Annecy
France
A canal town on the clearest lake in Europe, an hour from Geneva and forty minutes from the nearest ski lift — the base people use when the whole family does not ski
Photo by Dino Sabic on Unsplash
Photos by Raissa Lara Lütolf (-Fasel), Ian Taylor, aiden patrissi and Mariana Cassini on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of France
June to September for the lake, and December to March as a base for the nearby resorts — the old town is at its most crowded through high summer
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 110mm in May
Where it is
45.90°N, 6.13°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Cycle the lakeside path as far as Doussard
- Swim off the Plage d’Albigny early
- Buy reblochon at the Thursday market
- Take the boat to Talloires
- Drive up Le Semnoz for the view back
Annecy travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget France
Mid-rangeEuro, and cards are taken everywhere on the mountain — lift passes, huts, ski hire. Cash is still worth having for the smallest mountain restaurants, the village bakery and the car park machines. Never change money at the resort exchange desks, whose rate is built for people who have just landed.
ATMs & cards
Use a bank’s own machine in the valley town rather than the ones in the resort centre, which are usually independent and charge for the privilege. Always decline the conversion. Draw before going up: several villages have one machine and it empties over a holiday weekend.
Avoid these
- Euronet
- the independent machines in the resort centre
Use these instead
- Sparkasse
- Raiffeisen
- Crédit Agricole
- Intesa Sanpaolo
Decline the conversion. Draw in the valley town rather than in the resort, where several villages have one machine and it empties over a holiday weekend.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of France
Very safeVery comfortable. The lake is the thing to respect rather than the town: it is cold enough below the surface to cramp a strong swimmer even in high summer, and the far shore is a long way when the wind gets up. The old town cobbles are slick in the wet.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (4 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- swimming far out in the lake — the water is cold below the surface and the far shore is further than it looks
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa France visa rules
No visa needed
Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.
Other passports
No visa neededup to 90 days
90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.
Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)
A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.
How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of France
Excellent and cheapRequired to enter
No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Routine vaccinations up to date
Getting treated
EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
Very goodLake fish, which here means féra and omble chevalier, both of them local and neither of them cheap; tartiflette and reblochon from the valleys behind the town; and the Thursday market in the old town, which is where to buy the cheese rather than in a shop.
Getting around
Easy- UberWorks here
- BoltWorks here
- G7Works here
- FREE NOWWorks here
G7 the taxi fleet, by app
- Against a taxi
- Much the same. The flat airport rate is a taxi rule and the apps price against it.
Time zone and your working day
Europe/Paris — 6 hours ahead of you
2 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–11:00 your time, 15:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 03:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 03:00–11:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
Getting online
Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for France, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026
Must-see
Nearby day trips
Say a few words
French
- HelloBonjourbon-ZHOOR
- PleaseS'il vous plaîtseel voo PLEH
- Thank youMercimer-SEE
- Yes / NoOui / Nonwee / non
4 more phrases
- Excuse meExcusez-moiex-koo-zay MWA
- How much is it?C'est combien ?say com-BYEN
- The bill, pleaseL'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON
- Cheers!Santé !son-TAY
Open with bonjour before anything else. Launching straight into a question without it reads as rude, and explains a lot of reputed French coldness.
Religion
Catholic, and strictly secular
Laïcité is a constitutional principle: religion is kept out of public institutions, and conspicuous religious symbols are banned in state schools. Cover shoulders in cathedrals.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Say bonjour before anything else, every single time you enter a shop
- Keep your voice down in restaurants and on public transport
- Keep both hands visible on the table while eating, wrists on the edge
- Dress a notch smarter than you would at home — it changes how you are treated
Don't
- Do not ask for a doggy bag or substitutions; the dish arrives as the kitchen intends
- Do not start with English without at least attempting bonjour, parlez-vous anglais
- Do not tip more than rounding up — service is included by law
- Do not eat while walking; it reads as slightly uncivilised
Where to stay in Annecy
No Holistay rentals in Annecy yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Annecy on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Geneva GVA
50 minfrom the airport· 45 km as the crow flies
50 min by direct coach to the bus station.
Also worth pricing: Lyon Saint-Exupéry LYS — two hours by road or coach.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
