Annecy is one of the most popular summer destination spots in France, particularly in the French Alps. This small Alpine town located in southeastern France sits on the north shore of Lake Annecy. Most well known for its incredibly picturesque old town, Vieille Ville, with its cobblestone streets, meandering canals and pastel colored, timbered houses, Annecy provides the backdrop for a perfect summer weekend getaway.

We’d recommend 3-4 days max and limiting your trip to months with nice sunny weather. The main attractions are Vieille Ville, Lake Annecy and the surrounding mountains and castles. You’ll be spending time walking around the old town, biking around the lake, taking small boat trips and hiking, so nice weather is pretty essential.

Where to Stay

First, let us tell you where NOT to stay. Do not stay in the shitty hotel that we had booked on our first trip here. Les Trésoms Lake and Spa Resort was one of the worst hotels we’ve ever stayed at. The room was impossibly small. There was about 6 inches of space around the bed with more furniture jammed into the room than you could climb over. You could hear your neighbors breathing from the other room. The staff was impossible to deal with. The maids kept insisting on leaving the windows open so our room was filled with bugs every night when we returned. The front desk was zero help, lost our reservation for bikes, wasted our time whenever we asked for their help. And, finally the hotel is far from the lake and about a 2 mile walk up and down a dark road with no sidewalk and cars blasting past you to get into town. Long story short…do not under any circumstances stay at Les Trésoms Lake and Spa Resort.

Other Places to Consider

Impérial Palace

Le Boutik Hotel

Rivage Hôtel & Spa Annecy

Things to Do

Bike Ride Around Lake Annecy

The best way to do this is to rent e-bikes and simply follow the bike path around the lake. We used Cyclable Annecy and their bikes were fantastic as was their customer service. However, there are dozens of bike rental shops around the town. Make sure that you book a reservation in advance though so that you make sure you get a bike. In the high season the selection can be extremely picked over and lines long if you wait till the last minute. The shops on the north and east end of Annecy tend to be less busy than those on the southwest side of the town.

There are tons of little towns and beaches to stop at as you make your way around the entire lake. Some highlights are the many castles that surround the lake, like Chateau de Menthon-Saint-Bernard, which Walt Disney used as his basis for the castle in Sleeping Beauty, Castillo de Annecy and Chateau de Montrottier.

There are also many beaches to stop at along the way…

Check out this website for some recommendations on which beaches to go to.

For some other recommendations on where to stop while cycling check out these websites as well HERE, HERE and HERE.

Castles

Whether you stop at these castles by way of car or as part of your bike ride around the mountain, make sure that you don’t miss out and at least stop at one. If you’re only going to stop at one castle on your trip, make it Chateau Menthon-Saint-Bernard. The castle has a lot of really well preserved rooms to tour and hosts some pretty fun events as well. Make sure to check their website for any events that may be planned during your trip. The other castles of interest are Castillo de Annecy, Chateau de Montrottier and Chateau de Fésigny.

Wine tastings

Annecy offers quite a few wine tastings for you to enjoy some wonderful French Wine often paired with cheese. Check out these offerings below:

French Wine and Cheese Tasting

Annecy: Cheese and Wine Tasting

Experience Mont-Blanc

Wine & Macaroon Tasting Cruise on Lake Annecy

Wine Tasting Cruise on Lake Annecy

Activities on the Lake

There are dozens of places to rent kayaks, paddle boards, paddle boats, boats even a license-free motor boat. There’s even wake boarding and water skiing available as well. Check HERE for other options. And, click HERE for paragliding.

Hiking

The easiest hike around Annecy is The Semnoz. Take your car, and go to the top of the Semnoz, there is lots of parking places. From there, you will have amazing viewpoints on the lake and moutains surrounding it. If you want to add a little adventure you can book a downhill mountain biking excursion that leaves from the peak.

Another easy hike is Mount Veyrier. This hike starts from the town of Annecy le Vieux and Veyrier. It will take a few hours of hiking through mostly well shaded wooded areas to make it to the peak where you will experience a fantastic view of the lake below. However, if you’d prefer it is also possible to go directly to the top of Mount Veyrier by car, using the “col des contrebandiers.” From this parking area it is just a short walk to the viewpoints. Another short walk with a really nice view can be found by following the signs that say “Talabar”, which is a small meadow with one the best views of Annecy.

Other Nice Towns to Visit Near Annecy

Yvoire, is an adorable medieval village which is consistently listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. Here you will enjoy a visit to its stunning castle and small local craft shops.

Evian-les-Bains, a small but world famous town known for its mineral water. The walk in the centre and along the lake is very pleasant.

For even more details of things to do check out this WEBSITE as well.

The Annecy Lake Festival

A must-see anyone visiting Annecy in the first week of August is the Annecy Lake Festival. This amazing pyrotechnic show takes place every year on the first Saturday of August and is the biggest in Europe.

Fireworks are shot off from Lake Annecy and stands are built everywhere around Paquier so everyone can enjoy a decent view. There are around 46 000 paid seats, and the event often attracts upwards of 100,000 people, but the show is big enough that you can view it from nearly anywhere.

For booking information check Annecy’s Offical Website.