3 Hours in Annecy
Between a perfect pain au sucre at breakfast and crossing the Lovers Bridge at sunset, I discovered that falling in love with a city has nothing to do with time and everything to do with timing.
I loved, loved, loved Annecy. It’s so funny how some places instantly attract you while others don’t even make a blip on the radar. We were passing through Annecy on the way home from Florence, so had very little time to visit, but those three or four hours exploring the old town, canals and lake area were more than enough for me to fall in love with the city.
First up was breakfast. Breakfast is rarely worth writing about in my opinion, but a chance stop at Remi Driot on rue de la Poste and a delicious pain au sucre (also rarely worth writing about) was a great start to the day. Our coffees were served with little almond tuiles, which were superb.
From there it was straight to the heart of Annecy and the city’s main attraction, the Palais de l’Ile. Built in the 14th century on a natural rocky island, the Palais de l’Ile has had various uses, including serving as a mint, an art school, a retirement home, a gym, a courthouse, and a prison. Nowadays, it’s the local history museum and one of the most photographed monuments in France.
We didn’t have time to visit the Chateau d’Annecy, but did spot it from various points around the city.
Like most museums in France, the Palais de l’Ile and the Chateau d’Annecy are free on the 1st Sunday of the month.
The old town and in particular rue Sainte Claire is where you’ll find the foodie action. There are hundreds of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, delicatessens and so many other specialty food stores. I was so disappointed at not being able to stay for lunch as the contemporary restaurants were particularly inviting. Instead I had to settle for picking up a few picnic items which we sampled later that day on the drive home.
Pralines seem to be huge in Annecy (the candied almond type not the Belgian chocolate type) and you could see them in all the bakery windows in brioche, croissants, meringues and in the famous Praluline from Pralus.
Before calling it a day we made the short walk through the Jardins de l’Europe to see Lac d’Annecy (Annecy Lake). The park is quiet and relaxing and the views over the lake are stunning. We then ended our 3 hours in Annecy by crossing the Pont des Amours (Lovers Bridge) and driving home to Paris.
Of course there are plenty of other things to do in Annecy but this was a fantastic introduction to this cute city in south eastern France.
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