town dinners, paragliding, canyoning and motorboats days ahead in summer.
- Hotels months ahead for Animation Festival week, Fête du Lac weekend and August. Aiguille du Midi timed tickets days ahead.
Is Annecy safe?
- Pickpockets in market, station and festival crowds, keep bags in front and phones off café table edges. Bike theft, use the lock provided.
- Afternoon thunderstorms on Tournette and Veyrier, cold water and boat traffic away from supervised swim zones, licensed operators only.
Annecy travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Canal terrace set menus on Quai de l'Île and lower Rue Perrière with photo menus and a tout, eat only at named addresses.
- Paying to enter Palais de l'Île expecting a medieval prison, the photo outside is free. Pont des Amours at noon, and an 11am to 4pm August day trip.
Getting around Annecy: public transport and more
- Walk the compact, largely pedestrianised centre. Cycle with Vélonecy or rentals, and use lake boats and SIBRA buses for villages, Semnoz and Annecy-le-Vieux.
- Fly to Geneva and take the direct airport bus, or TGV from Paris to Annecy station, a 5 to 10 minute walk from the old town. Park once on the edge if you drive.
Who Annecy suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Annecy your trip
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