Discovering the Magic of Annecy: A Guide to the World's Biggest Animation Festival

✍️ Friedrich Schäper - 27.05.2024

Annecy, known as the largest Animation Festival globally, requires little introduction.
Each year, in early June, thousands of animation enthusiasts flock to this quaint alpine village for a magical week celebrating animation's art, craft, and beauty. They enjoy hundreds of films, premieres, and meetings with legends or future employers over a chilled beverage in the picturesque old town, fueling inspiration for the upcoming year. Like moths to a flame, we've been regularly attending this festival since 2016.

For both regular visitors and first-time viewers, Friedrich has compiled a list of tricks, savings, and hidden spots that you shouldn't miss out on.

Pro Tips for Enjoying Annecy

Annecy as a city feels more like a quaint village. It is surrounded by imposing mountains and sits on the edge of a beautiful lake. The festival takes place throughout the town in various cinemas and event locations. Despite Annecy's small size, walking between these locations can be time-consuming and tiresome.

So, ensure you plan accordingly and know about the screening location well ahead of time.

There are numerous tips and tricks that come to mind, so I have organized them under a few headings below. This list is not exhaustive, but it should provide a solid starting point.

1. Preparation ahead of the festival

• Get your accomodation sorted early. Especially if you dont want to stay to far away from all the action. For naturelovers there is also two campsites. One outside the village at the lake. The other up the mountain.
• There are a few ways to get to Annecy. The airport in Geneva is probably most common for folks arriving by plane. From there you can take a bus to Annecy. You can also fly to Lyon which is a bit further away.
• Typically, we travel by train. An early booked roundtrip from Cologne to Geneva costs around 100€. An additional 20€ is needed for a Bus from Geneva to Annecy. Although it's a 10-hour journey, it's usually quite pleasant with beautiful landscape passing by.
• When crossing through Switzerland, switch off your mobile data as it can become super expensive otherwise. Generally, everything is crazy expensive in Switzerland!
• DON’T MISS THIS DATE!!! Annecy has a system for booking screenings that you can access on the web or app. At a certain date and time it will unlock the reservations and everyone wants to book at the same time. You only have about 2-5 minutes to book your favorite films, one or two weeks before the festival starts before they are all booked out. So do your research for at least the feature films beforehand and save the date for the online booking!
• Bring a hat for the sun and an umbrella for the rain. Due to the mountains the weather can be quite unstable. We had years with almost only sun and years that were mostly rainy. You never know what to expect. So be prepared.
• Bring something to sketch. Annecy is also just one of the prettiest places to sketch in the world!
• Practice your paper plane folding crafts and bring extra sheets of paper. You will know why after your first screening ;)
• Bring good walking shoes, as you will have to walk a lot!
• Save some space in your luggage and bring extra money to buy some amazing graphic novels, comics, and posters at the comic shop: “BD Fugue Café” inside the Bonlieu (main cinema building).
• Rent a bike to reach places quickly. There are numerous bikes and scooters available for rent. They are particularly useful for quickly traveling between "MIFA", the old town, cinemas and your accomodation for meals or a quick nap. I recommend renting bikes from a shop as it guarantees quality and availability.

2. Festival Tipps

• Don't bother queuing up for screenings that you didn't get tickets for. It might take you hours. If you really want to see that specific movie, try to get an single admission ticket for that individual screening. You can buy those 30 minutes before the screening starts. Where and how to buy might change from year to year. Check the Annecy website for new information.
• If it is your first time going, try to get into one of the "WTF" screenings late at night in the “Bonlieu” Cinema.
• Try to book screenings at the Grand Salle at the Bonlieu and “Cinema Pathé”, avoid “La Turbine” as it is way out. Only if you really, really want to see your favourite film that you couldn't watch elsewhere.
• Consider going home for lunch to quickly cook something and possibly have a nap. Recharging is important as days are packed and nights are long.

3. Network, network, network!

• Talk to everyone, don't be shy. Everyone is an animation nerd deep down.
• Drinks in bars and restaurants can be very pricey! To save money, bring your own (hidden) beverages to the evening gatherings.
• Remember, you can't buy alcohol in supermarkets in France after 8pm.
• In the evening, you can usually find a lot of people at:
  Café des Arts and the Captain`s Pub
• Don’t miss out on the Annecy picnics. From Tuesday on, various schools or studios will host free picnics usually in the "Jardins de l´Europe" or in the tiny parc behind the MIFA

4. Hidden spots and local favorites

• For convenience, there is a great supermarket at the 2nd level of this building. It's weird, because on the ground level it doesn't look like a supermarket. But take the stairs to the 2nd level. Monoprix Annecy city center
• A quaint little coffee place "Cafe Bunna Annecy"
• Some nice bakeries:
  "Marmillon" - amazing but more touristy
  "Boulangerie De Loverchy" - a bit further out but local and cheaper
• Best swimming spots -> MAPS -> MAPS
• Get a tasty raclette sandwich at "La Farmette"
  They melt an entire cheese block and squeeze the hot melted cheese into a baguette 😮
• Get fresh food from the market in the old town. It is amazing!!
  TUESDAYS, FRIDAYS and SUNDAYS 7am - 1pm
  All down rue sainte-Claire -> MAPS
  And rue de la république -> MAPS
• Have a cheese fondue in one of the many quirky old restaurants in the old town. We like “Le Lilas Rose”
• There is an amazing cycling tour around the lake that takes about half a day to do. I recommend renting e-bikes even for experienced cyclists. The views are amazing!
• Rent a boat alongside the lake for half an hour with a small group, it's a lot of fun! -> MAPS

That's it for now. If you see one of us at the Festival, don't be shy, come talk to us. We love a chat.

We might update this list over the years. So feel free to reach out if you have something to add. Happy Festival!