Hi,
I am planning a trip to France in early June and am very interested in seeing the french alps. Is it better to stay in Chamonix for all the hiking and glacier, etc. Or Annecy for what it has to offer? Also can Annecy be a day trip from Chamonix?
Thanks and let me know what you all think!
Rdcat,
I'm planning a trip to the same area & had a difficult time deciding, so we plan to stay in both places!
The answer to your dilemma will be determined by what you want to see & do there.
Annecy is about 2Hr 15min away via train ride (with 1-2 changes), but if you have a car, you can get there in a little over an hour (according to rome2rio.com).
Here are some websites you may find helpful:
Enjoy!
Hi,
we will be traveling to the same area just a couple of weeks later. We are tentatively planning to stay in Chamonix for 2 nights and Annecy for one. Would be interested in hearing if these plans should be reversed? It is just my husband and me and we will be traveling by car. We especially enjoy small villages. Thanks for letting me tag onto your question.
Lisa
Hi everyone,
We will be getting there by train but then can rent a car. Don't know how many days yet as still in planning stages ([probably about 3). No kids so just my husband and myself. It sounds like it can be a day trip but might be worth it to stay a night as well and split the time up. So much to think about!!!
Having a car is good. We (my wife and 2 kids) spent 5 nights in Annecy and 2 nights in Chamonix last summer. Annecy was better suited for the kids (who were not going to go on long hikes) so that split worked for us. If was just me and my wife we probably would have done it the other way.
In Chamonix there's 2 full days worth of 5 star medium effort (in terms of hiking) activities. After that it is all about how much hiking you want to do.
Annecy is a wonderful town to hang out in - one of my favorites - and there's many places nearby to drive to. I would say 1 night Annecy and 2 nights Chamonix based on your plans.
-Matt
Hi Matt, Thanks for your suggestions. Can you get a map of the hikes you are talking about at the TI? We would love to do a couple of hikes in the short time we have. Thanks again!!!!!!
Yes, definitely. Rick covers most of them in his guidebook too.
If you are arriving in Annecy by train and spending only a day or 2 there before heading to Chamonix, I would suggest skipping the car until you leave for Chamonix. Annecy traffic and parking can be terrible, and it's a great city for walking. We've been there 3 times, once for a week, and never had a car. There is decent bus service to towns on both sides of the lake, and excellent bus service in the city, as well as bike rentals.
That sounds great ....thanks for all the suggestions.
Both are worthwhile for a visit, and try to stay overnight two nights or more in each. We stayed there nights in Annecy and did Chamonix as a day trip with rental car. I agree with the part about parking being hard in Annecy. We arrived at 11 at night and it was a nightmare. Often your hotel will have arrangements with a specific garage, be sure to ask. Things often cloud up later in the day at Chamonix, all the more reason to stay overnight or arrive early. For a multi- day stay I think the cable car passes become a much better deal than single ride.. It had clouded up on our visit, so we did just the Mer de Glace rack railroad trip, which we really enjoyed. It was a little clearer and quite a bit cheaper than the lifts the day that we were there.
There are several buses from Chamonix to different popular destination in Annecy, Italia or Swiss. You could find the programm on http://chamonix.montblancbus.com/en/summer-excursions
I can't remeber how long it takes but I believe it's just about an hour ride. Cost is 45 Euros round trip and the guide is excellent!
You can book the ticket to the bus station "Chamonix Sud" - it's very easy!!
I've only been to Chamonix light years ago on ski trips.
My husband and I stayed in Annecy in 2011. We were there in June and loved the town. It had quite a few tourists, none of which we heard speaking English. There were lots of families.
The lake is absolutely beautiful and is known as Europe's cleanest lake. We took a boat trip around it and loved seeing the lake, the villages around it, the scenery and the paragliders.
If you go, be sure to get out on the lake itself. You may not understand the French descriptions you hear, but your eyes will definitely understand the beauty.
BTW, I believe the OP already went on his trip.
Chamonix & Annecy are both amazingly beautiful!
The water in Annecy's lake is crystal clear, & the town is absolutely wonderful!
I also loved the street markets there.
I visited both last October, Annecy for a night and Chamonix for 3 nights. We travelled by public transport. Both are as different as alpine towns can get. Annecy has its beautiful lake, lake side park and pictures old town but no lifts or high octane activities, its more for relaxing and enjoying the views. Chamonix is right at the base of Mont blanc with cable cars galore, trains up to the glacier and treks of varying difficulty. There is more to do in Chamonix than in Annecy but both are worth a visit. A night in Annecys old town is as memorable as a ride up the Aiguille du midi.
