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Travel guide
Annecy
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June and September (July to August for swimming)
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Welcome
Annecy, in a few days
Annecy sits on a narrow strip between the Semnoz and the northern tip of a 27 km² glacial lake whose water is still clean enough to drink. That narrowness shapes any visit: in July and August the town takes in far more people than its lanes, beaches and car parks can hold.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The old town and the Palais de l'Isle · about 1 h 30The Thiou runs through the old town to the triangular 12th-century Palais de l'Isle, a former mint, courthouse and prison whose cells survive.
- Afternoon · Annecy Castle · about 1 h 30Vaulted rooms of Savoyard art and Alpine archaeology, plus an Alpine lakes observatory with aquariums that children tend to like best.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Alpes€120 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · A cruise on Lake Annecy · about 1 h 30Take the stopping service round the lake rather than a set cruise: it doubles as transport, so you can lunch at Duingt or Talloires.
- Afternoon · Jardins de l'Europe and the Pont des Amours free · about 45 minA lakeside arboretum of some hundred tree species, including sequoias, linked by the Pont des Amours to the Pâquier across the willow-lined Vassé canal.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Splendid Hôtel€150 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Cycling the lakeside greenway · half a dayA flat, three-metre-wide path from Annecy to Doussard, with stops for a swim at Sévrier, Duingt's castle and the reedbeds of Bout du Lac.
- Afternoon · Impérial Beach · half a dayThe town's best-equipped beach, with lawns, play areas and views of the Dents de Lanfon; the only municipal beach that charges in high summer.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Pré Carré€160 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Albigny Beach free · half a dayA free, tree-shaded lawn beach twenty minutes' walk from the centre, with a gentle slope into the water and lifeguards in July and August.
- Afternoon · Col de la Forclaz · about 1 h 30The fullest view over the lake, 1,150 metres above Talloires, and one of Europe's main paragliding sites, with tandem flights landing at Doussard.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Allobroges Park Hôtel€135 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €125 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June and September (July to August for swimming)
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/annecy
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.