Annecy in France .. What to see and do in the Venice of the Alps

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Annecy in France

What to see and do in French Venice. The 8 best plans + Annecy special at Christmas + Annecy special in motorhome

Annecy in France, little Venice at the foot of the Alps

Annecy in France, is the gateway to the great French Alps and Little French Venice. Without a doubt, it is one of the most beautiful medieval cities in the Savoy French and with more history of this region.

But, above all, it is a city where harmony, beauty, tranquility and nature are breathed. Today it combines this peace with high tourism, since its appearance makes it one of the fairytale cities most beautiful in France.

A perfect city to visit on a 3-day bridge. Or to take advantage of a holiday of more days and combine it with the entire French Alps.

Annecy in France, what to see and do. The 8 best plans

1 Stroll through little French Venice. Emnanales

Annecy is famous for its beautiful old town, full of picturesque colored houses with geraniums and flowers on their balconies, old cobblestone streets and alleys with not very high arches. But not only for that, but for its channels that cross it.

That is why the city is also known as the Venice of the Alps or French Venice. And not only through the channels but also because he adopted something more from Venia: the Venetian carnival, spectacular with artisan masks (about late February and early March).

It is an essential stroll through the streets of the Annecy old town. It is the liveliest part of Annecy (France), full of souvenir shops and restaurants. It also depends on the day you go, you can find the market where you can buy good local products through the streets of the old town. If the market has not changed they did it on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings.

An option to not miss anything of the old town and a visit to Annecy is to hire a guided tour. We offer you this excursion that leaves from Geneva if you want from Civitatis of 4,5 hours super complete with good value for money: Book your guided excursion to Annecy here

2 Annecy lake in France

The image that every French person has of Annecy in FranceIt is always the same: that of Lake Annecy surrounded by the imposing mountains at the entrance to the Alps. Mountains that are reflected in the transparent and clean waters, fruit of the deglaciation, of this great lake.

27 square km of lake, one of the largest in France and the most crystalline in Europe and the world. It is undoubtedly the main recreation and leisure center of Savoy, especially in summer.

The lake scan travel on the road, a beautiful route full of incredible landscapes, small towns and essential visits such as the Duingt Castle and the Marais du Bot Nature Reserve.

So walking along the shores of this spectacular paradise lake is a must for this trip.

Inside the lake you have a thousand activities that you can do. You can swim in its many beaches, take a pedal boat or a motor boat (1/2 hour from € 15 to € 30), board a cruise ship and even eat on it (in the restaurant boat Libellule de Annecy) and walk through the lake taking beautiful photos, contemplate its ducks and swans from the bridge of lovers, take a bike ride along its bike path or with Sedway along the shore of Lake Annecy in France (90 minutes for € 50) . In addition, an activity that is also done a lot in the area is paragliding over Lake Annecy from Forzclaz or Talloires, some nearby villages.

3 Annecy castle

Dominating the city of little French Venice, is the Annecy Castle, built between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, a must-see not only for the interior of the castle but for the views that the place offers.

This spectacular monument is about a fortress built by the counts of Geneva on Mount Semnoz. In addition to the outbuildings and the parade ground, you can visit the different rooms where you can find out what daily life was like in a castle during the Middle Ages. In the last part of the tour there are very interactive and participative exhibitions for children about the city along with various art exhibitions.

In another part of the castle, you can visit an exhibition on the flora, fauna and history of Lake Annecy. It is the museum of Archeology, where the regional observatory of alpine lakes is also located. Unfortunately we find aquariums with fish that we did not like too much out of respect for responsible tourism without animals.

Hours and ticket sales to Annecy Castle. The castle can be visited from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00 from October to May, every day except Tuesday. From June to September it is open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. The normal entry price is € 4.50 and the reduced entry is € 3. Children under 12 years old is free.

4 Palace of l'Ile

This is the typical stamp and photo of this beautiful city, one of the Annecy's most characteristic monuments.

