The rooftop view
The old town's red roofs with the lake beyond, from the castle courtyard.
Kemper Boyd — CC BY-SA 3.0 · GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0
It is a stern mountain fortress, not an ornamental palace: defensive walls, towers and rooms of rough beauty. Anyone expecting a little Versailles will be disappointed; anyone who likes real castles will be entirely satisfied.
The lake section with its tanks draws them, and the towers and passages make natural climbing adventure. And the ascent is short enough for their legs — unlike many castles.
Make it the old-town walk's finale before sunset: lanes, then the ramp, then the view in evening light — and back down for dinner below.
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The castle of Annecy sits on its rock directly above the old town, home to the counts of Geneva and then the House of Savoy between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Its four towers span different ages, the oldest — the Queen's Tower — with walls four metres thick. Today it is the city's museum: Savoyard folk art and carved furniture, a fine section on Alpine lake science — the lake's creatures and geological story — and temporary art shows. The rooms themselves, with their huge fireplaces and timber ceilings, are half the exhibit. The climb alone is worth it: five minutes from the old-town lanes up an ancient ramp, to a courtyard overlooking the red rooftops and the lake — a view that costs nothing even without the museum.
The old town's red roofs with the lake beyond, from the castle courtyard.
The oldest tower, walls four metres thick — the twelfth century still standing.
Huge fireplaces, timber ceilings and carved mountain furniture.
Place du Château, 74000 Annecy