Before Anne, I didn’t even know about Anne. Initially we booked a flight from Nice to return to London for a week, but during a quick night trip from Nice to Google I came across a completely irrelevant article about Annecy and Colmar. The more I read about the cities, the more I wanted to explore these beautiful places. One thing led to another, and we spontaneously cancelled our flight to London and decided to change it for a trip up the eastern region of France, starting with this small alpine town, Annecy.

Despite the fact that Annecy (and Colmar) is full of tourists when we visited, still relatively unknown, unexplored cities compared to many other tourist-filled cities in France. Annecy has nothing like three hour lines to visit any attraction, as it is a small town, after all, with a handful of streets. However, it is the nature of this small town and its completely magical surroundings – sitting at the mouth of Lake Annecy and the French Alps, with its streets stretched through numerous canals – that fascinates and captivates those who come here to visit.

For a city comparable in size to a couple of Parisian counties, Annecy has a very small space. The general feeling of the city makes me remember the French version of Venice with its colorful background, located above countless channels, in the geographical surroundings of Lucerne, surrounded by a lake and mountains.

One of Annecy’s main attractions is the Palazzo de l’Isle (the triangular building you see above), which once housed a castle, a courthouse, a mint and a prison.

Annecy also has one of the shortest rivers in France – Le Tiou, which opens to Lake Annecy in just 3.5 kilometers. While the river is only a few kilometers long, the overhanging streets of Le Tiu and the endless boats lined up along the river create one of the most beautiful places, especially in autumn when the leaves begin to turn yellow. It is so hard to choose favorites when it comes to Annecy, but below is one of my favorite places in this magical place…

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How unbelievable is it?! The bridge at the end of the river, where Le Thiou opens to Lake Annecy, is known as Pont des Amours (or Bridge of Love). This is a magical place where the legend says that anyone you kiss can just be with you forever!

If you head towards Lake Annecy, you will be met by one of the cleanest waters in France, as well as the opportunity to take a ferry across the sea to visit some other cities located on the lake. Tallloire and Menton St. Bernard are popular options. Or rent a boat with pedals, like us, and try to cross it on pedals!

If you are in Annecy on Sunday, don’t forget to check out the weekly market, which is only open on that day. There is a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables if you want to stock up on the fridge in your apartment, as well as hot food and baguettes (and cheese with nougat!) if you just want to come for lunch.

The cafe that we loved was L’original. It is located on the main street of Annecy and serves super appetizing dishes. And if you are hungry for pizza (we always think so!), then Little Italy, which is just a couple of stores downstairs, will cover you for dinner. However, my favorite diner in Annecy should be this random opening named Pauvert Traiteur. It is a delicacy, and although it was not listed on TripAdvisor, it was super popular and filled with locals ordering food every morning. The ordering system can be a bit confusing at first, and you’ll need your “bonjour, un *priempt to read the food label* s’il vous plait” and “merci” here (thanks, school French), but every minute you spend in line and every line of broken French is worth it because they have a crazy selection of salads, meat, baked goods and snacks! Guys, you should visit this delicacy!

Of course, do not forget to stop at the boulanger and pick up the ice cream on the way. The Glacier (gelato) stores are lined up on the main street like no tomorrow – I’m sure I counted about 8 in space of about 10 stores when we walked down the street!

Annecy definitely has its fair share of tourists lately and I’m sure it will only become more and more popular as more people start to hear about and visit the Haute-Savoie area, so be sure to put it on your list as soon as possible. There are so many things that are loved in Annecy. It is such a majestic little place filled with flowerbeds, where you can place a flowerbed, canals, river.

Annecy definitely has its fair share of tourists lately and I am sure it will only become more and more popular as more and more people start to hear and visit the Haute-Savoie area, so be sure to include it in your ASAP list as soon as possible. There are so many things that are loved in Annecy. It is such a majestic little place filled with flowerbeds, where you can place a flowerbed, canals, river, lake and sit right on the edge of the Alps. The atmosphere is quiet, but noisy. It is romantic and charming and a bit like something from a fairytale story. Small enough to be called its own, but big enough to provide a few days of exploration and miracles. I liked it here so much. you should visit this charming city in France!