Lyon or Annecy
 

Hi there,

I have 4-5 extra days after Chamonix and trekking Mont Blanc. If you had to choose between Annecy and Lyon to spend your remaining time, which place would you choose? I do know that they are different places and will have different feels, but I’d like to hear opinions. Thanks for offering them,

Cathy

After the Mont Blanc area - I would want some different "scenery" - thus Lyon. We love Annecy because it is at the edge of the Alps and you can head east & southeast and see some beautiful mountain scenery. But Annecy itself is smaller than you might think. Doing the canal region is only about a 45 min visit before you start realizing that you are re-tracing your steps. If you are a "shopper" it will take longer. We spent 2 weeks in Talloires and 1 week in the Chamonix/Mont Blanc region (our gite had a view of Mt Blanc).

Lyon is totally different. Attached is my Lyon itinerary, and my Alps itinerary (look for the Annecy & the Mt Blanc sections).

Stu Dudley

As Above. Annecy can easily be visited in less than 1 day.
Lyon has much more to offer: lovely old citiy center, important Roman excavations (at Lyon and Vienne), tons of museums....
Lyon is furthermore a good base for day trips to Burgundy, Orange, Avignon, etc.

If you had not mentioned Chamonix, I would have said that I couldn't choose between the two because they don't play in the same league. But Annecy is too much like Chamonix (and the setting of Chamonix is more spectacular), so the only possible reply is LYON. And yet I am not a great fan of Lyon, but that's probably only because I am a Parisian and "anything Lyon can do, Paris can do better."

Thank you. This is exactly what I thought.

kerouac haha, thank you

Je préfère les vestiges romains de Lugdunum à ceux de Lutetia.
Le Musée Lyonnais d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation is more impressive than similar sites in Paris.
Lyon is closer to lakes (Geneva, Annecy, Bourget) and glaciers than Paris.

I'm planning a trip for next year, part of which will take us from three days in Chamonix (hiking) to four days in Lyon (food and sightseeing). At this point we plan to travel by bus through Annecy. (We'll be coming into Chamonix from 10 days in the Bernese Oberland and will train from Lyon to Geneva for our flight home.)

Questions: Is it worthwhile to stop in Annecy and spend the night or would a travel break with a few hours walking around town give us a feel for the town? Anybody have bus experience in this part of France?

yes, Annecy is worth at least one night. And, there is a bus from Annecy to Geneva airport.

I agree - Lyon is a larger place, and you could spend 2 or 3 nights there.

Lyon is more urban, Roman sights, trabecule, loads of restaurants. Annecy is extremely picturesque, with mountains and lake.

Annecy, is beautifully situated on the lake, and the old town would be perfect for one day and night.

Lyon, from there you can take day trips to Vienne, Grottes de Cerdon, Annecy and even Geneva. We were able to see Annecy and Geneva in one day.