Lake Annecy has quickly skyrocketed to one of our favorite places in France! We spent a month here during the summer and couldn’t believe how truly beautiful it was. Our days were spent swimming in the crystal clear water, wandering the streets of Annecy old town, and hiking through the French Alps. Here’s all the best things to do in Annecy France, and some helpful tips for around the lake!
Tips For Your First Visit to Annecy France
Wake Up Early: Annecy is very popular destination, especially in the summer months. You’ll want to wake up early to beat the crowds in old town. Strolling through the colorful canals with only a handful of other travelers can make such a difference.
Pick the Right Hotel Location: If you don’t have a vehicle, you’ll want to be right in the center of Annecy old town. Some great hotel options here are Impérial Palace, Le Boutik Hotel and Hotel Les Terrasses.
On the other hand, having a rental car will give you freedom to experience more of the best things to do in Lake Annecy. We recommend checking out Rivage Hôtel & Spa Annecy & La villa Du Port, which are just a short drive away.
See the Entire Lake: We absolutely loved the old town of Annecy! Yet, we didn’t realize there were so many small charming towns along the lake before our visit.
Don’t miss visiting Menthon-Saint-Bernard and Talloires. Also, you can easily stay in another nearby town for a more relaxing and quiet vacation. From there, it’s easy to drive or take the bus to get around.
Pack for the Weather: Pack your shorts and dresses, but remember you’re in the French Alps! Don’t forget a sweater and warm layers for the night time.
Make it Your Base: Many people spend 1 to 2 nights and move on, though that’s a mistake. Trust us when we say there is so many fun things to do in Annecy France!
We took awesome day trips to Zurich Switzerland, Chamonix, and more small alpine villages. You could even buy the Geneva Choco Pass and taste your way through the city!
12 Best Things to do in Annecy France
1. Explore Annecy Old Town
Old town Annecy is the heartbeat of the lake, and where all the action takes place. Aside from the traditional architecture, what makes it so unique is the canals that flow through town. It’s easy to see why they call it the Venice of the Alps!
This is where there are endless eateries, cafes, and bars are located. Make sure to check out our guide to the best restaurants in Annecy before your visit.
If you don’t know where to start in old town, head towards Pont des Amours (Lovers’ Bridge) and head into the small streets from there. Legend has it, that if two lovers kiss on this bridge they will stay together forever.
2. Hit the Weekly Market
If possible, you should plan your visit to Lake Annecy around the weekly markets. Every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday from 7-1pm, the small narrow streets of Annecy old town are filled with vendors.
We couldn’t believe how many different types of cheese we saw! There are fantastic bakery stands, butchers, rotisserie chickens. You’ll also find plenty of jewelry, clothing, and art in between all the delicious food.
On market day, we typically went out super early and stopped into PAUL bakery beforehand. After a quick breakfast, we strolled through the market and grabbed some local produce, cheese, meats, and jams to have for the rest of the week.
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3. Cycle Around Lake Annecy
One of the best things we did in Annecy France was cycling around the lake! Honestly, Lake Annecy has an immaculate bike path.
It circles the lake in its entirety, and you can stop wherever you want to swim and grab lunch. Out of the entire 42 km loop, only a small small part takes you onto the road to detour through small towns.
You can rent a bike at one of the shops in town like Cyclable or ROUL’ ma POULE. For a full day, know that it can cost around 20 to 45 Euros. The price difference usually depends on if you choose a normal or electric bicycle.
Another option is to take advantage of the free bike share program in Annecy. Simply download the Vélonecy app and sign up to get access.
Now, the catch is that only the first 30 minutes are free. After the first half hour you will be charged €1.50, and then a staggering 35 Euros for over one hour.
Obviously, Vélonecy is more meant for short trips to avoid the hefty fees. We did manage to make it around the entire lake only paying €1.50 each by planning our route around the charging station. Still, we completely understand if you’d rather not have to stress it and just rent a bike for the day.
For a short route with the free bikes, we recommend renting in Annecy old town and dropping it off 20 minutes away at the Servrier stand. From here, you can actually walk back via the lake path! Grab lunch at Le Poisson Rouge near the bike station and stop into into the L’Oasis restaurant for a drink.
4. Visit the Annecy Castle Museum
From our very first day in Annecy old town, we looked up in awe at the medieval castle above. Eventually, we had to make the short walk uphill to check it out!
Also known as Musée-Château d’Annecy, this historic castle has been transformed into a superb museum. The fortress and residence were originally built between the 12th and 17th centuries by various noble families in the Middle Ages.
This includes the Counts of Geneva, Counts of Dukes of Savoy, the Thoires-Villars family, and the dukes of Genevois Nemours. There are three different parts of the castle, which expertly display the history of the area.
