Visiting Annecy in 3 Days

If you recall, visiting Annecy was at the top of my list when I was planning our France itinerary. I was intrigued by its location on the France and Switzerland border. It looked picturesque and quaint. I thought the weather would be cooler because of its proximity to the Alps. And, it was somewhere completely different. Looking back, I probably expected it to be more like the towns in Alsace. It was nothing like I expected, though I struggle to articulate what exactly I was hoping it would be. To be clear, Annecy offers a lovely old town with beautiful views of the mountains. It’s walkable. It has a storied history that is classical Europe. It wouldn’t be my first destination in France beyond Paris. However, it definitely offers a uniquely French experience that you won’t find elsewhere in France.

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Our France Itinerary

Since it’s been awhile since I posted, I thought it might be worthwhile to catch you up on what our France itinerary ended up being. The first three weeks were planned prior to our departure from the US, and I tweaked the last part of the trip as we traveled. Originally, we were going to spend Bastille Day at the Hyatt Etoile or Versailles, but ended up in Alsace. And, we planned to go to Rouen instead of spending the end of our trip in Paris. In both cases, work demanded we change our plans. We spent a little over 5 weeks in France, and it was not our first trip to France. We spent the first two weeks visiting places we’ve been. From there, we visited a lot of new places in France.

Is Annecy Worth Visiting?

At this point, you’re probably wondering if Annecy is worth a visit. My relationship with Annecy feels complicated. The countryside was absolutely stunning. At times, however, the city of Annecy felt like a suburb of Geneva without its own identity. It was hard to find the elements of Savoie that didn’t feel overly touristy or over the top. (I really wanted to find Savoie wines to try, and they just weren’t on most menus.)

The cuisine in Annecy probably lends itself to the winter months and it just felt too heavy for summer. We visited Annecy in July, and the gnats around the canals made it impossible to stop for too long. Seriously, there were so many gnats that they showed up in my photos! (Thankfully, the gnats mostly disappeared when it rained… but rain is not ideal for sightseeing!) There were some outdoor performances in the park adjacent to the lake, which were an enjoyable diversion during our evening walks. Because the sunset in the summer is so late, we never enjoyed the magic of Annecy after dark. (It’s highly recommended and thought to be quite romantic.)

When we visited boulangeries at the end of the day, it was impossible to find baguettes. This made us wonder where the locals shop. We spent a lot of time trying to peel back the layers of the city. Many of our interactions with locals made us feel that Annecy is a popular day trip.

While I wouldn’t say it was underwhelming or not worth a visit, we were definitely impacted by rain. (I also had a lot of meetings while we were in Annecy, and that likely impacted my perspective.) We should have done more research on outdoor activities, too. We should have rented bikes to explore the lake, learned how to swim in Lake Annecy and enjoyed the outdoors. At one point during our trip planning, I considered booking a hotel outside the city center. I wish we had split our time between the old town and the countryside. It probably would have been a completely different trip.

Where to Stay in Annecy

Most of the really nice hotels in Annecy are outside of the old town, which is why I expected Annecy would feel a bit more local. We ended up renting an apartment adjacent to the vieille ville. It was in a modern high rise building with an elevator and offered plenty of space. The finishes were very modern and it was comfortable. WARNING: There is no wifi in this apartment. I was very lucky that we carry a hotspot. (We also have phone plans that allow us to use the phone as an unlimited hotspot.) I can’t remember the last time I stayed somewhere that didn’t have wifi. I made the assumption, and it was my fault that it didn’t.

The bedroom was pretty large and the bed was comfortable. We found a fan and could open the window, so we were able to overcome the lack of air conditioning. I was surprised at how warm Annecy was, given its location adjacent to the Alps. We could access about half of the closet, which was sufficient for our short stay.

Since it was the middle of our trip, I wanted to find an apartment where we could do laundry. This apartment had a washer and a small rack where we could air dry our clothes. It was sufficient, but not totally efficient. Overall, the shower was great with good water pressure. You need to pay attention to the hot water heater if you are going to do laundry and shower.