The Palais de l'Ille de Annecy is a prison and courthouse built in the XNUMXth century, located in the center of Thiou, the most famous canal, at the entrance to the old city.

You can visit this curious prison every day, except on Tuesdays like the Castle. The hours are from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00 between October and May, and daily from 10:30 to 18:00 from June to September. The price of admission is € 4 per adult.

5 Le Paquier, the gardens of Europe and the bridge of lovers of Annecy

Undoubtedly, Le Paquier, the Jardines de l'Europe and the bridge of lovers (ponts des amours) are three of the places where you should go for a walk, sunbathe or even have a good picnic.

The Annecy Gardens of Europe It is a large green urban park that is located on the banks of Lake Annecy, it is a beautiful landscaped space. Full of huge trees, like secuollas, and in the blue lake of Annecy you will also find beautiful swans and ducks.

In the Gardens of Europe, you will find the bridge of lovers, on the Canal de la Vasse, a place where they say that those who kiss at its center, will stay together for life.

In front of the gardens of Europe and in front of the Annecy tourist office we find Le Paquier, which ends up being a park extension with grass next to a beautiful canal full of original boats.

6 Festivals: International Animated Film Festival and Lake Annecy Festival

Little French Venice has two highly recommended festivals to visit.

Le Paquier, next to the Jardines de Europa, becomes special if you go during the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (during June) Every night in these gardens, during the festival, they show a free animated film that will surely delight children and adults alike.

And also, another essential visit to Le Paquier and the European Gardens of Annecy is during the Annecy Lake Festival. During that festival, from there you can see an incredible pyrotechnic show, one of the most outstanding in all of France and from all over Europe. The Lake Festival takes place annually on the first Saturday of August. If you can, don't miss it. Apart from the fireworks show, also in the surroundings of Le Paquier you will find paraditas of all kinds and a lot of life in the center of the city.

7 Visitation Monastery

Undoubtedly, one of the most striking monuments of the city at the door of the French Alps is this sanctuary built between 1909 and 1930 next to the monastery of the Order of the Visitation. Today, the remains of its founders, San Francisco de Sales and Santa Juana de Chantal, are preserved in the church, making it a pilgrimage center. The most impressive feature is its towering tower, over 70 meters high. height, it is beautiful.

Visiting hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 14:00 p.m. to 18:00 p.m. It is also a good place to have good views of the lake and the city.

8 Mountain routes through Annecy in summer or skiing in Annecy in winter

In Annecy you can do many excursions and routes.

In summer you can go hiking and contemplate the beauty of the lake through beautiful forests and hills. In winter you can go snowshoeing or skiing on the hills themselves.

Here are some proposals:

Walk practicing Hiking or mountain bike in summer or go to equine, tobogganing or snowshoeing in winter around the semnoz, where you can go by car, motorhome or camper to the large parking lot up to the peak and contemplate a great viewpoint of the lake and the Alps.
Do a short one hour trekking easy through the Gorges of Fier, located 10 km from Annecy. A route between footbridges installed by the throat. This excursion, but, you can only do it from April to September and it has a cost of entry of € 6 per adult.

Annecy special in France at Christmas. What to see in Annecy

Annecy Christmas Market

Annecy at Christmas has a beautiful Christmas market that you cannot miss.

El Christmas market It is located on the streets of the old city.

And of course, you can enjoy the best french christmas sweets, chocolate pancakes, the best mulled wine French and even some good fresh oysters. A wonder of French gastronomy for those cold Christmas nights.

Visual and musical Christmas show at the Town Hall

Another of the things you cannot miss in the little French Venice at Christmas is the light and color show with music from the Annecy Town Hall.

Un free audiovisual show beautiful that takes place on the facade of the City Hall of Annecy, which our children loved.

Where to eat in Annecy in France

Typical gastronomy of the French Savoy

Gastronomy is always a key factor for any traveler, right? So we don't forget her on any trip. And even less being in France.

