France's Lovely 'Venice Of The Alps' Is A More Affordable Alternative To Paris With Picturesque Views

A delightful French city located just an hour across the border from Geneva and its iconic Jet d'Eau earned the moniker "the Venice of the Alps" from Vogue for its charming old town. Here, a warren of cobbled streets and tranquil canals is lined with flower baskets and busy with al fresco restaurants serving deliciously cheesy Savoie cuisine.

But there's so much more in Annecy than first meets the eye. Follow the winding canals through the old town, past yellow and orange Italianate architecture, lively produce markets, and centuries-old arcades with bustling cafes, and you'll soon find the canals' source. A convincing alternative to the Venetian Lagoon, the magnificent Lake Annecy is an alpine lake formed over 18,000 years ago with a circumference of almost 26 miles and a ring of mountains it wears as a jaw-dropping snow-capped crown.

With its local charms and comparatively small scale, Annecy is a fabulously affordable alternative to Paris (and Venice too!). It's easily accessible from Geneva by bus in 50 minutes and Paris in around four hours by direct TGV, but Annecy's atmosphere is all its own. Where Paris conjures desires for evenings spent in the most luxurious hotels, Annecy is a theater for all things natural and authentic, from local cuisine and mountain views to road cycling and boating on the lake.

Simply walking the cobbles of Annecy's delightful old town is a joy. In the warmer months, the crowds can swell to uncomfortable levels on those little streets, particularly on market days. But the various weekly food markets are worth a visit to experience the charm of an authentic French market and to pick up some Alpine essentials (local cheeses like tomme and reblochon, as well as a freshly baked baguette) for a lakeside picnic. Carry on toward the lake, and you'll find the iconic Palais de l'Île, Annecy's 12th-century prison, sitting on a picturesque island in the canal. There's a small local history museum inside, open to visits for a few euros (around $5). Its dingy interiors, with their limited views of the canals from tiny holding cell windows, evoke a similar unease to a walk over Venice's Bridge of Sighs.

Just above the old town, the Château d'Annecy houses another museum with minor exhibits plucked from the region, but the elevated views of the lake and the jagged mountains are the real stars. To continue your walk, the scenic Jardins de l'Europe offers a lovely stroll through pristinely manicured gardens with a fabulously scenic view from the iron bridge, the Pont des Amours (Bridge of Love).

The old town is an excellent dining location, but there are a slew of tourist traps to be aware of. Regardless, it's easy enough to find a good spot with a pretty view. Choose a restaurant with a menu full of Savoie regional favorites like freshly caught freshwater fish and decadent diot au vin blanc: a unique local sausage cooked in white wine, best paired with a glass of local Roussette de Savoie.

The most obvious way to get around Lake Annecy is by bike. If you don't have your own, you'll find rentals across the city, with the cheapest in the new side of town, close to the train station. Start at the lake's inky shores, and you'll find a fantastic and mostly car-free greenway: the Voie Verte du Lac d'Annecy. For serious cyclists or those riding a trusty e-bike, the route around the entire lake is a 22-mile view-stuffed rollercoaster of exhilarating mountain descents and challenging ascents. You'll pass delightful villages like Menthon-Saint-Bernard and Veyrier-du-Lac, as well as an enviable collection of exquisite mountainside villas. For everyone else, the section out of Annecy's old town toward Albertville follows the remnants of an old train track and is relatively flat, allowing breezy rides with those dreamy mountain views as a partner. 

For travelers on a strict budget, all buses in Annecy (including three Mobil'été buses that travel around the lake) operate for free from July 1 to August 31, driving passengers to hidden little corners of Annecy, like Duingt and Talloires. If you want to take your bike for a ride on public transport, you'll need to take the Navibus water ferry, which drops passengers across many of the lake's prettiest villages — even to Doussard, the southernmost point of Lake Annecy. It costs over $20 to ride the Navibus with additional fees for bikes and pets. It's a great way to see one of Europe's most underrated lakes.