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How to Get from Colmar to Annecy

Posted by (Phoenix, AZ) on

My husband and I are hoping to travel to France in December. We fly in and out of Paris and plan to head straight to Colmar for 3 nights, then Annecy for 2 nights, spend a day in Lyon and then Paris for 3 nights. We have been to all of these places before but on different trips(several times to Paris but very briefly in Colmar, Lyon and Annecy).
The problem I'm trying to figure out is how to connect Colmar and Annecy. Both are small towns and kinda out of the way, and typically I think we'd take a train or drive through Switzerland to bridge them. Because I don't know if Switzerland will be admitting visitors, I think it would be best to just travel in France.

Our options appear to be:
1. Rent a car and drive on French highways, takes about 4.5 hrs of driving and costs roughly $311 (Autoeurope rental for $223 and tolls/gas for $90 according to ViaMichelin). The automatic and one-way rental fee is driving up the cost.
2. Travel by train, takes about 7 hrs and costs roughly $200 according to SNCF 2nd class partially refundable tix in August on the same day of the week. (Dec schedule not released yet) Involves 2 train changes so not 100% relaxing but easier than driving.

We have driven in France before so that's not a problem. It would cost more to drive, but we would be in charge of our own schedule. Maybe we could have lunch in a small town along the way? But it would be nice to save money and doze on the train.

What would you do? Does anyone have any other thoughts on ways to travel between these areas? We prefer these cities and the order of our itinerary, although the only thing set in stone right now is our flights.

Posted by
6974 posts

Let me add a third option:
Switch the order of Annecy and Lyon, so from Colmar you go to Lyon, then to Annecy and from Annecy direct to Paris.

I think that will make the trip planning easier. The french rail network is very Paris-centric so how well it works depends on where you are going. Major town to Paris is amazing, small town to Paris the service is often pretty good, but small town to small town can be problematic. Colmar to Lyon is pretty easy though, there are direct TGVs. Unfortunately their schedule don't seem to match the local trains to Annecy, hence the long travel time Colmar to Annecy. Annecy to Paris is very easy on the other hand, 4 hours with direct TGV.

Posted by
3230 posts

Hi Amanda, right now I see one train with only one connection that takes a total of 7h 45m departing at 9:32a. The fewer connections the easier it will be. The train from Colmar end of line is Marseille so you need to be organized so you can hop off quickly in Valence where you’ll change trains (4h 15m). Set your alarm in case you dose off.
You’ll have to wait 36-minutes before your train to Annecy departs Valence, but at least Annecy is the end of line so you don’t have to hurry when getting off. The last leg includes 14 stops taking another 3h to get there. This is a slower train.
I travelled by train in France in Dec and remember a two-hour delay. I don’t know what the roads will be like in Dec so I don’t recommend driving. If you take the train, you will get there but expect delays. As a result, you’ll lose a day going to your next destination.

Posted by
333 posts

Thanks for the input! Thankfully I have a little more time to decide before needing to purchase tix.

Posted by
28082 posts

If you decide on the train between Colmar and Annecy and route yourself through Switzerland, you might ask in the Swiss forum about what route has the best scenery. You seem to have a choice of skirting Lake Neuchatel to the west (via Biel) or to the east (via Bern). I have no clue myself.

Only part of that trip will be on IC trains. Even on those, I don't know that there will be an advantage to getting the tickets early, though I believe in recent years Switzerland has been selling some sort of advance tickets.

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