In Savoy there are typical products that you should not forget to try. The reblochon cheese is one of the most typical and with it the delicious tartiflette is made, a dish based on potatoes, onions, bacon, reblochon cheese and cream, all well au gratin normally served in a clay plate and which is delicious. You will see it in almost all restaurants, we recommend you try it.

Other typical recipes are fondues, a classic of French gastronomy, as well as savory and sweet crêpes. Of course, in France you don't eat badly.

Annecy Restaurants

We recommend you let yourself go through the streets of the old city and go to any of the restaurants. There are more expensive and cheaper, of all kinds.

What we advise you is to ask for the lunch menu or the dish of the day. And remember that if you want to save something, ask for tap water ("a cagaf do", as I write it as it is pronounced).

Where to sleep in Annecy

Annecy in motorhome

Annecy has a free area with all the services for motorhomes. It was here that we were lucky to spend the night with our motorhome.

The motorhome area of Annecy is only 10 places (of which 5 at least were people living permanently from what we saw), a miracle to find a place. Now it is a good area 15 minutes from the center on foot, for a great walk around Lake Annecy and in front of a beach on the same blue lake, for summer.

If you go to the area in winter, the water will be closed due to frost, so remember to bring your full water tank before. In this sense, if you go in winter look at this post of what you should not do in a motorhome with cold and snow, it will go well: To the snow in a motorhome. What you should never do!

The GPS coordinates of the free motorhome area of Annecy these are: 45.890682,6.138803 . Click on the coordinates to open the maps.

There are also car parks on the same road as the motorhome area of Annecy and closer to the center where you can stay overnight, the only bad thing is that they are paid and some have a height limit.

But how free alternative to park and sleep in a motorhome and also 10 minutes from the center of Annecy there is another very charming place where you can park. This is the Monastery parking and Basilica of the Visitation of Annecy, which I have previously mentioned.

The GPS coordinates of this free alternative parking in Annecy in France these are: 45.892799,6.127000 . Click on the coordinates to open the maps.

A part, if you want the comforts and services of a campsite in Annecy you have the Annecy camping, a municipal camping called de Belvédère, a 20-minute walk from the city center. The Annecy campsite is closed from October to March, so call ahead for anything or check their website: http://www.annecy-camping-municipal.fr/

Hotels in Annecy France

As with the restaurant theme, there is a wide range of hotels, hostels, hostels and apartments for tourist rental.

At the hotel level we always look for them on Booking or other platforms to book hotels.

In Annecy, a hotel can cost between € 60 and € 150, if you book in advance you can certainly get a good price.

If you are interested in us when we travel by car and hotel, we always do so by searching these platforms:

Requirements to travel to France that you must take into account

What documentation should I bring to France?

If you are Spanish, the only documentation you should bring is your current ID, since France is within the European Union. Remember that minors under 18 years of age, who are not obliged in Spain to have ID, must do it beforehand and take it during the trip.

What documentation should my dog bring to go to France?

If you travel with your pet, you must carry his animal passport. This is like an animal health card that serves internationally. It will be issued by your trusted vet for around € 30 to € 50.

Apart from that passport, your animal must have a certificate from the vet that it is vaccinated against rabies and is older than 6 months.

Do I have to carry travel health insurance?

In France you can travel with the European health card and at any mishap you can go to a French hospital with it and they will attend you at no cost. Remember to make the card about 3 months before, because sometimes it takes more than the bill, especially summer time. It is done online in the social security website.

On the other hand, travel insurance never hurts since it not only gives you private medical coverage in any country, but you have benefits at the level of theft or loss of luggage or any other mishap on the trip.

If you are interested in travel insurance for us, the best is IntermundiaL, with which we usually travel. They also let us offer you a 20% discount on travel insurance if you contract it by adding the coupon code KUCAVANA