First time visiting France - Burgundy vs Annecy regions apart from Paris

Do both and fly home from Geneva.

I have some great photos ("had" actually, they all got lost when I moved) taken in Annecy when I was last there. There was a wonderful art installation on the shore of the lake. I hope it is an annual event.

You're looking for quintessential France?

France is a large country with several regions, each with its own character.

When you visualize "quintessential France," what are the main characteristics you see? Knowing that would help people understand what it is you're looking for.

As an initial response, I'll let you know I'm a geologist who loves mountains. That said, I've long been puzzled by some tourists' fascination with Annecy. Yes, it's a cute town with some canals and a lake and some views of some relatively low mountains -- I would call them hills or, at most, foothills. But, in my opinion, it's frankly not that great. And if one goes in the summer as you seem to be planning, the traffic and parking are a pain in the... well, let's say les fesses.

If I had a day or two to spend around the Alps, I'd go to Chamonix rather than Annecy. Chamonix, with its launching points to go to the Alps in cable cars (téléphériques) is the real deal. Annecy is a cute town with an occasional market and a summer film festival and a lake with some views of forested hills, but it's not really in the Alps.

I should add: if by "quintessential France" you mean weekly markets and baguettes and small restaurants in small towns that serve things like gesiers, escargots, grenouilles, along with more familiar fare, you're probably going to want Bourgogne (Burgundy) rather than the Alps.

I traveled by train, bus and on foot, so not the same as you, but I don't have any hesitancy in saying that both of your proposed areas are lovely, and I think you'd enjoy either one a lot.

Annecy is particularly pretty, but its old town was the most tourist-thronged place I found during an 89-day trip to France last May-July. (I did not go to Paris or Mont-St-Michel.) If you choose Annecy, I suggest planning several options for out-of town activities, because I suspect you won't want to spend multiple full days in the old town. You can take walks around the lake (not always right along the shore), and I think bike rentals are surely available. A boat ride on the lake is very nice. I took a bus to the town of Talloires, often mentioned as the most picturesque town after Annecy; my verdict: attractive enough, but a bit underwhelming other than the lake view, and you already have that in Annecy. However, the late-June weather was very hot, which sort of elevated my standard concerning what was worth doing outdoors.

Wunderground.com confirms that I hit Annency during just about the hottest possible 3-day period in June (highs of 88F, 90F and 92F). If you have any timing flexibility, push your trip as early in the month as you can; that may help, weather-wise. If I had spent those same days in Dijon, I'd have faced 93F/95F/97F. Clearly, I was doomed.

Returning to the subject of day-trips from Annecy: Chamonix and Grenoble are possible, both about 2 hr. 15 min. one-way by train. I've read that the trip to Chamonix is especially scenic. I'm told that Grenoble itself isn't so great to look at but it has some good museums. Chamonix vs. Annecy is a subject that has been discussed more than once on this forum in the last two or three years; Grenoble rarely comes up. You might find earlier threads via the Search function. One thing is for sure: when the temperature reaches an uncomfortable level, altitude is one possible solution, so knowing what your options are would be a good idea. And be sure you have air-conditioned lodgings!

Edited to add: Bob and I were composing our responses at the same time. Like I said, the Annecy-vs.-Chamonix comparison is something that comes up fairly often.

Burgundy is great for biking. But (or and) it is quite rural.

Both are great. My wife and I stayed three nights in Annecy and three nights in Beaune on our 2010 France trip. I find Annecy to be the more charming town, but with a rental car exploring Burgundy from Beaune is great, too. Annecy is hemmed in by its beautiful lake and was fairly overrun even when we visited in the second half of May, Not an easy town to drive into and out of. I think Burgundy is the more quintessentially French of the two because it's surrounded by France on all sides (same for Dordogne). Not like Alsace which feels part German, or Provence which feel kind of Italian. That's all a bit of an oversimplification, but I think it's valid. It's all France but regions bordering other countries obviously have cultural attributes in common with those countries. Anyway we visited Semur-en-Auxois and Fontenay Abbey on day trips from Beaune--spectacular. Also a chateau right outside of the city of Beaune. Visited Chamonix from Annecy--also great. We did not get to take a cable car but went on the rack railroad up to the Mer de Glace and it was awesome.

