SPEND A WEEKEND IN ANNECY — 3 DAY ITINERARY
Three days is a good amount of time to get a taste of Annecy, France. Nicknamed the Venice of the Alps, Annecy is home to lots of Alpine influence, beautiful canals, and the cleanest lake in Europe!
On our two month stint abroad last summer, we spent a weekend in Annecy. It was Jarod’s birthday and we’d been sweating Paris for three weeks, so I scoured the internet looking for good weekend trips from the city. Our goal was to escape the city heat wave -- it hit 106 F on the day we left! Having spent a few blissfully cool days in Interlaken, Switzerland before heading to France, we headed back that direction with high hopes. Unfortunately, it ended up being just as hot in Annecy, but we had the best time anyway!
Getting There
Annecy is located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, where France meets Italy and Switzerland. You can easily get to Annecy by train (my preferred method of European transport) from any major metropolitan area. From Paris, it’s about a four hour train ride.
The closest airport is Chambéry (CMF) at 22 miles away, but the most convenient international airport is Geneva (GVA), just over 23 miles in the opposite direction. Both airports are under an hour away by car and can be accessed by train as well.
Getting Around
The town of Annecy is pretty small so if you’re staying locally, you won’t need a car. Everything is within walking distance and the streets are easily navigable.
If you’re doing a little bit more exploring throughout the nearby towns, you can take the bus or the ferry to cross Lac d’Annecy (Annecy Lake). We visited a town across the lake and took a ferry across and a bus back into town. The boat was €7 per person and the bus was actually free, due to a summer promotion.
When traveling through Europe, I always use the Google Maps app on my phone to find public transport routes and fares.
Where to Stay
The heart of Annecy is in the Old Town, where you’ll find the flowered canals and Medieval buildings. We booked an AirBnB (which wasn’t my favorite due to the lack of A/C, despite the listing promising it) right in the Old Town one block from the main canal and found it to be a perfect location. We were seven minutes from the train station by foot and just a few blocks from the lake.
If you’re more of a hotel fan, there are tons of options there as well, including boutique stays like Les Loges and chain offerings from Best Western, Ibis, and more.
Either way, you can't go wrong! The whole town is wrapped in charm.
Things to Do
Walk the Canals
Annecy is home to picturesque canals and there’s nothing better than wandering the quaint streets with a scoop of gelato from the famed Glacier des Alpes, taking in the scenery. Annecy is a popular destination for day trips, so you’ll likely find the canals quite crowded. If you’d like a little more elbow room, evening finds much quieter streets.
Swim in Lake Annecy
Annecy is home to the cleanest urban lake in Europe, Lac d’Annecy. It’s two miles wide, and 9 miles long, with charming French towns dotting the banks. In the summer, the water is the perfect swimming temperature, with crisp, clear water. There are free and paid beaches surrounding the lake, with a variety of water depths.
We found the best swimming spot to be near the Port of Menthon-Saint-Bernard, with a dock, easy water access, and a stunning backdrop of the Alps.
If the water’s too cold or swimming isn’t your cup of tea, water sports are plenty. You can paddleboard, paragliding, kayak, or take even a dinner cruise around the lake.
Tour Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard
Across the lake from Annecy, in the mountains above the town of Menthon-Saint-Bernard, sits the Menthon-Saint-Bernard Castle. While it has a rich history on its own, the Chateau is also said to be Walt Disney’s inspiration for the Sleep Beauty castle. You can reach it by a bus route, or by trekking up the winding roads of the mountain. We took the hike, but after forty minutes sweating and squinting in the sun, I wished I had known the bus had a route right to the castle from the port.
You can visit throughout the year (check the website for the current opening schedule). Tours of the inside are offered in French for €11 and you must join the tour to step inside. Even though our French is rudimentary at best, we joined the hour-long tour for a chance to peek inside and found it easy to follow along, even though we didn’t speak the language.
Tickets for the gardens and terrace are €3, where you’ll find a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Shop at the Old Town Market
On Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday mornings, vendors set up shop in Old Town Annecy, selling produce, handmade goods, fresh flowers, and more. The streets are absolutely packed during the market, so have a little patience or take an alternate route to your destination if crossing through town.
Stroll the Gardens of Europe
Nestled alongside the lake in between two canals, the Jardins de l’Europe features a variety of sculptures, wildflowers, and green spaces for picnics and sunbathing. It also seems to be the hub for Annecy cultural activities. When we visited on a Monday night, we stumbled upon a tightrope show over the canal, and they were setting up for a concert.
Taste the Alpine Cuisine
Due to its location, Annecy pulls cultural influence from the Alps. On just about every menu in town, you’ll find Savoyard classics including fondue, raclette, and tartiflette. When in doubt, cover it with cheese! The food is pricier if you’re a budget traveler, ranging from €8-30 per entree, depending on level of service.
Over our three days, we ate at some lovely spots:
Previously mentioned, we had the best gelato at Glacier des Alpes. It’s quite popular so the line gets long, but it moves quickly.
We picked up the best raclette (a sandwich with melted cheese on top) at a little grocery store counter a block from our AirBnB on our first night in.
We hit up Slake Coffee for brunch and it was the cutest (and tastiest!) spot. Annecy reminded me of a trendy US town, with cold brew, boba, and art installations littered throughout.
Because we were celebrating Jarod’s birthday, we wanted to treat ourselves to fondue one night. Unfortunately, we got distracted by the tightrope show in the park and missed dinner time. Unlike Paris, most places close the kitchen at 10 pm. The only place open was Brasserie Saint Maurice. They were mostly serving drinks by the time we got there (midnight!), but the server was kind enough to prepare tartiflette for us and it was truly delicious. Think scalloped potatoes with melted cheese on top -- need I say more?
Our Thoughts
Annecy was a lovely little reprieve from the busy streets of Paris, though still sweltering in mid-July. Three days was the perfect amount of time to explore the town and its surroundings, with a mix of relaxing on the water, hiking, and eating all the cheese we could.
If you’re heading through Southeastern France, I’d definitely recommend adding this charming town to your itinerary!