The Best Places to Drink and Stay in Annecy

A hotel perched in the hills above Annecy, with the lake spread out below and Laurent Petit's three-Michelin-starred restaurant directly downstairs, which does set a certain expectation for the rest of your stay. The rooms lean into Alpine Savoie materials without going rustic, and the Michelin Guide gave the property one Key. Most guests, it's fair to say, are here for the table, but the lodgings hold their own.

Knotty hardwood floors are the one nod to Alpine lodge tradition, and then Hôtel Hébé goes its own way. This boutique hotel in the heart of Annecy's old town leans toward clean-lined contemporary, with modern furniture, original art, and Bang & Olufsen sound systems. Some rooms open onto small street-facing terraces. Breakfast runs to locally sourced pastries and cheese, and the bar stays open late for wine or a light bite.

A lakeside resort on the Corniche above Annecy, Les Trésoms looks out over alpine water in one direction and forested peaks in the other, so deciding which room view you want is basically the only hard decision you'll make here. The spa pavilion covers pools, hot tubs, hammam, and sauna, with treatments if you'd like to feel even more horizontal. Skiing, hiking, and boating are all close, as is Annecy itself, which someone once called the Venice of the Alps and has never let anyone forget it.