Annecy is a cute town with an occasional market

I think Annecy has about 5 weekly markets, including one of the best I've ever seen in France. I've made several visits there, one of them for a week renting an apartment, and we loved it. Yes, it can be crowded with tourists, but there's a reason for that. As one other commenter suggested, do both Burgundy and Annecy.
I'm attaching a link to my travel blog. If you put "Annecy" in the search box you'll come up with a lot of entries, with photos.
http://mainelywinenews.blogspot.com/

Thanks everyone for your inputs, sincerely appreciate it. To your point on our idea of a quintessential France vacation included daily trip to the boulangerie, quaint towns, chateauxs, street side cafes, people watching, cobblestone pathways, walking/hiking/biking trails, day picnic.
we are leaning towards Burgundy seems less crowded, truly a french town with lesser influence from other cultures. Annecy seems me more like a Swiss town rather than a French town, we will maybe club Annecy when we visit Switzerland some day.

Robert,

I suspect we would be looking at a place like Annecy through different lenses -- you as a tourist and I as a local, currently on my 4th year living in SE France. Consequently, your perspective may be more relevant to the original poster than mine, if he or she still is considering the Haute Savoie as a destination.

I was thinking about the distinction between the two towns. Annecy is pretty in places, not spectacular, and can be pleasant in nice weather in the off season. I think it would appeal to someone looking for that sort of thing. It suffers greatly from its popularity; especially with respect to access and parking. I hate sitting in a line of cars idling, and that's what one often does in the summer trying to get to Annecy. I've done it more than once with visitors from the U.S. who want to see Annecy. Left to my own choice, I prefer to leave it to the tourists.

Chamonix is smaller, more remote, and is a typical alpine town geared toward skiing and other outdoor activities. If you've been to an isolated ski resort town in North America you've been to a town a lot like Chamonix. What makes it interesting to me is the ready accessibility of alpine scenery via the télélpheriques as well as the wide range of other outdoor activities available to those who want to do them. There are few, if any, places in the world one can so easily view stunning alpine glacial scenery than in the Chamonix area. And the walk down to Mer de Glace is a sobering, not-to-be-forgotten lesson in the reality of glacial retreat under our evolving climatic conditions.

So -- If it were me, I would pick Chamonix for a summer visit and leave Annecy for a visit during nice weather in the early spring or late autumn.

I am moved by your description and have put Chamonix up on my must-return list. The thing is that the OP asked for the French countryside and riding bikes, not the alpine resort. Also, I think it’s important to warn that Chamonix has the highest level of smog in France due to being boxed in. But, I’ll be going back soon, thanks to Bob’s description.

leave Annecy for a visit during nice weather in the early spring or late autumn.

Bob, that happens to be precisely when I've been there on my 3 visits; early Spring, when at home there's usually still snow on the ground while Annecy had beautiful flowers.
And yes, I see your point about visitor vs. resident points of view, although I still think that Annecy is one of the most spectacular small cities I've visited. But several years ago, when we were stranded in France due to the Icelandic volcano, we decided to revisit Annecy, taking a bus from the Geneva airport. On the bus we met a group of Americans who were staying in Geneva and visiting Annecy for the day. As you might know, as that bus approaches and then enters Annecy, it goes through some pretty dreary areas. We had told the other Americans how beautiful Annecy was, but when we got off the bus, they were skeptical. I pointed them towards the lake, and told them it gets much better. Hopefully they agreed.

