8 Best Things of Annecy You Shouldn’t Miss
From Lyon, heading toward a northeast(ish) direction by train for two hours, we would arrive in Venice of the Alps. A small town with a big fame named ‘Annecy’.
What to do in Annecy?
“Just the lake is already worth a trip.” Many people told me so. It is true, how many times I visited Annecy, no matter which season we were in, I never missed to go admiring the beauty of the Lake Annecy, the third biggest lakes in France. It’s the same Lake where Paul Cézanne once has expressed its charm on a canvas frame.
However, I still prefer to give some recommendations for tourists who would do a one-time visit. With an expectation that anyone who read this article can explore every corner of the town once at a time, I had created a list from my very own experiences ‘The 8 best things of Annecy’ that I don’t want you to miss.
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| Mountain view from Annecy Train Station |
1. Lake Annecy
Despite many visits, I couldn’t help myself to take hundreds shot of photo of this magnificent crystal clear lake. (It is claimed as the cleanest lake in Europe.) Aside from having a fresh air during a walk along the lake, we can also do a picnic, jogging or reading tranquilly at the banks of the lake.
And for those who prefer to cruise down the lake, there are different kinds of boats available for rent. At 14.7km in length, we can choose to do a paddle boat, a motorboat (with or without a license) or a tourist boat appreciating the beauty of both sides of the clear lake. If we pass by Saint-Jorioz, we may spot the prehistoric pile-dwelling (stilt houses) which today is claimed to be one of the UNESCO World Heritage.
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| Lake Annecy in Summer |
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| In the middle of the lake |
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| The trail is provided around the lake for pedestrians and cyclists |
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| Calm Lake Annecy in autumn morning |
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| Lake Annecy at dusk |
2. Pont des Amours
From Lake Annecy heading toward the Vassé canal, there exists a bridge named ‘Pont des Amours’ or ‘Lovers Bridge’ in English. As you can guess from its name, it’s a spot where lovers love to hang out. According to the local legend, any couples who kiss in the middle of this bridge will be together forever. With this reason, during summer time (Annecy’s ‘hottest’ moment, the bridge is packed with lovers who want to exchange kisses and record their romantic moments. So it you do a solo travel and don’t want to see an annoying love scene of other couples, you can just skip this program (I’ll consider this as a warning by the way).
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| View from the middle of Pont des Amours |
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| Pont des Amours in high season |
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| The Lovers Bridge during night time |
3. The Center
Take a walk admiring all the architectures around Palais de l'Isle (or Palais de l'Île), an old prison situated in the middle of the canal. The building is often presented on a postcard, magnet or snow globe as a signature of the town.
Built in the12th century on a small island in the Thiou Canal, Palais de l'Île was once as well a mint, a court and a residence of the Lords. With numerous of histories and stories, the historic building is served nowadays as a local historical museum.
Anyone who enjoys doing shopping, you can also find various kinds of shops in the area, as well as a café to fill in your energy with a cup of coffee (or beer!) or tasteful ice-cream in a sunny day.
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| Architecture in the Center of Annecy |
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| Boat-like shape Palais de Île |
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| View from the center with mountains as a background |
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| Palais de Île at night |
4. Château d'Annecy
As far as we know, the old building was a created since the 7th century. In the 12th century, it was taken over (briefly) by the counts of Geneva then the Dukes of Savoie-Nemours.
Château d'Annecy or the Castle of Annecy has been renovated for several times from the fire (which occurred at least 3 times). With the 125 meters of height, the castle consists of towers which were built in different periods. Besides the fascinating combination of medieval and Renaissance architectural styles which allures us to visit, the castle today is served as another local museum presenting regional heritage collections, underwater archeological works, medieval sculptures, landscape paintings, contemporary art and, as well animation films.
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| Château d'Annecy's Entrance |
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| Around the castle area |
5. Local Savoyard Dishes
Try various dishes from Savoy, the cultural-historical region that influences the two French departments: Haute-Savoie where Annecy depends on and Savoie. Being at a high altitude and surrounded by mountains, the region has a low temperature climate for almost the whole year. It is no surprise to see Savoyard people eat hot and heavy food that contains lots of cheese, such as fondue Savoyarde, raclette, pormonaise (or pormonier) sausage and diot sausage which is often cooked in white wine, and tartiflette – a gratin or salty tart look-a-like. Cheese that is used as main (or subsidiary) ingredients are local ones, e.g. Beaufort, Gruyère de Savoie, or Comté.
