Venice of the Savoie

Annecy jail

Annecy, perhaps the most ancient settlement in the Northern Alps, and known as the Venice of Savoie, is bidding to hold the 2018 Winter Olympics. If it wins its bid, it will be the fourth French city to do so, following Chamonix (1924), Grenoble (1968), and Albertville (1992). Annecy is also home to the relics of St. François de Sales and Ste Jeanne de Chantal.


Lac d'Annecy




Chateau d'Annecy, home to the counts of Geneva in the 13th century


Annecy at night, with the 16th-century Dominican Église St. Maurice and its tower rising in the midst