The beautiful city of Annecy has an enviable location at the north-west corner of Lac d’Annecy. That lakeshore setting, with an impressive sweep of mountains beyond, makes Annecy a superb spot for a weekend break or longer stay. With a good range of regional and longer-distance rail services (including regular TGVs direct from Paris), Annecy is an excellent base for excursions into the higher regions of the French Alps and nearby Switzerland.

The ancient core of the city lies immediately below the castle (the Château d’Annecy) which dominates the townscape. There’s a watery theme to the Old Town, with many fine buildings lining the canals which drain from the lake. No surprise perhaps that some people compare Annecy with Venice. Make time for evening walks through Annecy’s historic centre and along the lakeshore and don’t move on too quickly. This is a town which repays those who are not in a hurry.

The railway station, about a ten-minute walk north-west of the Old Town, has a striking new glass building. From here, there are half a dozen high-speed TGV trains each day to Paris (generally taking well under four hours to reach the capital).

Regional trains normally run once each hour from Annecy to the nearby towns of Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains and Saint-Gervais (for Chamonix). There are regular regional express services to the Rhône Valley towns of Lyon and Valence. SNCF runs twice-daily express buses from Geneva (for which tickets can be purchased on our site). The fastest buses take just 70 minutes from Geneva to Annecy.