If u base in Beaune, u might have a car rental with bike racks nexessary. The roads to the villages are busy and narrow. Just a safety precaution. You may even have time to. include Colmar like Annecy with Canals , stone and village like. But with a wonderful museum. The nrby villages are also fabulous but preferred with a car.

I suspect we would be looking at a place like Annecy through different lenses -- you as a tourist and I as a local, currently on my 4th year living in SE France.

When did Annecy move to south east France? I've lived in France for years but didn't know Annecy is in SE France. That's a big locale.

Indeed it is. If one were to divide L'Hexagone into four quadrants, Annecy would be in the southeast quadrant. And this surprises you?
The most amazing thing, I suppose it must be for you, is that it didn't require any move at all.

Very surprising. I see the carte IGN sud-est goes all the way north of Lyon and to the Swiss border and west to Perpignan. I always thought of the southeast of France as along the Riviera and the back country, maybe from somewhere in the 13 to the Italian border, but not the Alps or near the Swiss border.

Ah. That's the problem. You seem to be relying on an arbitrary governmental decision by a French agency (IGN) rather than making your own decision based, well, on the reality of the mapping.

I understand. It's an easy mistake to make.

I'd much rather go to Burgundy. It's beautiful rolling hills and medieval towns. Annecy is a pretty town on a lake, it would be really nice for bike riding around the lake. Burgundy is beautiful town after beautiful town, each with it's own claim to fame, criss-crossed with rivers and streams. I like Beaune and Dijon but I wouldn't focus on either. I'd try to spend more time in the country. My favorites were Semur en Axois, Vezelay, Avallon - but really it's hard to pick one town over the next, they are all idyllic. In terms of things to do, I went to a place where they are building a castle using 13th century tools and techniques, Guedelon. The Battle of Alesia (Romans vs. Gauls) is a short drive from Semur. A major Celtic history museum is in Bibracte. I thought each was very educational (and I like that). And there are more sights in Beaune and Dijon.

I'm more a fan of medieval stone buildings with tile roofs, on narrow lanes, than 17th/18th century apartment buildings finished in smooth stucco, on broad boulevards. Annecy and Beaune are primarily the later. If you really prefer that architecture, Annecy is nicer than Beaune (Annecy still has somewhat of a medieval footprint). Dijon has a medieval core inside a bigger city.

June should be nice. I was there last May and it was still too cold, June would have probably been perfect. I was in Annecy in Sept and it was some clouds and sprinkles but not enough to need an umbrella. Chamonix is wonderful, but it's heavily weather dependent. June may not be a good time to visit. If it's rainy, cloudy, snowy or overcast, you won't see the amazing Alps. If you go to Annecy, pick a day or two with favorable weather and visit Chamonix. If there aren't any good days, save it for another time.

June should be nice.*

"Should" is the question. I have scrambled to buy sweaters or jackets in Burgundy and Paris more than one June when I stupidly came unprepared. By the way, stores are devoid of warm clothes in June. However, one year a few days after I found a jacket at a church jumble sale in late June, a heat wave started that lasted through August. So be prepared for anything from 50--90 degrees anywhere in the north.

I, too have been cold--and in a very wide range of places--north of the Alps during what purported to be summer (yeah, right). But that was long ago. Most recently, I found the temperature terribly hot in Annecy during the third week of June 2017. I'm not sure to what degree cold weather still happens in June-July-August. I'm definitely still taking a set of polypropylene long johns with me on trips beginning in May, just in case. And I've worn them often on coolish days, though I haven't encountered any cold ones on my recent trips.

By the way, stores are devoid of warm clothes in June.

Ah, but there's always the clothing vendors at outdoor markets. Ugly as sin, however.

I agree with Brad:
My favorites were Semur en Axois, Vezelay, Avallon - but really it's hard to pick one town over the next, they are all idyllic.

We love this region! Our favorite! I want to go back......

Did you consider the Loire Valley? A very easy train ride to car rental and easy drive all around to visit medieval villages and chateaux. Just a thought.