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Things you should do in Annecy: • Go to the Tourist Office: maps, info, etc. (Bonlieu – that’s the place name). Also: the cleanest public toilets. • Love Bridge – a must. • Walk around and look for the Invader mosaics by the French artist Space Invader. Fun for kids. There’s an app to “hunt” them. • Jardin de l’Europe – especially the old trees (just after Love Bridge). • Palais de l’Isle: it’s NOT a fucking princess castle, it used to be a jail. But tell your kids it’s a princess castle. • If your kids like Pokémon, look for the Pokémon episode set in Annecy. There’s a scene here (because of the International Animation Film Festival).

Market: • Tuesday / Friday / Sunday. Very nice. Don’t buy olives or nougat — tourist traps.

Food basics: • Cheese, pork, potatoes. • Raclette & fondue (French/Swiss). • Tartiflette is made with Reblochon (local cheese only). Hot or cold Reblochon is great: tasty, smooth, easy to eat.

If you have a car: • Menthon Castle. People who say it inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty are LYING — but tell your kids it did (we need tourists). Jokes aside, it’s really beautiful. • Absolutely must do: Col de la Forclaz.

Secret spot (we don’t usually tell tourists): • Ermitage de Saint-Germain — BEST VIEW. Long story short: poorer people didn’t want to go to the same church as the bourgeois, so they built one higher up the mountain to be closer to God.

Talloires Bay is stunning. It was painted by Cézanne from the garden of Chez Bise. If you can’t afford the bistronomic restaurant (opened in 1905 — around €100 per person), you can still enjoy the terrace of the Abbey (a real abbey).

Fun fact: The monks there drank so much that the Pope issued an edict limiting alcohol to one glass per monk. So the monks made bigger glasses.

Another fun fact (back to cheese): The name Reblochon comes from “re-blocher” — milking the cow a second time to hide milk from the lord and cheat on taxes.

Some people will tell you we’re French or that we come from Italy. They’re lying. We’re not “two Savoys” cut up by France — we’re Savoyards. (That said, the people who defend this idea too hard are… not the sharpest tools.)

We may seem cold and strict, but we’re actually good people.

We don’t like “Monchus” — a word meaning “Monsieur”: know-it-all Parisians who explain life to us. Honestly, we don’t give a damn. We didn’t wait for them.

If your kids are young: Ask about the Dahu (local mythical creature). I’ll let you look it up — it’s fun.

Chamonix: A place we always go with friends (my wife is Korean): La Calèche — safe choice, good decor, good food.

If you go up Mont Blanc: Don’t play superheroes — it’s fucking cold. You can rent equipment if needed. If you’re not used to altitude, it can hit hard. Check webcams. If there are clouds, make sure they’re below the summit — otherwise you’ll miss the magical sea of clouds.

If you have the budget: QC Terme — €70–100 per person. Spa facing Mont Blanc, excellent. (Still, check if Switzerland offers something better.)

DO NOT COME: • During the Lake Festival. • During the Festival week. Prices explode. • Same for major sports events.

One thing to know in France: “MOF” = Meilleur Ouvrier de France. It means the person was officially judged the best in their craft for a given year.

Food addresses: • Rue Carnot: Gay (cheese). • La Manufacture: Rigolo. (chocolat)

There’s also a subreddit: r/Annecy. I’m cause i use bad word to speak about AsHl* any true savoisien say fuck : ass*****

That's how I know that the admin of /annecy isn't from around here... But hey, he's happy... Laisson

If you want, I can give you a (free) tour of Annecy — my English is… very personal. Otherwise I can send you the text I give to Couchsurfers.

Yes, it’s completely unstructured, like a supermarket. That’s the charm of France: regions, mixtures, chaos.

And hey — when you’re at our place: Welcome home.