Welcome to Annecy, France!

We love villages in France and we have built our tours around visiting undiscovered and off the beaten path villages. This month, however, we’ve decided to share a favorite place of ours that isn’t exactly a village anymore nor is it exactly undiscovered - but we love everything about it anyway! The small city of Annecy has a population of around 50,000 residents who live on the shore of a pristine mountain lake surrounded by the French Alps. It boasts a picturesque vielle ville (old town) set atop a series of three canals of the river Thiou as it meanders into the Lac d’Annecy. This part of town buzzes with tourist and local activity most days and especially on market day. Spend an afternoon wandering through cobbled pietons, past pastel colored ancient buildings of every shape, over medieval bridges and under darkened archways and you’ll likely find yourself as in love with this place as we are.

On the eastern side of the Lac d’Annecy and in full view from Le Paquier (a popular park on the shore of the lake) lies La Tournette - a peak rising nearly 7,000 ft from the shores of the lake. Beyond this and easily accessible by car or bike is an epic chain of the Alps know as the Chain des Aravis, with the highest peak in Europe, Mont Blanc, looming just beyond. On the west side of the lake is Semnoz - a small protected mountain crisscrossed by hiking trails and topped with a ski resort. Beyond this lies the Massif des Bauges, a bucolic paradise of dairy cows and quaint villages.

The geopolitical history of Annecy is a complex story. Sitting at the crossroads of Switzerland and France, Annecy has successively been territory of the Dukes of Genevois, the dukes of Savoy and the and the King of Sardinia up until the 19th century. It wasn’t until the 1860 that Annecy finally became a part of France.

Read on to discover how we would spend a perfect day in Annecy!

Travel with us to Annecy!

Our Randonnée en Montagne trip this June 19th - 27th is fully booked, but we are already taking reservations for next year- June 18th -26th, 2027

Also, check out our other upcoming tours:

- South of France Markets of the Midi Tour, October 6th -14th, 2026

- Loire Valley Jardin de la France Tour, April 27th - May 5th, 2027

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Around the neighborhood: The castle perched on the edge of the lake

Come explore this monument historique with Piéton Market Tours!

Off the beaten path vines: Alpine Wine

Check out what Adrienne Stacy, PMT’s co-founder, thinks about the enigmatic wines of the Savoie region of France!

Explore the wines of the Savoie with us! Part of what makes travelling with Piéton Market Tours so unique for all of you wine lovers is that we are also wine importers, and work closely with 25 wineries in France.

Drink like a local: Génépi

Made from a hardy, aromatic member of the sage family, Génépi - both the name of the plant and of the distilled liqueur - has become a symbol of the French Alps. Below Anna Wallace remembers a perfect use for the warming herbal liqueur while foraging for another enigmatic culinary ingredient.

Click below for Anna’s nod to the city of Annecy and its favorite liqueur - the recipe for ‘Venice of the Alps’ an Alpine Gin Sour!

A la table: Roasted Fish with Fennel and Potatoes

The rivers and lakes of the Savoie are pristine and full of fish, meaning that poisson is often on the menu on our Randonnée en Montagne tours. Russell Flint, owner of Rainshadow Meats in Seattle WA, and one of our Culinary Directors, has created a dish below that we can’t wait to share with you!

Please stay in touch!

Over the past ten years we’ve had the pleasure of travelling to France with so many wonderful people! If you are interested in joining us on our next adventure or if you have any questions about our tours please send us a note at pietonmarkettours@gmail.com. In the meantime get to know our team by clicking the link below!

Santé!