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Romantic 3 Days in Bruges' Rival: A Couples' Long Weekend in Annecy

Everyone romanticises Bruges. But 3 days in Annecy — canals, a turquoise alpine lake, and half the crowds — quietly out-romances it, for less money. Here's the couples' long weekend that won me over.

I’ll say the controversial thing first: I love Bruges, but I think it’s a bit of a romantic cliché now — lovely, sure, and absolutely heaving with other couples doing the exact same canal-boat-and-chocolate routine you’re doing. So when my partner and I wanted a proper couples’ long weekend, we did 3 days in Annecy instead — the canal-laced French alpine town wrapped around a lake so blue it looks photoshopped — and honestly? It out-romanced Bruges, cost us less, and had a fraction of the crowds.

Here’s the case for the underdog.

Both have storybook canals and pastel old towns. But Annecy has a turquoise mountain lake you can actually swim in, the Alps as a backdrop, and far fewer day-trippers because it’s not on every cruise itinerary. It’s also in the Haute-Savoie, which means tartiflette, fondue, and Savoyard wine. Bruges has chocolate, which is great. Annecy has melted cheese AND a lake. I rest my case.

Base yourselves in or near the Vieille Ville (old town), the warren of cobbled streets and canals around the Thiou — the river that runs through the middle, flower-strewn and lined with pastel houses. Stay somewhere small with character; the good little hotels and B&Bs fill up fast in summer, so book ahead.

Spend the first afternoon just wandering, hand in hand, being unbearable. The Palais de l’Île — the medieval prison sitting like a little stone ship in the middle of the canal — is the most photographed spot in town for good reason. Cross the Pont des Amours (yes, the Bridge of Lovers; yes, it’s a bit much; yes, do the kiss, you’re on holiday).

Early evening, find a terrace by the water and order a Génépi or a glass of local Roussette de Savoie. Dinner: a proper Savoyard feast. Go to Le Fréti for fondue and tartiflette — it’s a touch touristy but the cheese is real and the room is warm. Around €25–30 a head. Eat slowly. Share. That’s the whole point.

Today belongs to Lac d’Annecy, one of the cleanest lakes in Europe and impossibly blue. The romantic move, and it’s cheap: rent a little pedal boat or rowing boat from the jetties near the Jardins de l’Europe (about €18 an hour) and take a picnic out onto the water. Grab supplies first from the morning market in the old town (Tuesday, Friday, Sunday) — a baguette, some Reblochon, saucisson, peaches, a small bottle of something cold. Float out, cut the engine (there isn’t one, it’s a pedal boat, but you get the idea), and eat lunch drifting in the middle of the lake with the mountains all around. I genuinely don’t know a more romantic cheap lunch in France.

Afternoon, dry off on the grass at the Pâquier, the big lakeside lawn, or swim — the water’s clean enough to drink, allegedly (I didn’t, but I swam). Then an ice cream from Glaces des Alpes and a slow stroll back.

For the evening, splash out a little on a nicer dinner. L’Esquisse if you want something refined (book ahead, it’s small and brilliant), or a cosy bistro in the old town. Walk the lit-up canals afterward. The town glows at night and the day-trippers have gone home, leaving it to the couples staying over. That’s when Annecy is at its best.

On your last day, rent bikes (loads of rental shops near the lake, about €15 for the day) and ride the Voie Verte — the flat, traffic-free lakeside cycle path along the eastern shore. It’s easy, it’s stunning, and it beats any overpriced boat tour. Pedal to Talloires, a pretty village about 13km down, and have lunch on a terrace looking back across the water. The Abbaye de Talloires nearby is where a young Winston Churchill came to paint, which is a nice bit of trivia to murmur over your wine.

Cycle back, return the bikes, and finish with one last drink by the Pont des Amours as the sun drops behind the mountains and turns the lake gold. If that doesn’t do it, nothing will, and you should probably reconsider the relationship.

Bruges is beautiful and you’ve seen it on a hundred Instagram grids. Annecy is just as pretty, costs less, has a lake you can swim in and cheese you’ll dream about, and isn’t yet drowning in the exact same couples doing the exact same thing. We came as Bruges loyalists and left as converts. It’s the the quieter, cheaper, more romantic call — go before everyone else figures it out.

Bruges has the reputation. Annecy has the lake, the cheese, and the better-kept secret. Take your person there before the secret’s gone.

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