Christmas in Annecy 2026: the Noël des Alpes market, the ice rink, the lights

In December, Annecy changes its light. The lake turns steel-grey, night falls before 5 pm — and that is exactly when the town lights up again: chalets along the water, illuminated monuments, an ice rink facing the mountains. Here is what is known about the 2026 edition, what has not been announced yet, and how to enjoy it without spending the evening in a crowd.

What we know for 2026 (and what isn’t announced yet)

Let’s be precise, since it is the question everyone asks: as of 22 September 2026, the 2026 dates are not published on the tourist office’s official page.

The reference is the previous edition:

• Noël des Alpes market 2025: 29 November 2025 to 4 January 2026.
• Cultural programme around the market: 22 November 2025 to 10 January 2026.
• Entry: free.

If the town keeps the same calendar, the market will open in late November and close in early January. We will update this page as soon as the official page shows the 2026 dates — and they will go into our what’s on page too.

The Noël des Alpes market

It is a market in a line, not a square full of stalls: it runs from the Quartier du Lac to the Jardins de l’Europe, along the water and below the old town. In 2025 it had more than 160 chalets, craftspeople and food alike.

• 2025 hours: Sunday to Thursday 11 am to 9 pm; Fridays, Saturdays and school holidays 11 am to 9:30 pm.
• Father Christmas received visitors on place de l’Ancienne-Grenette, in the heart of the old town.
• The opening took place on a Saturday at 5 pm, with a procession setting off from the Quartier du Lac.

Walk it like a promenade: in at the Quartier du Lac, along the water, out at the Jardins de l’Europe — then back up for dinner in the streets of the old town.

The illuminated monuments

During the market, three historic buildings are lit up: the Conservatoire, the clock tower (faubourg Sainte-Claire) and Notre-Dame-de-Liesse church. In 2025 the illuminations ran every evening from 5 pm to 11:45 pm, free to see.

That is the case for arriving late afternoon rather than at noon: at 5 pm the lights come on just as the sky turns, and the walk from the market to the monuments takes twenty minutes on foot.

The ice rink facing the lake

An outdoor ice rink is set up in the Jardins de l’Europe, facing the lake. In 2025 it followed the market calendar (29 November – 4 January), open 11 am to 9 pm, until 9:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The official page gave no price: check on site or on the page before promising the children a turn on the ice.

Father Christmas’s castle, in Menthon-Saint-Bernard

On the east shore, Menthon castle becomes Le Château du Père Noël. The 2025-2026 edition ran from 14 November 2025 to 3 January 2026, open late afternoon on weekdays and all day on Wednesdays, weekends and school holidays, with free entry from 6 pm. For 2026, the castle’s programme is still to come.

Getting there without a car

The town centre fills up fast on December Saturdays. In 2025, Grand Annecy added bus services for the Christmas shopping period, with a free shuttle on some Sundays to the Grand Épagny shopping area. Our advice: bus, train or park-and-ride, and the last kilometre on foot along the lake.

How to make the most of it

• Come on a weekday, around 4:30 pm. You see the market in daylight, watch the monuments light up, and eat before the Saturday-night crowd.
• Walk it in the right direction. Quartier du Lac, the waterfront, the Jardins de l’Europe, then back through the lit-up old town.
• Eat Savoyard — but not at the first chalet. Our guide to Savoyard food out of season says where and when.
• Keep half a day for the lake. In December it is empty and often sublime in the early morning — our guide to the lake out of season explains what to do there.

What we wouldn’t do

• Book a weekend on “2026” dates found on an aggregator. Until the official page shows them, they are estimates.
• Drive in on a Saturday afternoon. Parking is the first thing you will regret.
• Expect ice on the lake. It almost never freezes, and December is not when it happens.

A December weekend in Annecy is built around its dates: the market, the lit-up evenings, a castle on the east shore, a warm meal. Our Annecy-specialised AI concierge writes that programme hour by hour from your answers, with the verified events on your dates. Day 1 is free →