Annecy · FR
Annecy Highlights: Old Town & Lake
Medieval canals, a hilltop castle, and the Alps' prettiest lakefront in one easy stroll.
What's the walk about?
Welcome to Annecy, the enchanting lakeside town often called the Venice of the Alps. Set where a medieval old town of pastel houses and flower-lined canals meets the clearest lake in Europe, Annecy feels almost too pretty to be real. On this gentle stroll we will trace the Thiou canal through arcaded streets and over ancient bridges, climb to the castle of the Counts of Geneva for a sweeping view across the rooftops, and finish on the shimmering lakefront with the Alps rising straight from the water. Comfortable shoes and an eye for reflections are all you need.
What you'll see
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1
Château d'Annecy
Castle
Perched on its hilltop, the Château d'Annecy has guarded the old town for some eight centuries, its great Queen's Tower rising above a cascade of slate rooftops. Once the fortress of the Counts of Geneva, it offers the finest first view over the town and its shimmering lake.
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2
Rue Sainte-Claire
Street
Annecy's arcaded high street runs through the heart of the old town, lined with pastel facades and long covered walkways of rounded stone arches. It leads to the medieval Porte Sainte-Claire and hides the house where a famous learned academy was born.
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3
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre
Cathedral
Tucked into the old town's lanes, this modest 16th-century cathedral became the refuge of the exiled bishops of Geneva and earned Annecy the title Rome of the Alps. Saint Francis de Sales was ordained within its walls, and a young Jean-Jacques Rousseau once sang in its choir.
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4
Pont Morens
Bridge
The Pont Morens is the oldest bridge in Annecy, a stout stone crossing over the Thiou first raised in the 13th century. From its parapet unfolds the classic postcard view of flower-decked quays and the island palace downstream.
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5
Palais de l'Île
Palace
The iconic prow shaped stone building marooned in the middle of the Thiou canal, and Annecy's most photographed landmark. First raised in the twelfth century, it has served in turn as a fortress, a mint, a courthouse and a prison.
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6
Église Saint-Maurice
Church
A wide Flamboyant Gothic church on the canal, founded in 1422 as a Dominican chapel and the oldest church in Annecy. Its plain exterior hides a dim interior covered in rediscovered medieval frescoes and painted funeral panels.
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7
Hôtel de Ville
Town Hall
Annecy's neoclassical town hall, built between 1847 and 1851 where the Thiou canal finally meets the lake. Its symmetrical ashlar facade and columned portico mark the threshold between the medieval old town and the open lakefront.
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8
Jardins de l'Europe
Garden
A leafy lakeside arboretum on the point where the Thiou canal meets Lac d'Annecy, laid out in 1863 and planted with giant sequoias, an ancient ginkgo, and hundreds of trees from around the world.
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9
Pont des Amours
Bridge
Annecy's famous Bridge of Lovers, an elegant 1907 iron footbridge over the Canal du Vasse, with a postcard view straight down the lake to the Alps.
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10
Le Pâquier
Lakefront
The wide grassy esplanade along the shore, Annecy's beloved picnic and sunset spot, with a sweeping open panorama across the lake to the Alps.
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