Château d’Annecy

With commanding views across the ochre rooftops of the Vieille Ville (Old Town) to the Massif des Bauges, the Château d’Annecy is at once imposing and elegant, a marriage between medieval defensive and decorative architectural styles. Residence of the counts of Geneva during the 13th and 14th centuries, a military barracks in the 1940s, and classified as a historical monument in the 1950s, today it's filled with regional art, from medieval sculpture and Savoyard furniture to Alpine landscape painting and contemporary art. A dual-entry ticket grants access to both the Château and the Palais de l'Isle for €7.20 (or, for under-25s, €4); buy it at either sight.