Annecy



Annecy, in the north of the French Alps, is called "the Venice of Savoie" — a well-deserved title. The medieval town centre built around a 14th-century chateau is dissected by small canals and streams running out of Lac Annecy, which is clean, fresh and a wonderful azure colour. Annecy is the prefecture of the département of Haute-Savoie.

By plane
Geneva is the nearest major international airport and is well served from across Europe and beyond. On the motorway, it is just over 35 min away. A little further away is Lyon, a full international airport, and Grenoble, which is focused on low-cost and winter flights. Both are about a one-hour drive by car or bus. Annecy's own airport has no commercial flights.

By train
Ten TER Rhône-Alpes trains operated by SNCF leave daily for Annecy from the Gare de Part-Dieu in Lyon, leaving around every two hours from 07:00 to 21:00. A round-trip ticket is ( one-way) and the trip is around two hours each way.

There are also trains leaving for Annecy from Chambéry, which run more frequently. Eighteen TER trains, a few TGV trains, one Intercités de Nuit train, and one SNCF bus service run between the two towns, taking around an hour each way. A round-trip ticket is ( one-way).

Three or four through trains per day run all the way from Paris Gare de Lyon, taking around 3 hours 40 minutes. Fares are variable depending on how far in advance you book. A larger number of potential journeys are possible changing at Lyon Part-Dieu.

"Léman Express" trains to Geneva run roughly once per hour, with a journey time of around ninety minutes to the main Geneva Cornavin station. Several other stations are served within the Geneva area.

By bus
Annecy is a popular day trip from nearby Geneva, Switzerland (bring your passport for the border crossing - although checks are not frequent). Buses leave from Geneva's intercity bus station about 5 times/day on Sundays, more frequently on weekdays. A round-trip ticket costs 32 Swiss francs, and the trip takes about an hour in each direction.

By car
Autoroute A41 runs next to Annecy, and you can easily drive there from, e.g., Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble or Aosta.

See




Do

 * Swim, row or sail on the lake. The city provides free public beaches for swimming in addition to some pay beaches.
 * Hike on the mountains around the city. The tourist information office provides maps and information for local trails.
 * Bike around the lake of Annecy, or up in the mountains if you are in good shape. There are bicycle lanes on almost all the 36 km of the lakeside track. The trip will take between 1 and 2 1/2 hours and is used by about 1.1 million cyclists per year.
 * Hanglide above the lake from the Col de la Forclaz (~20 km)
 * Shop the many boutiques lining the narrow stone-paved streets. A large, modern mall can also be found in the newer part of the city.
 * Films a theatre near the large mall showing multiple films for your enjoyment.
 * Football: FC Annecy play soccer in Ligue 2, the second tier in France. Their home ground (capacity 15,700) is 2 km north of city centre.
 * Football: FC Annecy play soccer in Ligue 2, the second tier in France. Their home ground (capacity 15,700) is 2 km north of city centre.

Events

 * April: A cozy village festival is held, a great place to bring the family. Rides and vendors are abundant, along with the great French cuisine. The festival lines Lac Annecy and is very peaceful and beautiful.
 * June: One of the biggest animation festivals is held in Annecy (6 days)
 * July: Noctibules festival during the nights (4 days)
 * The first week-end of August is the Lake Festival (Fête du Lac) with attractions around the lake and a great fireworks. This event brings more than 100,000 spectators.
 * October: "Descente des Alpages" or "Return from Alpine Pastures". Occurs once a year on the second Saturday of October. This is a traditional farmers' festival with local music, food and entertainment.

Buy
Annecy has a number of local artisan shops as well as many European chain boutiques.

There is a market (marché) each Sunday morning in the pedestrian streets of the medieval city. Le marché is an open-air market with the freshest fruits and vegetables.

Eat
For between meals try the ice cream shops, favored by the locals, located on the numerous pedestrian-only by-ways that weave the city and river together.



Another suggestion is the brioche (sweet roll) and other goodies to be found at the boulangeries (bakeries) in town.

And of course, Haute-Savoie is famous for its cheese recipes:



Sleep
There are Bed & breakfasts, and a youth hostel. Surrounding mountains and lake activities are draining a large number of tourist during the summer and more and more during the winter season. Several winter sport resorts are within a 30-minute drive.



Cope
The town gets ridiculously busy in July but September brings fewer people - visit then when the air is clearer and the views to the mountains are better.

Go next
If you want to get away from the crowds, try the far side of the lake. The best way to get around is by bike.
 * Discover small towns nearby in the Alps such as Thônes, La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand, Menthon St. Bernard, Duingt, Faverges
 * Use the place as a base to visit other places of the Alps such as Chamonix (~80 km), Geneva (45 km), Chambery (40 km), Yvoire (60 km), Thonon, Evian, Val d'Isère, Aosta (IT, 100 km).
 * A shuttle bus connects the Annecy train station directly to the Geneva Airport.