We enjoyed the exhibits on nature conservation (one of the cleanest lakes in Europe!) and learning how Annecy become a hub for tourism. Lastly, the epic views looking out over the lake and Annecy old town make it a must visit.
5. Swim at the Lake Annecy Beaches
Hands down, the most magical mornings were when we jumped in our car, stopped at a small bakery, and headed to a new beach! There are so many unique places to swim around Lake Annecy.
From large, family-friendly sandy beaches to small coves and docks that stretch out over the water, there’s something for everyone here in the summertime! If you’d like to stay close to old town, you can easily walk to the popular Plage d’Albigny.
Some of our other favorites included Plage d’Angon and Plage de Menthon Saint Bernard, which you can drive, bus, or bike to. Check out out more of the best beaches in Lake Annecy before your trip!
6. Picnic at the Imperial Palace
Travelers on a luxury vacation should consider stayed at the one of a kind Imperial Palace. You can also grab dinner or a cocktail at one of the restaurants or bars on property.
With that said, one of the best things to do in Annecy France is to have a picnic on the lake right in front of it! We loved to grab snacks from the weekly market and lay out on the palace grass.
You’ll be one of many groups of people doing the same, as it’s one of the most popular places to be after work for locals during the summer. You can set up right in-front of the palace and there are two swim spots on each side to enjoy.
7. Take a Lake Annecy Boat Tour
One of the best ways to see Lake Annecy is on a boat tour! We jumped on the Compagnie des Bateaux d’Annecy, which leaves from the dock right outside of old town.
We recommend buying your tickets in advance and lining up early to have first pick of the seats. The 1.5 hour boat ride takes you on a big loop of the lake before heading back to Annecy old town. The views were unreal, and we had our camera out for almost the entire time snapping photos!
If a boat tour isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other fun things to do in Lake Annecy on the water. You can rent a paddle boat or kayak from one of the many stands along the waterfront. There are private speed boats for hire if you’d rather take a small tour.
8. Go For a Hike in Annecy France
When in the French Alps! There are endless hiking trails all around Lake Annecy.
Something we should mention right off the bat, is that many of the hikes are extremely steep. It’s important to have proper footwear and bring lots of water with you. We always recommend starting on AllTrails for an overview of the hikes in the area.
One of the nicest easy hikes starts in the town of Tallories and goes up into the nature reserve. Additionally, we recommend taking a day trip to Chamonix to hike during your stay.
9. Enjoy the Views From Paragliding Point
There wasn’t a day that went by in Annecy where didn’t see countless paragliders taking off from the mountains! While this exhilarating activity isn’t for us, we did love watching them soar majestically over Lake Annecy.
There are two fun places that you can hike or drive up to and watch them launch from. The first is somewhere we hiked ourselves to at Décollage parapente planfait. The paraglider spot is right across from an outdoor kids adventure park.
The second place we loved watching the paragliders take off from was at Zone panoramique – Vue sur le lac d’Annecy. An afternoon we’ll always remember was our fondue lunch at Chalet La Pricaz as the paragliders sailed right over our heads!
This was such a cool experience, and the views over the lake were spectacular. Be sure to arrive early for parking if you’re driving here.
10. Tour Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard
By now you can tell that Annecy is filled with history and castles that look out of a fairy tale. The place that represents this the most to us was Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard.
If you can believe it, this castle has been inhabited by same family for 23 generations! That makes them one of the oldest noble families in this region of France, with the chateau being passed down continuously since the 12th century.
The views from the castle are breathtaking and you can hike or drive up to the property. You can tour the palace and its over 100 rooms between May and September.
11. Celebrate at an Annecy France Festival
One of our best tips for visiting Annecy is to check the calendar! There are incredible festivals to attend, especially during the summer months when we were there.
Our visit just so happened to coincide with Bastille Day on July 14th. Seeing the fireworks go off over Lake Annecy on one France’s biggest national holidays was so much fun. Keep on the look out for concerts, markets, and other events during this time of year.
You’re in for a real treat if you’re visiting in the wintertime. The Christmas market takes over the streets of Annecy old town from late November to early January.
Annecy is even located under an hour from several major ski resorts in the French Alps. No matter what time of year you visit, there’s so many fun things to do in Annecy France!
12. Watch the Sunset Over Lake Annecy
Sunset is always a great time of day in Annecy! One thing we should point out is that the sun sets behind the town.
For this reason, the planked walkway on the other side of Plage d’Albigny is an awesome spot to be. You can jump on the free e-bikes we mentioned earlier from Annecy old town to get there super quickly.
We loved to end our day was on the small rock jetty at the far end of the beach for views of the mountains. It was the ideal place to bring a bottle of wine and snack plate on the water.
Have any questions about this article or want to share more of the best things to do in Annecy France? Leave us a comment below.
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
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We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
