Discover what do in Annecy in the winter

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Annecy is a picturesque town located in the centre of the French Alps in the Haute-Savoie. Annecy’s blend of natural beauty and historical charm makes it a delightful place. Annecy in winter is a must-visit if you are on your way to a ski resort or if you are exploring the French Alps in the summer.

The town is surrounded by mountains and has the most beautiful lake, with turquoise blue water which is so clear. With hiking, skiing, and other outdoor adventures here, it makes Annecy a year-round destination to visit.

We visited in February 2025, therefore we didn’t have the warmest or sunniest of weather. But the town still showed its stunning natural beauty. We need to come back in the summer months!

My full guide on Annecy in winter.

Getting to Annecy

To get to Annecy from the UK, we got flights from Manchester to Geneva. The flights to Geneva can be cheap, we got return flights for £40 not including luggage.

Book your flights here.

Geneva to Annecy

As we were using trusted house sitters, our kind house sitter collected us from the airport.

Read my blog on using trusted housesitters

Taxi/Driving

The drive from Geneva airport to Annecy is around 30-40 minutes depending on traffic around the Switzerland to France boarder.

You could get a taxi which you would be able to book in advance online.

You can also rent a car from the airport which you are can get here.

Public Transport

Train – The train depending on how far you book in advance, will cost you around 10 to 30 euros. The train journey is around 1 hour and 30 minutes. The train rides are stunning going through the mountains, so scenic.

Bus – you can also get the bus which will cost around 15 euros. Buses are available from Gare Cornavin and Gare Routiere Stations in the city centre of Geneva. There are more frequent buses departing from Gare Routiere. Reaching the station from the airport, you will be able to take the free bus and train services, as most of them go to Gare Cornavin. You then can walk for 5 minutes to Gare Routiere.

Things to do in Annecy in the winter months

• Walk, run, or bike around Lake Annecy: The lake is so pretty and scenic, you can admire the views. We walked around with hot chocolates, and it was so nice.
• Explore the charming old town: The old town has cobblestone streets, pastel-colored houses, and winding canals with lots of nice restaurants and cafes to eat and drink in.
• Visit the cute shops: Annecy has many cute shops which have many unique and locally-made items, perfect for souvenirs.
• Eat and drink in some of the amazing restaurants: Enjoy the local cuisine, including Savoyard specialties like fondue and raclette.

Eating and drinking in Annecy

Annecy can be expensive, but here are some affordable food places where we had meals for under €30 for two:

• La Fermette: A delicatessen and sandwich shop offering local specialties like cheeses and charcuterie
• Dunk Burgers: A small restaurant known for its delicious burgers and poutines
• Mezze & Co: A Lebanese restaurant offering a variety of mezze and other dishes
• Pub – La Riposte: A cosy pub with a good selection of drinks and affordable meal

In the winter months you can also go to the ski resorts:

Skiing near Annecy

La Clusaz Skiing

From Annecy you can visit good ski resorts which are a 30-40 minute drive away. We went to La Clusaz, as we were recommended this by our house sitter.  In this post, we will provide you with everything you need to know for skiing in La Clusaz.

Ski pass

You can book your ski pass online here.

If you book in advance, they will be around 46 euros-50euros depending on how far in advance you book. You can also book on the day, and the ski pass will be 53 euros. There is lots of places in the town you can collect the passes from there, they are usually near a ski lift. The image shows where you can collect ski pass from.

Getting to the ski resorts

• Public Transport – You can get the bus to the ski resorts from Annecy. It is usually 35 dollars as you get a discounted price via your ski pass. We didn’t actually get the bus, we were thinking about it and from research it looks like the bus could of taken 1 – 2 hours depending on traffic.  Here are some links which will help you if you are getting the bus.
  
  On the official La Clusaz website – you can view here the options for getting to the resort. On the website – you can also get ski pass and bus offer tickets. The ski pass is usually cheaper for using public transport as you are being more sustainable. Click here for ski pass and bus offer tickets.
  
  Altibus is a website which sells coach tickets. Click here for options.
  
  
• Driving – you can rent a car here in Annecy.
  
  You can also rent a car on the app called Get around. Get around is an app, where local people rent their car out for a small price. Insurance is usually included within this price which is a cheaper option.
  
  We rented a car on Get around and it was 120 euros for two days between the two of us.

Where to Park in La Clusaz

Car Parks  

Salon des Dames – This car park is right as you drive into the town. If you put the name of the car park into Google maps, it will direct you into the car park. The car park is also a multistorey car park .It is around a 10-minute walk to Intersport to collect your ski rental equipment.

After we collected our ski equipment from Intersport the Le Bossonnet ski lift was around a 5-minute walk away and we also collected our ski pass from here too.

Centre village car park – This car park is in the centre of La Clusaz, we preferred this car park as it was closer to the ski lift, collect ski pass here and an intersport for renting ski equipment. The ski lift near this car park was Cret du metre.

Both car parks were around 10-15 euros for the day.

Renting ski equipment

We rented our ski equipment from Intersport, which is the cheapest place to rent ski equipment. It cost around 50 euros a day to rent everything, including skis, ski boots, poles, and a helmet.

In La Clusaz, there are two Intersport locations for renting equipment. I would advise renting from Intersport as they are the cheapest. We rented ours from INTERSPORT – LA CLUSAZ – Location – Grandes Alpes, 100 Rte des Grandes Alpes, 74220 La Clusaz, France. However, I would have preferred to rent from the Crêt du Merle location as it was more convenient. It was only a 2-3 minute walk away from the ski lift and ski pass collection, and right next to the car park, so we didn’t have to carry skis far. As we all know, this is the worst part of a ski holiday!!

The Grandes Alpes Intersport was still only around a 5-10 minute walk away, but the other location was more convenient as everything was close. Intersport Crêt du Merle is near the centre village car park.