Porte Sainte-Claire: The old town's medieval gate
The Porte Sainte-Claire is an ancient fortified gate whose weathered stones tell tales of Annecy's medieval past. Constructed in the 14th century, it stands as a powerful…
Tips and tours for explorers and travellers
Annecy City Guide
Ciceru's Annecy route follows the Thiou canal through the Vieille Ville: Porte Sainte-Claire's 14th-century gate, the arcaded Rue Sainte-Claire market street, and the Palais de l'Isle, a former prison surrounded by water on both sides, ending at the Pont des Amours.
- Country
- France
- Language
- French
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Plug
- type E
- Time zone
- Europe/Paris
- Emergency
- 112
- Tap water
- Generally safe
- Dialling code
- +33
The stops
Things to do in Annecy
Our Annecy route concentrates on the Vieille Ville's canal streets, from Rue Sainte-Claire's arcades and the Palais de l'Isle to the Jardins de l'Europe and Pont des Amours at the edge of the lake.
Rue Sainte-Claire: The arcaded market street
Musée-Château d'Annecy: The castle above the town
Palais de l'Isle: The island prison in the Thiou
Quai de l'Île: Along the Thiou canal
Ancien Hôtel de Ville: The old town hall
Église Saint-Maurice: Annecy's Gothic church
Pont des Amours: The lovers' bridge over the canal
Jardins de l'Europe: The lakeside gardens
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1 self-guided tour in Annecy
Weather & crowds
Best time to visit
June and September give the best trade-off: highs of 24°C and 21°C without August's Fête du Lac crowds and room prices. Rain falls year round, from 79mm in February to over 108mm from September on, so there is no dry month to bank on. The lake stays too cold to swim comfortably before June.
Winter
Dec–Feb-1–7°C/ 30–44°F
Few visitorsWet
- Old town without crowds
- Highs average 6.5°C, often rain or snow
- Short daylight, some lake activities close
Spring
Mar–May5–16°C/ 42–61°F
Getting busierWet
- Snowmelt swells the Thiou
- Lake too cold to swim before June
High summer
Jun–Aug14–26°C/ 57–78°F
Peak seasonWet
- Warmest water for swimming
- Priciest rooms, August books up fast
Don't miss
Fête du Lac d'Annecy fireworks (1 August 2026)
Early autumn
Sep11–21°C/ 51–70°F
BusyWet
- Warm days, thinner crowds
- Rain is heavy: 108mm on average
Late autumn
Oct–Nov5–13°C/ 41–56°F
Few visitorsWet
- Retour des Alpages festival
- Highs fall to 13°C by November, days shorten
Don't miss
Retour des Alpages, old-town parade (10 October 2026)
Transport
How to get to & around Annecy
Geneva Airport
| Line 272 coach to Gare Routiere | 45-70 min | €11.30 |
|---|
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport
| BlaBlaCar Bus direct coach | 1h20 | €14.99 |
|---|
Lyon (Part-Dieu)
| Direct TER train | 1h51 | €32.30 |
|---|
Paris (Gare de Lyon)
| TGV inOui direct | 3h43 | €32.00 |
|---|
Walking
Compact centreThe Vieille Ville and lakefront gardens sit within 15 minutes of the SNCF station on foot, and the canal streets around the Thiou are pedestrian only, so most stops link up without transport.
Cycling, voie verte
Flat lake loopA 37km voie verte path circles most of Lake Annecy on mostly car-free lanes, with rental points at the SNCF station and the Marquisats port. Flat and shaded for most of its length.
Sibra buses
Beyond the centreCovers Grand Annecy communes like Annecy-le-Vieux that the old town walk misses. A single ticket is €2.00 digital or €2.50 from the driver; no day pass, but a 10-trip carnet costs €13.00.
Taxi
Late night, luggageRanks wait at the SNCF station and Place de la Gare. Worth it late at night or with luggage, though the old town's narrow streets mean the drop-off is often still a short walk to your door.
Driving into centre
Pedestrian old townThe Vieille Ville's canal streets are a pedestrian zone and central car parks fill early in summer. Park at the edge, such as Courier, and walk in rather than circling near the canals.
Walk the old town and cycle the voie verte for the lake views. Use Sibra buses only to reach Annecy-le-Vieux or the station, and leave the car at the edge of town rather than hunting for parking.
Budget
How much does it cost to visit Annecy?
Coffee and a weekday lunch menu stay reasonable, roughly €2.50 to €20.00. Transport in costs more: the Geneva airport coach runs €6.40 to €11.30 and the Lyon airport coach €14.99 to €39.99 depending on demand. The taxe de séjour adds €0.20 to €4.90 per person, per night, on top of your room. A Sibra bus fare is €2.00 to €2.50; there is no day pass.
| Coffee at a cafe | €2.50–€3.90 |
|---|---|
| Weekday lunch menu | €14.00–€20.00 |
| Draught beer, 0.5L | €5.00–€7.50 |
| Taxe de séjour, per person/night | €0.20–€4.90 |
| Coach, Geneva Airport line 272 | €6.40–€11.30 |
| Coach, Lyon airport (BlaBlaCar) | €14.99–€39.99 |
| Sibra bus, single ticket | €2.00–€2.50 |
Cash or card?
Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere, including Sibra buses and most cafés around the canals. Carry a little cash for the Tuesday and Friday markets at Place des Romains and smaller lakeside kiosks.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Annecy
Vieille Ville
First visit, on footArcaded streets around Rue Sainte-Claire and the Thiou canal, with the Palais de l'Isle minutes from any doorway. Expensive for the space, and canal-side terraces run late on summer nights.
Albigny / Bord du Lac
Lakefront, beachesThe Jardins de l'Europe and the pleasure port at Marquisats sit here, with swimming a walk away. It is 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the old town canals, further once evening buses thin out.
Annecy-le-Vieux
Quieter, local lifeA separate commune until the 2017 merger, with its own lakefront and a university crowd rather than tour groups. A Sibra bus or the voie verte reaches the old town in 20 to 30 minutes.
Gare / Courier
Arriving by trainThe SNCF station and the Courier shopping quarter are a flat 10 to 15 minute walk from the canals. Functional rather than picturesque, and the area empties out once the shops close.
The tours
Annecy, one story at a time
€71.5 hours
Annecy: essential landmarks, a self-guided walking tour with audio and quizzes
Filippo Anzivino- Audio
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What travellers say
Safety
Is Annecy safe?
Violent crime against visitors is rare in Annecy. The real risk is opportunist theft at busy, distracted moments: the lakefront during summer events, the Tuesday and Friday markets, and crowded canal-side terraces. Gendarmerie and municipal police patrol the centre, and the steps below cover what to do if something goes wrong.
Crowded events
Bag and pocket theft rises wherever people bunch up and look elsewhere, especially the lakefront during the Fête du Lac fireworks in August and along the canal on market days. Keep bags zipped and to the front.
Cold lake water
Lake Annecy is glacial meltwater and stays cold well into June even when the air is warm. Swim at a supervised beach where posted, and take sudden afternoon squalls seriously if you are on a paddleboard or in a small boat.
Reporting a theft
An insurance claim needs an official police report. Start it with the French government's online pre-plainte service before you go in, then complete it in person at the nearest commissariat or gendarmerie.
Medical help
Call 112, the European emergency number, or 15 for the SAMU ambulance service. The nearest hospital emergency department is the Centre Hospitalier Annecy Genevois. For police, dial 17; for fire, 18.
Good to know
Good to know
Kitchens keep French hours
Lunch service generally runs to about 14:00 and dinner starts from around 19:30. Many restaurants close all day Sunday or Monday, especially outside the Vieille Ville, so check before you plan a meal there.
No cars in the old town
The Vieille Ville's canal streets are a pedestrian zone. If you have driven in, park at the edge, such as Courier, rather than looking for a space near the canals.
August books up around the fireworks
The Fête du Lac d'Annecy, a major fireworks display on the lake, falls on 1 August 2026 and fills hotels for that weekend. Book well ahead if your visit falls near it, or plan around it instead.
Questions
Annecy FAQ
Line 272, run jointly by Cars Région Haute-Savoie and Geneva's TPG, runs directly between Geneva Airport and Annecy's Gare Routiere. Faster services via the motorway take around 45 minutes, slower routes through villages nearer 70. Cross-border single tickets cost €6.40 to €11.30 depending on how many zones you cross.
BlaBlaCar Bus runs a direct coach from the airport to Annecy's bus station in about 1 hour 20 minutes, with fares from €14.99 rising with demand. Flixbus also serves the route with a stop in Aix-les-Bains, closer to 2 hours. There is no direct train from the airport station; you would need to change in Lyon.
Walk: the Vieille Ville and lakefront gardens sit within 15 minutes of the SNCF station on pedestrian streets. For the wider lake, rent a bike and join the 37km voie verte path, which circles most of the shoreline on car-free lanes. Sibra buses cover Annecy-le-Vieux and outlying communes the old town walk misses.
Yes. Grand Annecy's taxe de séjour is charged per person, per night, on top of your room rate: from €0.20 at a budget campsite up to €4.90 at a palace or 5-star property, scaled by official category. Unclassified accommodation, including many short-term rentals, is instead charged 5% of the nightly rate, capped at €4.90.
Yes, for the old town and lakefront. The Vieille Ville's canal streets are pedestrian only and small enough to cross on foot in under 15 minutes, with the Palais de l'Isle, Pont des Amours and Jardins de l'Europe all inside that stretch. Annecy-le-Vieux, across the lake, needs a bus or a bike on the voie verte instead.
June or September: highs of 24°C and 21°C, without August's Fête du Lac crowds and room prices. Rain falls year round, from 79mm in February to over 108mm from September on, so there is no reliably dry month to plan around. The lake stays too cold to swim comfortably before June.
You need an official police report for an insurance claim. Start it with the French government's online pre-plainte service before you go in, then complete it in person at the nearest commissariat or gendarmerie. In an emergency, call 112 or the police directly on 17.
Yes: a lakeside collector system built from the 1960s removed the sewage that once polluted it, and the water now ranks among the cleanest of France's large lakes. The main hazard is temperature rather than quality; it is glacial meltwater and stays cold well into June even on a hot day.