Springtime in Annecy, France.

Apologies for the photo quality/composition; I’m not a great photographer. Shot on my IPhone 13 Pro Max with minimal editing.

My girlfriend and I recently returned from a trip to France, spending 6 nights in Paris and 2 in Annecy. We both know (and love) Paris, but neither of us had been to Annecy before, and it absolutely stole the show from Paris. We knew very little about the city going in, other than that it was beautiful, and we were still blown away by the city itself and the lake and surrounding mountains.

The city itself is street after street of charming, colorful medieval architecture situated on the city’s various canals and rivers. Endless shops, bistros, and restaurants on streets littered with tasteful flower beds and old cobblestone alleyways. These pictures do not do justice to how beautiful the old town is.

The best part of the trip however, was cycling around Lake Annecy. There are approximately 45 kilometers of (mostly) paved bike routes around the entire lake, making it a doable half-day adventure, and the only place I’ve ever seen with more natural beauty was Glacier National Park. I was getting off my bike every five minutes to admire the endless, stunning views of the lake itself, the surrounding mountains, and the charming villages which dot the shores of the lake.

If you ever have the opportunity to go to Annecy, do so without hesitation, and absolutely do a bike tour of the lake. It was an experience we’ll never forget.