From my experience, some Savoyard dishes like fondue or raclette can be prepared at home if we have efficient tools and good products (Please don’t tell the restaurant where you eat that I said so, even though it’s true 😅). As well, for Crozets de Savoie, we can cook it like normal pasta. And for ones who are bored of cheese, or heavy dish, I would recommend ‘Brasserie Saint Maurice’. It is so far the best restaurant that I’ve tried in Annecy. The restaurant doesn’t provide only local food but also fusion dishes which are all homemade, even the desserts; unlike some tourist trap restaurants that use ready-to-heat ones.
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| Example of Raclette Dish |
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| Old-fashion Raclette Machine |
6. Mountains and outdoor activities
Outside Annecy, there are many mountains and hills to explore, for example, Mont Veyrier, Col de la Forclaz, La Tournette, Roc de Chère which provides the view of ‘Talloires’ village, or Semnoz from which we can see clearly the Mont Blanc. Heading to these mountains may take around 20-40 minute-drives from Annecy.
On the summit of these hills, we can explore the area, admiring the picturesque scenery or even enjoy some mountain activities like mountain biking, climbing, zip lining, and the most popular one is paragliding.
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| View from Roc de Chère |
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| At this altitude, paragliding is the most popular activity |
7. Talloires
I was hesitated whether to put this one on the list, but I see that it’s a pity if we visit Annecy without seeing how beautiful this commune is. I personally never visited Talloires in winter, but in summer here is similar to a paradise with a lake view surrounded by hills. Despite the fact that I can’t afford the hotel price in this area, just drop by to take a glance at the view is worth enough.
Aside from the amazing view, we can also swim, lie down at the beach or eat at a restaurant while enjoy a high quality scene. Talking about restaurants, I remember that there’s a Michelin stared restaurant (2 stars) named Jean Sulpice which offers delicious delightful meal and view. For its price, I’ve heard that it’s as high as some mountains here. 😅
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| Stunning view of Talloires |
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| Cozy atmosphere at Talloires' pier |
8. Skate
You might be stunned after reading the upper sub-headline, but once you arrive in Annecy, you’ll find that skateboards (especially longboards) are the most used vehicle after cars, buses, and bicycles. I have no clue why this town is popular among skaters. Besides being the first town in France that organized a downhill skateboarding race, Annecy has a skate park that is on the list as one of ‘The most innovative skateparks in the world’. During weekends, we’ll see groups of skaters gathering around here, although we don’t skate, it’s already fun to see them play.
Me, not a long time ago, I just learnt how to skate. By ‘skate’ I mean dragging the board along the walkway. I somehow find that the trails in Annecy are more ‘skater-friendly’ than other towns, especially in big cities which are full of cars and dogs' doo-doo. After skating on internet, I’ve found a local longboard skate brand named ‘Legende Longboard’. The brand produces only stunning wooden handicraft boards, yes, all are handmade! Despite the high price and inability to afford one, I still enjoy looking those beautiful wooden boards since I see them as the real pieces of art.
Seasonal activities
With a large difference of climate in each season, especially in summer and winter, it’s better to learn about the weather and the activities that we can do during the visit. And here are some recommendations from me:
Summer
- Biking on the track of 42 km. length or around the Lake Annecy. However, if you bike around the lake please beware of cars that sometimes drive with high speed.
- Aquatic activities There are tons of activities to join, such as paddleboarding, wakeboarding, cruising, diving. If you prefer something not so extreme, a picnic on a paddle boat might be an option for you. I once brought a big homemade salad bowl eating on the boat. 😆
- Pétanque As one of the most popular summer sports, in summer, people are gathering around to play these metal boules with friends while chatting and drinking. It’s an activity that people at any age can participate.
- Hiking Getting closer to the nature on different levels of trails (for lengths and difficulties). If you want to go for something more extreme, you may want to consider canyoning which offers not only a hiking but also jumping, abseiling, climbing, and swimming.
Winter
- Skiing or Snowboarding The Venice of Alps provides large numbers of mountains to do these popular winter sports once it snows, and you can find them here.
- Snowmobiling Ride along the snowy trails, it’s a perfect match for people who love speed.
- Enjoy a different but beautiful scenery Completely white hills, all roofs covered with snow, if you are lucky (may I use this term? 😅), you may see a canal or some part of the lake get frozen.
So far, I hope this list could facilitate
anyone who’s planning a new journey in Annecy or is visiting France but have no
idea where to go, or even ones who accidentally find this article while you
already arrived in Annecy without any plan ahead. I hope the list make your
trip to Annecy funnier and more exciting. Enjoy your vacations! 😉
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