Living in Annecy, France: An Erasmus Student’s Guide

Living in Annecy: An Erasmus Student’s Guide

Moving abroad to a foreign country can be terrifying, especially if you want to avoid the ‘big city’ cliché (admittedly, this is often where most year abroad students go). I watched all my coursemates flock to Paris, Madrid and Barcelona, meeting up regularly and staying within their little university social bubble. For me, it was different. Both my placements were out in the provinces, a taste of what I like to think is ‘real’ French culture, not manufactured Parisian tourist culture. And evidently, this meant I would be far, far away from my course mates in the glimmering lights of Paris... I was alone, in a foreign country, in a foreign town. But somehow I learnt to survive.

Like I said, it can be scary moving to a place where you don’t know a soul. But Annecy, a lesser-known tourist town, helped to dull the pain of leaving home. An alpine town on the edges of the stunning Lake Annecy, it is surrounded by towering mountains that make for great hiking trails in the summer. I lived and worked as a receptionist in Veyrier-du-Lac, a commune just around the lake, for 5 months over the spring and summer of 2018 (and I’ve still yet to finish... it’ll be hard to leave when August rolls around). After finishing a difficult placement elsewhere in France, Annecy was like a breath of fresh air...

Nightlife

I will start my review of Annecy with a disclaimer: If you like clubbing until 5am, staying out late and general nightlife, Annecy is not for you. It has clubs and bars, as well as various social events, but it is not a nightlife town. Bars shut early at 1-2am, with a few clubs staying open later (but only on a Friday and Saturday). I can‘t say much about the clubs, as I haven’t been, but other party girls I know have been a little disappointed. However, there are plenty of social groups that you can join. See the section below for more info

Things to do

If you like sports, exercise and outdoor activities, as well as many opportunities to meet other young people, Annecy may be for you. It is a very active city, with excellent cycle paths and jogging routes, mountain hikes (don’t worry, they’re not difficult), paragliding, wakeboarding, sailing, pedal boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, rock climbing, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding... My point is there’s a lot to do here, especially in summer. In winter, you can get a bus from the main town to La Clusaz, a nearby ski resort, for a day on the snow. In summer, there are many festivals, including the International Animation Festival, the Festival du Lac and of course Bastille day. The town also has plenty of cinemas and theatres. I have seen two amateur theatre performances in Annecy- both plays were a great way to improve my French! Leaflets for amateur productions can be found at the Tourist Office (they are cheaper and less ‘interpretative‘ and ‘artistic’ than the performances in the main Bonlieu Scène Nationale theatre).

Social Groups

When it comes to social activities, there are a few groups that you can join. Firstly, there’s the weekly Language Café, a meet up of international students every Wednesday night at Le Munich, from 9pm until closing time (1:30 a. m. ). It is organised through the ‘Annecy International (Erasmus, Au Pairs & Co)’ Facebook group. The group often meet up for picnics and Barbeques during the week. There are also various social groups on Meetup.com, including a Thursday international group, a Sunday French & English language exchange group and many other events. My work hours varied a lot, but I found that I was usually able to attend at least one group per week. Socialising doesn’t always come easy, and you have to make an active effort to meet people. I sometimes found this difficult, as I had to cycle 15-20 minutes if I wanted to go anywhere and had varying and sometimes unsuitable working hours. The Wednesday night Language Café has the most Erasmus students, but not everyone can afford to stay out late on a work night. The Thursday group is at a better time, from 8-11pm, and the Sunday group is the most practical, from 5:30-7:30 p. m. I would also recommend joining various Annecy international Facebook groups, as newbies in town often ask to meet up for coffee.

The Town

With regards to the town itself, Annecy isn’t giant but it isn’t tiny either. I‘d say it’s a decent sized town, with a quaint and touristy old town labelled ‘little Venice’, plus a more modern shopping area. There is a decent variety of shops, including a shopping centre and a Galleries Lafayette. For food shopping, there are big supermarkets such as Carrefour, medium sized Monoprix in the main town and smaller Casino and Franprix stores. Food shopping can be a little expensive as it is technically a tourist area, but at least they stock a good variety of international foods (I’m talking P. G Tips, marmite, gravy and Waitrose cheddar for the Brits out there). There is also a market in the old town on Sunday mornings, where you can pick up various fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats and clothes.

Housing and Transport

Housing prices can be quite expensive, often between 500-600€ per month. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find a good placement like mine, as I have free accommodation on site. If not, foyers may be a good option as these are essentially student/young person’s residences. For transport, there’s a cheap bus network called Sibra, plus other lines that run to communes around the lake (ligne 61 goes to Talloires via Veyrier-du-Lac and ligne 62 & 63 go to La Clusaz, the ski resort). Bikes can be rented cheaply from Velonecy, by the train station. If you are under 26 years old, you can rent a bike for 12€ per month or 55€ for 10 months, provided you give a cheque of 250€ as a safety guarantee (it will be given back if the bike is returned in good condition). This also comes with a lock and a helmet.

Travelling to Cities Near Annecy

For travel outside of Annecy, the best options are the train, a Flixbus or a Ouibus. There are often train strikes in France, so the train might not be the most reliable option. Ouibus are also run by the train company, SNCF, so a Flixbus may be the easiest option when there is a ‘grève’. Local places to travel include Lyon, Geneva, Grenoble, Aix-les-Bains, Chambéry, La Clusaz, Chamonix and Thonon-les-Bains. So far I have only been to Lyon and Geneva, but both were lovely (Geneva is very expensive so I would recommend Lyon first and foremost- if you go, make sure to research tourist spots and local specialities... it’s the food capital of France! )

Travelling to Annecy

Travelling to Annecy isn’t too difficult. Most people fly to Geneva and then get the T72 bus straight from Geneva airport to Annecy station. Alternatively, you could get a Flixbus, Ouibus or train from central Geneva. However, if you’re like me and have parents who want to drive you out, we drove down to Dover, crossed to Calais, and then drove to Annecy with an overnight stop in Dijon.

Work Opportunities in Annecy

If you are interested in working in Annecy, here are a list of various places that I know offer placements: Les Pensières Conference Centre (where I work), Salomon, l’auberge de jeunesse, ATC Routes du Monde / Camping de la Plage campsite, Imperial palace. It may also be worth trying to apply at other various campsites and hotels around the lake as they always need staff. There are always opportunities as an Au Pair so join some of the Au Pair Annecy Facebook groups to find out more.

Final Words

Ultimately, I would highly reccomend living and working in Annecy. I love outdoor activities and being active, so it is the perfect fit for me. However, if you’re a nightlife person, I would recommend Lyon, Paris, Nice and other larger tourist areas as there are probably more events in these bigger towns.

** If you would like to find out more about my Erasmus experience, you can follow my weekly blog here.

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