The kitchen was well equipped, and the dishwasher was a nice perk. We had all of our meals at the apartment in Annecy, and basically only went out for happy hours. There is a fantastic and very kind butcher adjacent to the apartment building. We loved everything we purchased from him. It was so tasty that we bought more products from him to take to our next destination, Beaune. We compared every butcher to him for the rest of the trip.

Last thing to know, there is no parking on-site. However, the location is pretty easy to load and unload. You can use one of the metered spaces. The building has an elevator. That was a very nice surprise because the apartment is on the fifth floor and we had our wine suitcase.

Things to Do in Annecy

We bought several travel guides for our trip to France. Though Annecy was recommended to visit, I could never totally figure out why. I scoured the internet for tours in Annecy. Like I said above, I didn’t really know what I was looking for though. I really wanted to better understand the culture, the history, and the food and wine. Fortunately, we were able to find a local guide to help us discover the history and a bit of culture.

Looking back, I would have absolutely booked a food tour in Annecy. It would have pushed me beyond my comfort zone a bit more. Additionally, I think we would have been able to better navigate the restaurant scene. (That being said, our local butcher and fromagerie provided us with excellent products that made for a great picnic!)

Walking Tour of Annecy

As with every new city, I think you should take a city tour as soon as you arrive. I think it helps better inform the rest of your trip. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that as quickly as we would have liked to in Annecy. I thought about not doing it because it was more expensive and we wouldn’t get the same benefits throughout our trip. However, I am very happy that we splurged on a guided tour of Annecy. Aude was an incredible guide and happy to spend time answering our questions from the medieval history to present day.

The Savoie region of France is interesting because of the role it played in the (eventual) formation of Italy. We learned more about it while we were visiting Torino early this year. It was fantastic to hear more about it from the French perspective while that knowledge was still relatively fresh. She used the architecture to help us better understand Annecy’s history and why it is eclectic. (There is such a stark distinction between the old buildings and the more modern and block-like architecture. She’ll talk you through that!)

We thought we had seen all the streets of Annecy, but Aude took us deeper into the city and helped us better understand its beauty. Because Annecy did feel less local than most other places we’ve visited in France, I’m glad we had a guide. If we go back, it will be because Aude opened the town up to us beyond what we could see.

Enjoy the Beauty of Lake Annecy

Lake Annecy is really beautiful. It is surrounded by a walking path, parks, and the Alps. On the evenings when it wasn’t raining, we would walk out to the lake. The ambiance was truly lovely with outdoor concerts, people playing in the parks, and generally enjoying the beauty of nature. At one point, we thought we’d try to walk around the lake, but it was much too big for that. You really do need a bike. Aude, our tour guide in Annecy, shared that it is entirely possible to swim in the lake, though swimming is not allowed in the area closest to the old town. If we went back, we would find out more about how and where to swim. You can also rent paddle boats and boats with water slides. There is no shortage of things to do in Lake Annecy.

If you haven’t noticed, we are still very much learning how to be outdoorsy people. Our experiences with nature have been limited to bike tours around Cortona, nature walks around wine resorts in Italy, and learning to embrace the quiet. While our trips to Mont St Michel have helped us become more adventurous, we are still learning.

Where to Eat in Annecy

As I mentioned above, wine and food in Annecy is somewhere that we struggled. Most restaurants felt over the top touristy, and we couldn’t completely identify what was local cuisine. Our experience in other regions of France felt very different. For this reason, I’m giving you one of my best travel tips: take a food tour in Annecy. We didn’t. It’s definitely one of my biggest regrets because I love Reblochon and would have liked to try a fondue. (All credit to Erwan, the best wine and cheese tasting in Paris for my love of this soft, stinky, delightful French cheese.)

Ultimately, since we had an apartment in Annecy, we had our meals at home. For the most part, they did not disappoint. We did have trouble finding a baguette in the late afternoon, so you’ll want to plan accordingly. I never found a fantastic Savoie cake. I could just be spoiled because it’s one of the pastries I learned to make at the Ritz Paris Ecole. (You should definitely try to find it though.)

