Getting around Annecy: parking, buses and boats

Illustration of a canal-side promenade with a cycle lane, footpath and bus

In short: the Old Town is pedestrianised and everything central is within a fifteen-minute walk, so you will mostly be on foot. If you drive in, use Parking Bonlieu (693 spaces) or Hôtel de Ville (432 spaces) — rates are in the strip below. Watch the 1.95 m height limit at Parking Courier. Buses and the lake shuttle cover the villages.

Old TownPedestrianised

Parking Bonlieu693 spaces

Parking Hôtel de Ville432 spaces

RateEUR 1.10/hour

90 minutesEUR 2.50

Courier height limit1.95 m

On foot, which is the answer most of the time

Central Annecy is small. The historic core is roughly half a kilometre across, the furthest of the town beaches is about 1.5 km from the middle, and nothing in central Annecy is more than a fifteen-minute walk from anything else. The Palais de l’Île and the Musée-Château are about 130 m apart as the crow flies; the boat quay is about 190 m from the Palais.

Walking is not a fallback here, it is the design. Plan on doing it, wear something you can cross cobbles in, and do not build a day around transport you do not need.

Parking

You cannot drive into the Old Town, so the question is only where to leave the car.

Parking Bonlieu, rue Guillaume Fichet — 693 spaces, the biggest and best-placed for the Old Town and the lakefront.
Parking Hôtel de Ville, esplanade de l’Hôtel de Ville — 432 spaces, equally central.
Parking Courier — 779 spaces, the largest of the three, but with a 1.95 m height limit. This one strands people in vans, campers and roof-boxed SUVs on a regular basis. Check your vehicle height before you commit to the ramp.

Bonlieu and Hôtel de Ville both charge EUR 1.10 an hour, or EUR 2.50 for 90 minutes. Season passes are available at most of the town’s car parks, though not at Palais de Justice or Courier.

That is the short version. Every central car park, the free and park-and-ride options outside the centre, the heights and the summer overflow are set out on the full parking page.

Insider tip

In July and August the central car parks are effectively full by mid-morning, and the lakeshore road backs up badly on hot weekends. If you are staying outside the centre, leave the car where it is and come in by bus, bike or boat. The half hour you spend circling for a space is the worst half hour of an Annecy day.

Buses

The town and the surrounding communes are covered by the local network, and the lakeside villages on both shores are served by regional buses. For a visitor the useful cases are getting out to a village beach, getting to a trailhead, or getting back from somewhere you cycled to. Timetables thin out considerably outside the summer season and on Sundays, which is the thing to check before you rely on one.

Boats as transport

The most enjoyable way to move around the lake is the Navibus village shuttle run by the Compagnie des Bateaux, which connects lakeside villages and functions as public transport rather than a sightseeing cruise. It carries bicycles, which opens up the best day out here: ride the flat Voie Verte down the western shore and come back on the water. Full fare detail is on the boat trips page.

Services are seasonal. A Navibus that runs four times a day in August may not run at all in November, so confirm before you plan a return leg around it.

Rental

Frequently asked questions

Where do you park in Annecy?

Parking Bonlieu on rue Guillaume Fichet has 693 spaces and Parking Hotel de Ville has 432, both at EUR 1.10 an hour or EUR 2.50 for 90 minutes. Parking Courier is larger at 779 spaces but has a 1.95 m height limit.

Can you drive in Annecy Old Town?

No. The historic core is pedestrianised. Park at one of the central car parks and walk in — they are all a few minutes away.

How much is parking in Annecy?

EUR 1.10 an hour, or EUR 2.50 for 90 minutes, at Bonlieu and Hotel de Ville. Season passes are available at most town car parks, but not at Palais de Justice or Courier.

Is Annecy walkable?

Completely. The historic core is about half a kilometre across, the museums are around 130 m apart and the boat quay is roughly 190 m from the Palais de l'Ile. Nothing in central Annecy is more than a fifteen-minute walk from anything else.

How do you get to the villages around Lake Annecy?

Regional buses serve both shores, and the Navibus lake shuttle connects the villages by water and carries bicycles. Both are seasonal, so check the timetable before you plan a return leg around them.