One Day in Annecy, France
Annecy was a spontaneous day trip and I am so glad that we did it. If you put me near water and mountains together, chances are you will see my entire personality change.
We spent the day in Annecy on our way home from a weekend on Làc Leman (or Lake Geneva) in France and Switzerland. We stayed in Evian-les-Bains, on the French side, but flew in and out of Geneva, on the Swiss side.
On our last day, our flight wasn’t until pretty late into the evening and we wanted to make the most of the time we had left. Annecy wasn’t too far out of the way between Evian and Geneva so we had breakfast at our hotel and then packed up and headed there (luckily we had a rental car already).
It’s often called the Venice of the Alps because it is built on canals, but unlike Venice, here you will find incredible mountain views. The architecture is like a storybook village and you walk right from this picturesque little village, where you can wander cobblestone streets and canals, out onto a beautiful crystal clear lake where you can see the mountains and wander in the woods. It’s really a perfect combination. They also have particularly fun playgrounds (something that is always mentally noted on our trips).
We found an easy public parking lot and headed into town. We mostly just planned to wander around and see what caught our eye, but then we ran into some friends from Naples who had been on our flight to Geneva and spent the whole long weekend in Annecy. They recommended renting e-bikes to ride on the path around the lake and renting one of the small speed boats to actually go out onto the lake. One thing about me — you don’t have to suggest either of those things twice.
Boat Rental: we were able to just walk up to someone at one of the piers by the port and rent directly from them, no pre-booking needed. You can also check out this Annecy Boat link.
E-Bike Rental: We rented from Vélo du Lac. Again, we didn’t pre-book and just walked up since this was a spontaneous day trip. I would think during peak season, things like e-bikes would sell out quickly so pre-arranging them would probably be best.
Whether it’s a day trip from Geneva or somewhere else in the Alps, or your only destination, I absolutely think Annecy is a must see in this part of France.