L’Annécienne Annecy

Since we had an apartment in Annecy, we definitely took advantage of eating at home. L’Annécienne is located on the ground floor of the apartment building, and they could not have been more kind. They had a wide range of prepared foods, raw meats, and cured meats. Everything we purchased from them had fantastic flavors and was fresh. If you tell them what you are making, they will make recommendations accordingly. If you want a truly delicious sandwich, try their jambon a la truffe (ham with truffle). My mouth is watering just thinking about this, and I don’t even like cooked ham most of the time. C’est fantastique!

Fromageries in Annecy

I think we visited every fromagerie in Annecy because we wanted to try the different versions of Reblochon. We came away with two clear favorites. (The Carre Four makes a quality Reblochon if you’re in a pinch or a different area of France.)

The first fromagerie we enjoyed is Alain Michel or Cremerie du Lac. These cheeses were a bit more expensive than some of the others, but they were fresh and had great flavor. They have a wide assortment of accompanying products for a charcuterie board, as well. We saw their cheeses offered on restaurant menus as well, so it seems like they are a well-respected producer. The shopkeeper was happy to make recommendations based on when we planned to eat the cheese and what we planned to have with it. It was the first time I’ve ever thought about the fact that cheese, like wine, should be served at a perfect temperature.

Les Frox Laiterie Urbaine was another cheese shop in Annecy that we frequented. This small cheese shop was very close to our apartment. The cheesemonger was so kind and they were also happy to make recommendations based on our preferences. They had a smaller and more curated collection than Alain Michel. And, they also offered a more unique selection of cheeses. If you want to get outside of your comfort zone a bit, I would come to Les Frox. We found their cheeses to be a bit more economically priced, but the quality was just a good. (I also slightly preferred their Reblochon.)

Le 2020

We tried a couple of wine bars in Annecy, but Le 2020 ended up being our favorite. We enjoyed it so much that we ended up going back after trying a few other wine bars on the same night. (There is no shame in our game.) They have a fantastic wine cellar with so many options for wines by the glass. While I am not typically a rose wine drinker, I had a fantastic rose Bandol here. We very much enjoyed creating our own charcuterie platter with a variety of menu options. Everything was outstanding. We loved the ambiance, the service, and the overall experience here. Our only disappointment is that it took us so long to find it because the other wine bars in Annecy paled in comparison to Le 2020.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Annecy

As you can tell, we had a hard time getting beyond the surface in Annecy. Because of that, it’s hard for me to think that I want to go back immediately. Usually, I love short trips because it’s the quickest way to whet your travel appetite. When we did that in Bordeaux during December, we were back less than 3 month later (and again 3 months after that). Four days on the Route du Vin in Alsace in 2020 convinced us to go back, and we’ve returned time and time again. When we spent two weeks in Normandy last summer, we experienced enough that I knew I wanted to go back – both to some of the same places and to some new places.

I don’t believe that you need a long time to fall in love with a place, and I usually fall in love with everywhere we go. I’m not quite there with Annecy, and I’m trying to be okay with that. I believe everywhere is worth visiting, and if I don’t feel like I need to go back, it’s usually because I didn’t approach it correctly.

I think Annecy is beautiful. And, it has a bit of magic that may be even more magical at Christmastime with snow on the mountains. However, if you’re looking for the same quaint beauty that is the Alsace at Christmastime, it probably won’t be the same. If you want to ski and stay in a quaint little town, however, Annecy is the perfect gateway for that.

Bottom line: do your research on Annecy. Know why you want to go. I’m glad we went. I enjoyed learning a bit more about Savoie. We had the benefit of time because we were in France over a month. I don’t know if I would have felt the same if we had traded another destination for it. Good travel is personal. Find the places you love and not what you think will make pretty photos. Go beyond the beaten path. And, enjoy the journey for what it is, not what you wished it would have been.