Ninety seconds on Vieille ville d'Annecy
Until about nine in the morning, you can have Pont Perrière nearly to yourself, facing the old prison on its island in the middle of the Thiou. Around it, arcaded lanes on both banks make up the quarter called the little Venice of the Alps.
The Palais de l'Île is the building you will know from photographs: a stone prow pointing upstream, on a strip of land in the Thiou barely wider than itself. It was once a prison, a chancery and a law court, and it is now a small museum. Inside, four cells on the ground floor show the prison years.
Along rue Sainte-Claire, the main street, the houses stand on stone arcades. They were covered shopfronts, so merchants could trade out of the mountain rain while horses kept to the middle of the street. The quarter looks of a piece because the Duke of Savoy ordered every new house built in stone.
The houses crowd the water because the Thiou was the reason to build here. Porte Sainte-Claire, at the far end of the street, is one of the old fortified gates into the town.
Walk south from Place Notre-Dame along the Thiou, crossing from bank to bank on the small bridges. Stop on Pont Perrière for the classic view of the Palais.
Go into the Palais next if it is open. The route covers the cells and exhibitions on the building and the history of the Annecy area.
Then turn into rue Sainte-Claire and walk its arcades to Porte Sainte-Claire. Finish at the Jardins de l'Europe, crossing the cast-iron footbridge over the Canal du Vassé at the top of the gardens.
On Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings the market fills the lanes. Tuesday is regional food; on Friday and Sunday the stalls grow to take in clothing, textiles and other goods.
Annecy holds the national Art and History label, and its tourist office runs guided walks of the old town, themed for different audiences. One of about an hour covers the canals, the prison and the story of the mint once housed in the Palais. Ask at the old-town tourist office for the day's times and languages; the route itself is easy to follow on your own.
The Palais de l'Île charges entry; if you will also see the Château, buy the combined ticket. The ground is flat, which helps with buggies and wheelchairs, but the lanes are cobbled and some passages are narrow, so wear comfortable shoes.
Carry a rain layer even when the morning is dry: from June to August the valley brings afternoon thunderstorms, while mornings are usually clear. July and August are the peak months; if your dates are flexible, September and October are among the best of the year.
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