We’re four adults dreaming of a trip to the French Alps next spring (a year from now). Both Annecy and Chamonix sound crowded and busy. Do you have any suggestions for a nearby town (we’ll have a car.) We would like a place that has kitchen facilities. We would love a”walkable”, small town.
Posted by
26 posts
I also preferred to stay close to but not in Annecy. We wound up at a lovely b&b in nearby Menthon St Bernard and can highly recommend it. No kitchen, obviously, but a pretty town with a few restaurants and a little cafe by the lake where you will be very happy just relaxing and staring at the incredible views.
It’s called La Vallombreuse, and we really liked it. Vallombreuse is a mashup of val ombreuse, or shady valley.
The drive into Annecy along the lake took maybe fifteen minutes, and there was a underground garage as we came into town that eliminated the parking problem and also put us maybe a five-minute stroll to the center of town.
BTW, I know some people aren’t crazy about Annecy because of the crowds. For the record, we were there in June, the weather was perfect, and we loved our five days there and didn’t find the crowds at all overwhelming. We did a day trip to Chamonix and another half-day trip to Megeve, drove the circumference of the lake and up the Semnoz, had a drop-dead dinner at Le Père Bise in Talloires, and generally loved every second.
https://www.gites.net/chambres-dhotes/la-vallombreuse-chambres--c100345
Posted by
Annecy
14 posts
It depends when you are going, it is not always so crowded!
But I agree, you should not stay in Annecy Old town, crowded, noisy and impossible to park your car.
Maybe you can stay in Annecy le vieux, Veyrier, Menthon or Talloires? You can do your grocery shopping in those places and be in Annecy in 20 min! If you want to be in between you could stay in La Clusaz ski resort (not far from Annecy and Megève)
Posted by
SoCal and Bordeaux
2376 posts
Consider also the possibility of staying in Geneva. It's an easy drive to Annecy (~45 minutes) and to Chamonix (~1 hour). Geneva appears not to have any problem with AirBnBs, and there's plenty to see and do in Geneva itself. We loved our week in Geneva last summer.
By the way, the old town of Annecy is indeed crowded, but a block or two away from its boundary is not at all. Be aware also that the Château d'Annecy is a steep climb up from the old town. Take plenty of water if you make the hike up the hill.
Chamonix is certainly also crowded, but it's as beautiful a place as I've ever visited. The cog railway up to the glacier provides breathtaking scenery. If I wanted to stay in a smaller town than Geneva, that would be my choice.