Annecy in a day
A day trip to Annecy from Geneva or Lyon: the old town and the Thiou canals with the Palais de l'Isle in the morning, a boat cruise on Lake Annecy, ice cream at the Glacier des Alpes and the Jardins de l'Europe, then the Château d'Annecy, the Pont des Amours, the lawns of Le Pâquier by the lake and the view from the Basilica of the Visitation. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 1 days
Annecy in 1 day
Day 1
Annecy old town and the Thiou canals
Lanes of pastel arcaded houses along the canals of the river Thiou, with flower boxes, small bridges and cafes by the water.
Palais de l'Isle
Twelfth-century island building shaped like a ship's prow in the middle of the Thiou, once a prison, now a small history museum.
Lake Annecy boat cruise
Boat tour on Lake Annecy, one of the cleanest lakes in Europe, with the Alps rising round its turquoise water.
Glacier des Alpes
Busy ice-cream parlour in the old town with a long wall of flavours, a favourite stop on a warm afternoon.
Jardins de l'Europe
Shady lakeside park of tall old trees by the boat landing, between the old town and the lawns of the Pâquier.
Château d'Annecy
Hilltop castle of the Counts of Geneva above the old town, now a museum of regional art and the Alpine lakes, with views over the roofs.
Pont des Amours
The little Lovers' Bridge over the Vassé canal, with moored boats below and the lake and mountains framed beyond.
Le Pâquier lakeside lawn
The wide public lawn by the lake, where people picnic and lie in the sun with the mountains across the water.
Basilica of the Visitation
Twentieth-century basilica on the hill above the town, holding the relics of Francis de Sales, with a terrace over the lake and town.
When to go to Annecy
Late spring to early autumn is the best time, when the lake is warm enough to swim and the boats run often; July and August are the busiest months. The Fête du Lac, a big fireworks show over the water, is held in early August, and the Annecy animation film festival in June. Winter is cold and quiet, with snow on the mountains round the lake.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Annecy on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Annecy on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Annecy on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for France from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Annecy
- The market fills the old town streets on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings: come on one of those days if you can.
- The Château and the Palais de l'Isle are closed on Tuesdays outside summer: avoid a Tuesday from October to May.
- Lake boat tours run most often from spring to autumn; check the timetable and on summer days buy tickets at the lakeside kiosks early.
- On summer weekends the old town is very crowded: arrive early, and come by coach or train rather than car, as parking fills up.
- Bring a swimsuit in summer: the lake is clean and there are free beaches along the shore, a short walk or bike ride from the centre.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Basilica of the Visitation: Another one of my pictures: This photograph was taken by Medium69 (William Crochot) and released under the license stated below. You are free to use it for any purpose as long as you credit the author (William Crochot), the Source (Wikimedia Commons) and the license (CC-BY-SA 4.0) in close relation to the image. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source RAW. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Château d'Annecy: Kemper Boyd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jardins de l'Europe: Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Annecy boat cruise: Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palais de l'Isle: The original uploader was Droopy nico at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 1.0
- Pont des Amours: fr:User:Semnoz, Public domain
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
