Some places people just fall in love with right away. When I traveled to Annecy, France with my mother, sister and brother we fell in love with this tiny french village. Although actually it wasn’t the first time I had been to the city! Prior I had accidentally boarded the wrong train from Grenoble when I was going to Geneva and happened to end up in Annecy, France. Didn’t see anything though so I was excited to return! From Grenoble, France, where I lived for 6 months, we boarded a train at the Gare de Grenoble for about an hour and half train trip to Annecy. By road Annecy is only 67 miles to the north of Grenoble, close to the Swiss border. Off the train and you’re immediately right in the center of Annecy. It was cold and cloudy that day but it didn’t deter us from exploring the city. People come to see Annecy by the waterfront; quaint streets and canals, many people tend to refer to Annecy as a mini Venice. We headed straight towards the old city center but stopped repeatedly to take some pictures and a chance to take in our surroundings. We stopped into a French Bakery to buy some food as we headed towards Lake Annecy, the lake that Annecy overlooks.
Like most European villages, Annecy is old and has homes that date back 1,000 years ago. That’s what makes this village unique! They have strange architecture that we don’t have today and used ancient methods to build their buildings. They have tiny back alleys and distinct garden spaces. We came across a part of Annecy that had these flowers blooming but it was the flowers combined with the backdrop of the old medieval stone that was the most interesting for me. I had to take a pic! 
Through some back alley we finally stumbled upon the famous Thiou canal of Annecy. Most of the beautiful pictures of the city are taken somewhere along the canal and it truly is a unique design. In the middle lies Palais de l’Isle (you can see it on the right hand side of the above pic); built in 1132 it served the home of Lord Annecy, the Count of Geneva’s administrative headquarters, then alternately a courthouse, a mint, a jail, and finally a museum. Many of the tourist shops are located near or on the canal and it’s where you’re going to find the highest prices. But you’re in Annecy and you want to have view of the canal! It was nearly lunchtime so we decided to have some Italian right on the canal. We were the only few people there as Annecy was not in tourist high season and still relatively cold. 
After lunch it was time for a walk on the edge of Lake Annecy. While walking we happened to witness someone accidentally falling off the walkway into the freezing water. Still early May it had to be freezing! We took some pictures of the surrounding mountains and of the lake. It was nice to see the lake quiet with nobody around. Cold yes but sometimes it’s better to be freezing and have an entire section of the city to yourself. The park on the edge of the city and the lake was also pleasantly empty. Deciding that we need to explore the city more we decided to go to Old Annecy or Annecy-le-Vieux located above new Annecy. It’s always funny to me how the older parts of France are located above the new. From the tiny hill you are able to see Musée Chateau and Hotel Chateau both offer great views of the Annecy and the surrounding mountains. We decided to not go into the Musée Chateau but instead explore the surround area. It’s only a short walk from the city center.
If you’re flying into Geneva or in the Annecy Region than a stay at Annecy should be considered. It’s only 20 miles from Geneva and can be seen in a day but that’s what makes it so appealing. The city is close to other great travel destinations and doesn’t require much of a travel change to your plans. It’s the perfect one day getaway city if you need more ideas and has all the charms to keep you intrigued! Annecy, France ftw.
images by: shawnvoyage
