Beautiful walkable town that’s ‘France’s own Venice’ but without the crowds

A beautiful little town in France is known as the “Venice of the Alps” thanks to its quaint canals and old waterfront homes.

Annecy lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 22 miles south of the Swiss city of Geneva – a prime location gifting the town with outstanding landscapes including snow-capped mountains in the winter and lush vegetation in the spring.

Part of the Haute-Savoie region bordering Italy and Switzerland, Annecy provides plenty of entertainment, including paddle-boarding, visits to the medieval castles in the surrounding area and shopping at the Christmas markets popping up along the canals every year. 

Those seeking a relaxing experience can spend their days in Annecy just by exploring the town on foot, as it is extremely walkable.

In fact, walking along the narrow streets of Annecy’s Old Town is the best way to visit the area built around its network of canals. 

There, visitors will be able to enjoy specialities such as tartiflette – a baked dish of sliced potatoes – in one of the many canal-side restaurants or go on a shopping spree in the local boutique delis and stores.

Those wanting to make the most of their trip can also visit lakeside villages nearby, including Veyrier-du-Lac and Menthon-Saint-Bernard, just 3.7 miles and 7.5 miles away from Annecy respectively.

Annecy is also close to the many beaches on the nearby lake, including Plage de La Brune, just a fifteen-minute drive from the centre of town.

While Annecy is popular among visitors of the nearby lake and watersports and wintersports fans, it is nowhere near crammed like Venice, which this year is ramping up measures to stave off overtourism.

After introducing a ticket for daytrippers in late April, Venetian authorities launched a new set of regulations this month, including a ban on loudspeakers and a cap on the size of tour groups.

Effects of overtourism in Venice, which welcomes more than 25 million visitors a year, have sparked warning at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which recommended last August to add the city to its list of World Heritage sites in danger. The lagoon has since managed to remain off the list.