Question for Those Who Enjoy Annecy

Its flowered park promenade is lovely. It’s lakefront orientation offers good opportunities for cruising to enjoy elegant hotels, villages, mountains with hang gliders, etc. Its arcaded streets are a comfort during sunny and rainy days.

I'm back in the middle of September, am spending 2 days there, will report then. I presume the fact that I love gelato will help my review.

It's been a while since I was in Annecy. It was not overcrowded with tourists back then. The view from our hotel balcony of the shimmering lake surrounded by mountains was breathtaking. Add in the cobblestone streets in the old town, the winding canals, the flowers in the window boxes of the colorful houses, the markets and the many wonderful people who welcomed us.

Maybe if I were there today, in the midst of the summer crowds, I would not feel the same.

We had the good luck to find an apartment with a balcony overlooking the old prison on the canal and it was just stunning view. At my age, this kind of beauty is what I look for in short visits. We spent 4 nights much of spend sittign on our balcony enjoying the stunning view and one day which was spent on a quick day trip to Chamonix to go up the Aiguille du Midi which was an outstanding experience. I enjoyed strolling around the town and we did a boat trip on the Lake but there wasn't really anything to do. Loved every minute.

But we went just as COVID was ending and in May and there were very few tourists as buses were not running regularly -- we finally found a blabla that would get us to Chamonix at 11 and take us back at 3 and that sufficed. But it was before the rebound boom had started.

Thanks to those who responded. Perhaps had we stayed there rather than experiencing in a day trip, the city's charms would've been more apparent.

jhpbucks, I think there are a lot of places that can be a turn off for some travelers when only seen on a day trip.

Many times I will see posts on a place, for example Bruges or Colmar or Lucca, and some forum members will warn the OP that it's too touristy, too crowded, not worth seeing, someplace else is so much better. I then learn that they day tripped the place. No wonder they were disappointed.

I agree. I find that I put places I've stayed in much higher on my preference list than those I've only day tripped to.

My first trip to Florence was on my first trip to Europe with my husband 40 years ago or so -- we spent several days in Venice which was stunning and then a weekend in Florence before picking up a car and driving to an apartment in a tiny hamlet near Siena for a wonderful week of touring tuscany. We hated florence -- it was crowded even then and noisy and confusing and our entire short time seemed to be about figuring out logistics. We later spent two months there and loved every minute. Short trips are often logistically difficult and the frustrations overwhelm the pleasure in being in the place. I can imagine busing into Annecy and then being trapped in crowds and eating terrible tourist food and then leaving might not leave a pleasant memory.

A high point for me was boat ride across the lake to the Abbaye de Hautecombe.

We loved Annecy but we only spent one September night there. We arrived late morning, explored the town, took a cruise on the lake, and left late next morning. We also had good luck with our hotel - I booked a relatively low=price room at the Imperial Palace, but they upgraded us to the premium room with the central balcony overlooking the lake. When we thanked the manager, he said that the room was not booked for the night and he thought we would enjoy it! I don't think the town has enough to do for more than a one or maybe two night stay.

I was there two years ago in July and found the town extremely disappointing.

The main canal area was overwhelmed by the crowds and instagram photo chasers, specifically. Even at 10:00 at night the line for gelato was 30 people deep, although it was fantastic. In three nights, we had two frankly awful meals in the main part of town at highly reviewed restaurants and a decent one at a restaurant in the hills above town.

The bike path was dangerously crowded and we actually saw an ambulance hauling off two cyclists that collided with each other. Then a guy outside the train station tried to yank my watch off my wrist. The 4* resort we stayed at had a dj blasting techno music outside of our window until 10:00 at night despite the fact that there was no-one even out there listening for several hours.

We actually talked with the hotel concierge (who had lived there 20 years) about how puzzled we were be the overall experience and she was very frank that the town has suffered from over-tourism since the pandemic and it becoming a hot issue among the locals. She specifically said that the town was a hub on the drug smuggling route through Europe and this had increased petty crime substantially. Ironically, we met a young gentlemen a few months later in Stockholm who was born in Annecy and he admitted his family was also leaving for these same reasons.

While I do not know what the solution is, I would not return.

Two days after visiting Annecy, which to me was meh, I drove to Chamonix today. Entirely different story. Beautiful place with lots of activities and a wide selection of restaurants serving Savoyard fare. Younger travelers could easily make an active week visiting this place, with hiking and climbing taking front of stage. The cog railway ride to the glacier and the ice cave are so, so worth the visit. Seeing Mont Blanc "up close and personal" is an experience I won't forget.

Touristy? Sure, but nonetheless well worth the trip.