Annecy Half-Day Tour from Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland
Rating: 
Trip Type: Bus & Minivan Tours
Duration: 5 hours or 8 hours
Dubbed the ‘Venice of the Alps,’ the French town of Annecy is a feast for the eyes (and all the other senses, really). Board a coach in Geneva for an easy 1-hour drive to this romantic village at the base of the snowcapped Alps. Follow your guide on a brief introduction of charming Annecy Old Town to visit iconic Palais de l'Isle, Château d’Annecy and glittering Lake Annecy, the third-largest lake in France. Afterward, you'll have 1.5 hours to spend as you please in this storybook Alpine town. Choose from a morning day tour or afternoon half-day tour.
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Dubbed the ‘Venice of the Alps,’ the French town of Annecy is a feast for the eyes (and all the other senses, really). Board a coach in Geneva for an easy 1-hour drive to this romantic village at the base of the snowcapped Alps. Follow your guide on a brief introduction of charming Annecy Old Town to visit iconic Palais de l'Isle, Château d’Annecy and glittering Lake Annecy, the third-largest lake in France. Afterward, you'll have 1.5 hours to spend as you please in this storybook Alpine town. Choose from a morning day tour or afternoon half-day tour.
Board an air-conditioned coach in central Geneva and relax on the 1-hour drive across the Switzerland–France border to Annecy. Admire the majestic Alps while learning about the area from your guide.
You’ll immediately discover why this enchanting French mountain town is nicknamed the ‘Venice of the Alps.’ The crystal-clear River Thiou, a runoff of Lake Annecy, forms a series of small canals that run through Old Town. These picturesque waterways are framed by colorful houses and flowering balconies, with the Alps rising steeply in the distance.
After some free time for lunch (morning tour only), follow your guide on a 30-minute walking tour of Annecy’s highlights. In Old Town, wander medieval pedestrian lanes lined with shops, markets, terraced cafés, restaurants and bars, and pause for photos in front of Palais de l’Isle, a 12th-century island fortress that once housed a prison; it's the perfect vantage point to capture Annecy’s charm.
Visit hilltop Château d’Annecy, a castle where the Counts of Geneva once resided. Today it serves as a museum with exhibits showcasing regional artwork, 15th-century furniture, models of Alpine chalets and an observatory on the history of Lake Annecy.
Enjoy 1.5 hours of free time after your tour. Explore by foot, rent a bike for a ride around the lake, or perhaps indulge in a typical Savoyard meal — melted cheese, charcuterie and potatoes are the stars of this soul-satisfying mountain cuisine. (Food and activities at your own expense.)
Once you're done exploring, reconvene with your group for the drive back to Geneva.
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