We will be spending some time in Paris next spring and thinking of short visits to area locales. I understand Annecy is 4 hrs by train and it would require an overnight stay. Is that enough time? Is Annecy worthy of the effort? It looks so charming!

Yes, worth it. Yes, charming.

I would not consider Annecy a destination. It's a nice enough town, but there are other places more interesting. If near that area, stop by. But don't bother with a TGV trip; Strasbourg would be preferable, or to a lesser degree la Rochelle (I can't disassociate the Île de Ré from the town, but transportation is not obvious).

I would definitely consider it worthy of a day trip. It is charming and all of us who spent a couple of days in Annecy loved it.

Do you mean a day trip or an overnight trip? If it is a day trip, 8hrs of train? No way. Even an overnight trip ... Do you already plan other (more feasible) day trips by TGV such as Lyon ( 2hrs one way) ?

Thank you all for these considerations. If we decide on Annecy it would be overnight. Sorry for that confusion. We've been to and loved beaune and Lyon but Dijon might be a cosideration. Again, overnight. We could do two overnight stays during our month long stay in Paris.

Merci!

I think at least one night spent in Annecy makes sense. Besides Annecy there is a boat that will bring you to the various villages on the lake and I'd recommend visiting Talloires and perhaps also Menthon-Saint-Bernard, which has a château you can visit. If you are outdoors people there are loads of hikes in the area and there is also a lovely bike trail that runs south from Annecy on the western side of the lake for 30km. Here are a few of the local tourist office websites where you can learn more about what to see and do, restaurants, activities etc.

http://en.lac-annecy.com/

http://www.talloires-lac-annecy.com/

And info about the boats that cruise the lake making stops at the villages:

http://www.annecy-croisieres.com/en/...boat-tour.html

Fantastic! The boat tour looks awesome FMT! A short hike might work and I look forward to planning.

Have fun and hopefully others will have more suggestions for you. You may already know but you'll get the best train ticket prices if you book up to 3 months in advance. The closer to your travel date the more expensive train tickets will be. Use www.voyages-sncf.com or https://www.capitainetrain.com/.

If it helps you can look at my trip report about spending two weeks at the Lac d'Annecy. You'll see photos of some of the places I mentioned (hikes, villages, boat, bike trail) plus a lot more: http://tinyurl.com/3awectn

Yay! I will check out your TR. Thanks as usual FMT. I've enjoyed your reports and pics in the past.

Loved Annecy!

Thank yoy FMT! A great photo report. The ride up Mount Blanc looks awesome. Mary