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Hidden Beauty
When I bought my first smartphone, it had a desktop background that I loved so much. What a beautiful place, I always thought, who could have imagined such a place? Until a few years later, when I saw a friend in the same place on social media. It turned out that the background that I admired, was actually real, and could be visited. It should have to be seen then!
This beautiful place was not so popular yet, since Instagram was not very common at that time. I was at the university when I saw that picture, but it was so beautiful that it was engraved on my mind.
As social media became more common, it became widespread. Of course I tried to plan a little trip right away, but it was really hard to reach by train. So I didn’t take the chance to go down that road for a couple of years. At the end, I figured out that I could reach by train and bus the most easily and I did not want to wait more.
And there it was: Annecy!
Annecy is a small but very beautiful city close to the Swiss border of France. On the outskirts of the French Alps, this is a fairytale town along Lake Annecy. It is a bit hard to reach by train, but it is within a 45 minute ride by bus from Geneva, which is quite easily reached. I traveled from Germany to Geneva by train and then to Annecy by bus. But since there are also commuters on this route, shared car journeys are also popular.
Palais de l’Île
I’ve reached Annecy after almost a 10-hour journey and it welcomed me with a clear bright sky. My first stop, of course, was the famous building, Palais de l’Île, whose picture I saw and fell for. This beautiful structure, built on an islet in the river through the city, was used as a prison and a court until the French Revolution. During the Second World War, it was found suitable for a prison again.
I don’t know how much time I spent in total in this amazing scenery that I wanted to see for years, but I took dozens of photos at different times of the day. The most impressive one, I think, was the illuminated view at night.
Palais de l’Île at night
Venice of the Alps
I strolled in the streets of the city all day, since I arrived early and wanted to the Palais de l’Île also at night. Annecy is built on canals and also known as the Venice of the Alps. There are small little bridges on canals, cute cafes and restaurants on the sides as in every canal city.
Dinner at the Lake Annecy
Despite the appeal of French cuisine and the sweetness of those small restaurants, what choice did I make to eat? A dinner with French wine, French cheese and French bread from the grocery store on a bench at the lake. Because being a backpacker means eating the snacks you get from the market, in the most beautiful view!
Château d’Annecy
Annecy also has a well-preserved castle, the Château d’Annecy. This castle, which overlooks the city, is now turned into an art museum.
Breakfast with a View…
The next morning I had breakfast in the hostel’s restaurant with a beautiful lake view again. Youth Hostel in Annecy is on a hill, a bit far away from the city. Even though it is a bit difficult to reach in the dark at night, it offers such a wonderful view for breakfast 🙂
Basilique de la Visitation
When walking from the city center to this hostel, there is a basilica on the way, which of course I didn’t miss to visit.
Hiking in the Alps…
Since I have been pacing in the streets all day long on the first day, I went to the mountains for hiking with a lake view on the second day. If you have time, I think it’s worth doing, the Alps offer great views here.
In short, my short trip to Annecy was definitely not disappointing. Everyone should find an opportunity to see this beautiful city.
To be continiued…
Since I travelled for 10 hours, I didn’t want to return without visiting another place. I will share the second part of this trip in another article, wait for it 🙂
