During our trip to Geneva, Olivia and I headed over the border and into France to visit the quaint town of Annecy.
I’d heard about this beautiful French town both from Olivia on her previous trips, and from Pinterest (my top resource for travel inspo, obviously!) and was very excited to be visiting for the day whilst on our week away in Switzerland.
The town is just 45 minutes from Geneva, where Olivia’s family live, so it didn’t take long before we were over the border and travelling into France.
Annecy is a common stop-off point for people on their way up to the mountains for skiing holidays, and is well known for its beautiful old town, with cobbled streets and pastel buildings. Its medieval heritage is obvious from the gorgeous turrets and chateaus seen above the town, and a river runs through the streets making it very picturesque.
The town sits upon Lake Annecy, which is fed from mountain springs and is known for its exceptionally clear water. This region of Europe has had very little rainfall over the past few months though, so the lake was incredibly low when we visited. Boats and pedalos were stranded at the harbour and people were even paddling out into the water because it was only calf-height!
You can see from these photos how low the water was past its usual waterline as it was running through the river; at some points it was just a trickle! It didn’t stop the town from being incredibly beautiful though.
Just look how photogenic these houses are! Imagine living in such a stunning place.
We had lunch at a restaurant on the riverside – some are a little touristy (and all are fairly expensive… remember, you’re nearly in the mountains where prices skyrocket!) but there were a few nice, authentic looking places and we ended up finding somewhere with a good deal on ‘moules frites’.
Sadly I can’t recommend it – our waiter was rather rude (I also can’t remember what it was called to warn against either… oops!)! But definitely take a look at Tripadvisor for some Old Town restaurant recommendations, as nothing beats being sat by the river with these beautiful views.
Annecy isn’t just quaint riverside houses and medieval castles though; there is a bustling modern high street and shopping centre where there are plenty of newer restaurants and shops to explore and find anything you need. With excellent transport links to the alps, I definitely think it’s worth a visit if you’re off skiing!
I couldn’t get over the crystal clear aqua blue of the lake – it was like something you’d see in a catalogue for the Maldives! It was very inviting, especially on such a hot day (it was around 23 degrees when we visited… don’t ask how I coped wearing a jumper and black jeans…), but being a glacial lake it probably would have been a little too refreshing.
Still, it made for some fun photo-taking with this gorgeous backdrop, and it was a little misty/hazy too which meant the light was just perfect for some shots!
