About this place
Le Pâquier is Annecy's great lakeside meadow, roughly seven and a half hectares of open lawn running right along the shore where the city meets the water. Its name comes from the old Savoyard word for pasture, a reminder that this was once common grazing land. The Menthon family gave a large parcel to the town around 1610, and over the following centuries the city planted shaded linden alleys and assembled the ground into one vast public promenade. Often called the Champ de Mars of Annecy, it is the heart of civic life, hosting festivals, concerts, picnics, and the famous summer fireworks over the lake. The main draw is simply the view, an uninterrupted panorama across the brilliant blue water to the Alpine peaks beyond.
Key facts
- 7.5 hectares — The open green esplanade stretches along the shore of Lac d'Annecy
- 1610 year — The Menthon family gave the town a large parcel of this lakeside pasture
- 1850 year — By the mid 19th century the land had been assembled into one vast public esplanade