a place like Annecy?

I'm hoping my trip to Arbois, France, this fall will be like Annacy. I'll be coming from Geneva and then on to Paris, and Annecy was a bit out of the way for me.

thanks for the reply, but we're looking for a similar area in France.

Colmar in Alsace comes to mind. Gorgeous, with some water in the center (though no lake). It's very touristy, but I didn't mind that aspect of Colmar as much as I minded the throngs in the center of Annecy. YMMV.

Strasbourg is even more watery but a much larger city.

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in Provence also has canals. The twice-a-week market brings heavy tourist traffic, however.

These sound interesting. I will definitely check them out.- thanks!

Diane, if you find another Annecy in France, let us know.

Have you looked at any of the towns along the south shore of Lac Leman/Lake Geneva like Evian-les-Bains?

While I loved my week in Colmar, it doesn't have the beauty of Annecy surrounded by the mountains.

will do, Jean, but I am beginning to think there is only one Annecy- :-(. And we do love it there.

Here's the thing: there is no other place like Annecy...at least for you. There are many, many wonderful places in France, but they are all different from Annecy. Perhaps what you could do is visit several other places for a short stay, 2 days or so, and see if there is any other place you would like to come back for a week. When you love a place as much as you love Annecy, it's impossible for others to suggest anything more than a possible candidate for a future stay.

you make a very sound point, Elizabeth- thank you.

I'm a longtime Annecy skeptic and have long been puzzled why some people seem so enraptured with the town.

It's simply not that remarkable a place, in my opinion. And I've visited towns in and near mountainous areas in several places in North America and Europe.

I would second Elizabeth's comment. There are many very nice places to visit in France where French culture dominates, tourists are rare, and English even more rare. But the artificial constraints you've constructed -- a lake? why? -- block you from them.

By the way, they're almost never "farmer's" markets.They're markets containing stalls staffed by cheese sellers, green grocers, butchers, fishmongers, chicken roasters, falafel peddlers, spice merchants, and so on. Every now and then you'll find a stall representing a single farm; often an organic one selling their own produce. But those are the rare exception rather than the rule.

I think you would have to go to Italy to recreate Annecys beautiful old town on a lake feel. Of the places I’ve been in France, Collioure comes the closest. It’s on the water, it has several market days per week, it’s old and beautiful with good food (though that goes for most of France). Also like Annecy it doesn’t have many sites/museums/etc to see and has many tourists.

Bob, not speaking for anyone but myself.

My 20something self and a friend made Annecy are first stop in France many years ago. The cobblestone streets in the old town, the winding canals, the flowers in the window boxes of colorful houses, the shimmering lake--all surrounded by beautiful mountains. The people were friendly, the food delicious and the weather was perfect. For this lifelong Midwesterner, it truly was remarkable.

And, I've always been puzzled when people are surprised that anyone would want to spend time in Annecy.

Hi Diane, this isn’t an exact fit, but have you been to Menton? It has water and some of what you’re seeking. I found it charming in the old section.

And we enjoyed our stay in Annecy. We stayed at the palace hotel with the great location on the lake and enjoyed our short stroll along the promenade to the old center each day & biking, etc.

hey hey diane
we loved annecy, spent 6 nights there in late sept/early october 2019.
looked at aix les bains for day trip, never made it
thecrazytourist.com/ 15 best things to do in aix les bains france.
annecy-town.com/ lac du bourget
savoie-mont-blanc.com/ bourget, the wildest of four lakes
a short bus or train ride from annecy to the lake.
lac-du-bourget.com
villages and towns around the lake to check out (chambrey, tresserve)
francethisway.com/ tresserve
these are the places i had bookmarked, just some info and ideas for you to check out. happy holiday and have fun
aloha

@princess- thanks so much for all the links. Definitely something for me to research.

@jeanm
Appreciate your response to Bob. I couldn’t quite figure out how to say something w/o sounding a bit…well whatever, but you found the perfect words to express my exact same feelings, while still sounding very kind. Thank you!

We feel similarly about the Dordogne. We have stayed in a couple of small towns and loved it. We spent 5 nights in Annecy and loved it as well. The Dordogne has canoeing on the Dordogne river, abbeys, chateaux, gardens and in summer night markets in medieval towns (eating and dancing on the town square - different nights for different towns)

https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/perfect-place-for-murder-commarque-chateau/
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/montferrand-du-perigord-and-its-12th-century-stone-church-st-christophe/

Diane, your welcome.

Yvoire is adorable. There is less to do than in Annecy, it is a village (a touristy one), but it is a lovely spot for maybe 2 nights.