Nevine

My husband and I are travelling to Geneva in December and would like to spend some time in France close to the Swiss-French border. Neither of us skis so we thought a larger city might be more fun than a ski resort. From looking at a map I came up with Lyon, Grenoble and Annecy but don't know anything about them at all. Are they interesting towns/cities? We will be spending five days there and will probably rent a car so day trips are definitely a possibility. <BR> <BR>Thanks

Joel

Nevine, my opinion, which follows, comes from living to the West of Lyon for a number of years. I've visited all these places a number of times. Certainly Annecy is a great choice and the most attractive of the three you inquire about. It has a very beautiful lake setting, in the Savoy Alps. It's a 13th Century city and has many sites to visit that are from the Gallo-Roman period as well. Annecy is a place to visit! So beautiful! And go to Talloires, a nearby town on the same lake, that is the perfect place to have lunch down on its quay. <BR>Lyon is primarily a business city. While it has its attractions, and Place de Bellecoeur is among them, I would not bother with it. My wife and I used to go there periodically for shopping, but, other than that, it was difficult to get in and out of and lacked the beauty of the region. Not worth a visit considering all the other places you could choose. <BR>Grenoble is the capital of the French Alps. Most of the city is just city, but it has an old fort high on a mountain that affords a great view. You take a telepherique there, which is fun. The city has an Old Town that is very enjoyable to walk through and if you like museums the Musee de Grenoble is extremely good. <BR>The place I would definitely add to your itinerary is Chamonix. It is a must, not only for the charming town, but also to take the telepherique up to the Aiguille du Midi at about 12,500 ft. One other suggestion for something quite different is Vienne just below Lyon on the Rhone. It has a well preserved theatre built by the Emperor Augustus and, as I recall, there are a number of other remnants of Roman rule. <BR>All in all, we found that just driving in this region was very rewarding. Stay off the autoroutes as much as you can and leave your itinerary to explore when you see something interesting or novel. <BR>Have fun. If I can help further don't hesitate to e-mail me here or direct.

Kristin

I second the motion for Chamonix and going up to the top of the Aiguille du Midi (sp?). It's a "don't miss" as far as I am concerned. Like being on top of the world!

Patrick

I vote for making Annecy your base. We stayed there five nights this summer, but made the supreme mistake of thinking our Eurrail pass would work for us. We were unable to visit a lot of places we wanted to see because connections were just not that good. Had wanted to see Albertville (just because Olympics had been there) but it was an all day ordeal getting there and back by train. We could have driven it in 45 minutes to an hour I understand. We went to Chamanoix and would like to return and stay there. Again, the train from Annecy both ways took up most of the day. Annecy is a delightful town and a great place to return each night from daytrips --not that much traffic, lots of fun and good restaurants and a generally happy and "European" atmosphere --albeit a bit touristy. Lyon is the first city in France I visited (years ago American Airlines did a direct flight to Lyon which they promptly scrapped). I like the city very much but its size and traffic would make using it as a base for what you want to do too complicated. <BR>Also enjoyed Grenoble, but Annecy has a whole lot more charm. We could have used it as a base for about a week --if only we had had a car.

Lesley

Annecy is lovely. It isn't a large city but it has charm and charisma. In Winter I don't suppose all the little outdoor restaurants will be operating, which are part of the charm of Annecy. You can visit the towns around Lake Annecy and also go up into the ski resorts for the day. Megeve is nice.

Pedro

Annecy has a lot of charm and is a very cozy town, with a unique setting by its lake. The surroundings of Grenoble are really beautiful to drive ( Massif du Vercors, Massif du Chartreuse ).Chamonix is always imposing.

Patrick

To the top for Chamonix - Megeve question.

Burta

My sister and I stopped in Annecy for a few days on our way to Rome. It was a charming small town -- easily walked, lovely scenery around the lake, friendly people.

s6656

How is the weather in the 2nd week of December ? We are considering based in Annecy ? What are the day trips that can be done from here ? Any chance of going over to any of the small Italian villages from here on a day trip ?

JimKal

I was kind o disappointed to read the negative comments about Lyon as I've read so many nice things about it. In fact, I was planning to visit there this coming spring. As a city, I understand the driving may be a bit more complicated but would the train connections from Lyon be better than Annecy?

Certainly Annecy's position on the lake would make for an attractive setting.

Patrick

Wow. this thread is three years old. I started reading my post and was half way through before I realized it was mine.
Since that time we have returned to Chamonix for a 5 day stay. It was wonderful.
And I'm not sure what you mean by the negative comments about Lyon (other than the one poster). Lyon is a big city, but a wonderful one, and you are right about being a much better base for taking trains. I repeat my comment about taking trains from Annecy being fairly difficult and time consuming. When first staying in Lyon, we did a day trip to Grenoble and it was an enjoyable day -- but not sure I'd want to stay there that long. Frankly I like the bigger city of Lyon as a base for day trips, and lots of restaurants and life when you come back at night.

hike

I'm surprised of the very negative comment from one poster above about Lyon. Just returned from the city yesterday and enjoyed my weekend stay as usual, especially this time in autumn color. It would have been better with more sun though.

Jimkal, being in Lyon, you will have much, much better train connections than in Annecy (except if you want to visit alps regions). So many TER trains (Trains Express Regionaux - I think) for near by places and TGV for further cities such as Paris, Marseille, etc.

Wayne

I don't like big cities, so anything I say will reflect that prejudice. Having said that, I still DO like the things big cities can offer; therefore I usually visit there for museums, art, and similar cultural aspects.

That means that my own preference would be to stay away from the larger cities except for specific objectives, and enjoy the smaller ones. Annecy and Chamonix certainly qualify as two of the smaller and more appealing of the cities in that area. Lyon is great for its old town, cathedrals, and restaurants. Grenoble might be appealing to some, but I find it just too large to want to bother with getting in and out. Besides, it's a relatively long distance from Geneva.

My other recommendations would be that you try Menthon and Talloires along the same lake as Annecy, and Aix-les-Bains on Lac de Bourget. Also charming is Megeve not far from Chamonix, and even Courmayeur just across the border in Italy. Good luck.

Someone mentioned sticking to side roads and smaller villages, which I approve except that you need to be careful about driving when heavy snows are predicted.

mp413

I used to live in Annecy, and I HIGHLY recommend it. It has a gorgeous lake (at the time it was reputed to be the cleanest in Europe) at the feet of mountains, and the old city has a wonderful village feel to it. It's beautiful, and a great day trip. Although you should definitely plan to eat dinner there--they have some great restaurants along the canal. Have fun! I'm so envious...

cigalechanta

Another vote for Annecy. If you want a glimpse of the beautiful Lac Annecy, rent the French Film, &quot;Claire's Knee.&quot;
Lyon is a great eating city!