Cities / Annecy
France · Environmental history
Annecy: Savoy, a prison on an island, and the lake Europe cleaned first.
Annecy is prettier than its history, which is the point of walking it with a historian. The Palais de l’Isle was a prison and a mint; the counts of Geneva and the House of Savoy ruled from the château; Francis de Sales ran the Counter-Reformation from here; and in 1860 the town voted itself French.
The timeline the walk follows
Annecy becomes the seat of the counts when Geneva turns on them.
The House of Savoy acquires the county.
Bishop of Geneva in exile, writing from Annecy.
Sixteen years old, meets Madame de Warens on Palm Sunday.
Savoy votes to join France; Annecy becomes a prefecture.
A sewer ring around the lake; Annecy becomes the cleanest lake in Europe.
Themes
Choose one, or name your own.
Two hours covers one theme well. Three hours links two.
- Lake Annecy: how a dying lake was cleaned, 1957 to today
- Canals, the Palais de l’Isle and the old town
- From Savoy to France, 1860
- Francis de Sales and the Counter-Reformation
- Rousseau’s Annecy
- The lake and the invention of a resort
Private walk
Your group only, your questions, your pace.
Group walk
Schools, companies, cruise and coach groups. Larger groups split.
Your theme
A period, a person, a family story. We find the historian who knows it.
Led by
A historian from Annecy, from LocalBini’s vetted network
Meeting point
Central, confirmed in your booking email
Not included
Entry tickets to monuments and museums
Questions
About Annecy.
Environmental history?
Yes. Annecy is one of our three lake walks with Geneva and Lausanne, led by a historian of the environment: the lake, its pollution in the 1950s, the sewer ring of 1957 and what it changed.
Is the château included?
The château museum has its own ticket. The walk covers the old town, the canals and the history around the château.
Family friendly?
Yes. The prison, the canals and the lake make it one of the easiest walks for children.
Cancellation?
Free cancellation up to 7 days before the walk. Within 7 days the walk is non refundable, since the historian has reserved the time. We reschedule for severe weather at no cost.
Walk Annecy with a historian.
Date, time, length and theme. We reply within a day and confirm your historian within two to three.