We arrived in the afternoon to Annecy, after driving up from the Ardeche region. Beautiful day with lots of people on the beach of the lake, the shoreline walkway or walking the streets of the old town. What a place! We liked it immediately and it just go better as we found our hotel and check in. The Hotel du Palais de L’Isle is in the middle of old town, perhaps the most photographed place, next to the prison. And our room was the only one with a balcony overlooking the canal and prison. Lovely spot and probably the best room. For our first time here, I can’t think of a better spot to be or room to have.
We walked the old town and then headed to the lake for a long swim to cool off. Very picturesque with the mountains in the background. For dinner try those located on Rue Ste Claire; its away a bit from the more touristic zone, so you’ll get the better restaurants. Its also just a nice street for walking, especially in the evenings. There’s also a nice promenade around the lake, for walking or biking. And if you want to see Annecy from the water, there are boat rentals, both motored and paddled, or you can take a cruise, either on a lake boat (something like the boats used in Venice) or one of the larger “cattle” boats, which we refer to the larger boats that pack people on them by the hundreds, as.
For the photographers, it was June when we were there and I enjoyed best taking photos in the afternoon, especially using the iPhone with HDR Pro. Lots of shadows at this time but good light. In the morning the lights shines better on the old town, but its empty of people and rather flat light.
Hotel
We stayed at the Hotel du Palais de L’Isle, which as mentioned above, is situated right next to the old town island prison and probably the most photographed place in Annecy. Excellent location and a great hotel. Service was very good, rooms are clean, and although small, well set-up to make the most of the space allotted. Very comfortable beds and pillows so we had a great night’s sleep. Decent breakfast buffet either included or for 10.5 Euros.
Before we left Annecy we did a drive around the island, which is worth doing. A little busy on the western shore, but gets better, more scenic and interesting as you make your around to the other side. A number of places to stop for a swim, which we did as it was a hot day.