Where is Annecy? In Haute-Savoie, between Geneva and Chambéry, at the north end of the lake

Annecy is in south-east France, in Haute-Savoie, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The town lies at the foot of the Pre-Alps, about 40 km south of Geneva and about 100 km east of Lyon.

On a map of France, look for it near the Swiss border, between Geneva and Chambéry. It sits at the north end of Lake Annecy, which then stretches away to the south.

For visitors flying in from the UK or further afield, Geneva is usually the most useful landmark: it is the nearest large city with an international airport. The table below gives the other reference points.

What landmarks help you place it?

Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The coordinates vary slightly from one source to another depending on the point used, the urban centre or the municipality's map reference point. The difference changes nothing about the location.

What does the name "Annecy" cover?

Four different things go by this name, and they are not the same size. The municipality of Annecy is the administrative and tourist town; Lake Annecy stretches to the south and borders several other municipalities.

Grand Annecy is a conurbation much larger than the historic centre, and the "bassin annécien" (Annecy basin) is a tourism term that is broader still. A place to stay advertised as "in Annecy" may therefore be several kilometres from the centre, or in another lakeside municipality.

To see where the centre ends and the lake begins, our map of Annecy gives the distances to the lakeside villages, and where to stay in Annecy compares the districts.

Why doesn't the distance from Geneva tell you the journey time?

Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The distances are modest, but the destination is under heavy traffic pressure at weekends, during the holidays and on hot days. No source consulted publishes an average journey time by season.

The urban transport network recorded 15.2 million journeys in 2024, up 30%. That is a figure for bus journeys, not visitors, but it shows how intense travel is within the conurbation.

To arrive and get around without a car, getting around Annecy details the network's fares and timetables, and the park-and-ride car parks explain where to leave a car on the edge of town.

Can you swim and park by the lake when you arrive?

Not everywhere. Swimming is forbidden outside the public beaches, and the lakeshore byelaw bans motor vehicles from driving and parking in some areas.

A place to stay "near the lake" therefore guarantees neither a parking space by the water nor direct access to swimming. Swimming in Lake Annecy lists the no-swimming zones, and parking in Annecy gives the parking zones and charges.

What is the centre like?

Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The historic centre runs along the Thiou canal, which flows out of the lake, and opens onto the Pâquier and Marquisats promenades. The beaches and harbours of the neighbouring villages are within cycling distance along the greenway.

Lake Annecy in figures brings together the dimensions, visitor numbers and basic data on the site.

Sources

Tourisme Haute-Savoie (Annecy page, 2026), Insee (Haute-Savoie département, 2026), Encyclopædia Britannica (Annecy, 2025), City of Annecy (municipal lakeshore byelaws 2024 and 2026, press release of 1 July 2025, council decision of 3 February 2025).

Wikipedia (2026), cartesfrance.fr (2026), annecy-ville.fr. Research compiled on 28 September 2026. Average journey times by season, visitor numbers on the shores and car park occupancy rates: not published.