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Depart from Place de la Mandallaz, located near the roundabout between the D2201 and D41 roads and not far from Annecy train station. Park in the large paid car park (parking meter; see practical information).
(S/E) Take Allée des Saules towards a bakery and, when you reach it, turn right onto a tarmac path that runs between a building (on the left) and a square (on the right). At the end, first turn left then right to cross the Thiou via the Pont Bleu (Blue Bridge, aptly named). At the end of the bridge, turn left and follow the river on your left, alternating between different surfaces. Cross the D2201 at the pedestrian crossing and first turn right then left to take Rue de l'Iseron and pass in front of Saint-Étienne Church.
(1) Just after the church, turn left and leave the Jardins de l'Iseron residence on your right. Return to the Thiou river and follow it on your left. Then cross the D41 (note: there is no protected crossing on this side; it is on the left) and continue opposite on the Promenade du Saint-Sépulcre.
Further on, cross Rue de la Gare at the pedestrian crossing and enter the covered passageway opposite, which slopes slightly upwards. Then cross Place Georges Volland diagonally to the right. At the end of the square, ignore the staircase leading down and turn left into a covered passageway, leaving Maison Gallo on your right.
You will come out onto Place Sainte-Claire. Turn right and go under a porch topped with a clock. Then turn left onto Passage de Nemours and climb the steep slope to Place du Château.
(2) With your back to the castle entrance, retrace your steps and take the Chemin des Remparts, which starts to the right of the Passage de Nemours you took earlier. Go downhill and take thefirst right, Côte Saint-Maurice. Turn right, ignore a small street on the right (this is Côte Saint-Maurice, which goes up to the castle) and reach a viewpoint. Continue and go down the Escaliers du Château. At the bottom, go down another staircase on the left and take a narrow covered passageway.
(3) Come out onto Rue de l'Île and follow it to the right. Cross Rampe du Château on the right-hand side and immediately turn left. Cross a branch of the river (Palais de l'Isle on the right), first turn left then right to cross the island and cross the second branch of the river. At the end of the bridge, turn left onto Quai de l'Île. Take the next bridge to cross the river again and enter a covered passageway to return to Rue de l'Île.
(3) Follow the street to the right and take thefirst passage on the right, the Passage de l'Évêché. Cross the Thion forthe third and final time and continue along a covered passageway. You will come out onto Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Follow it to the right and walk past the foot of Saint-Pierre Cathedral. Cross Rue Filaterie on the left-hand side and continue straight ahead until you reach Saint-Maurice Church.
(4) Then turn right to cross Place Saint-François de Sales (note the upstream tip of the Palais de l'Isle on the right). Then turn left to walk alongside the Church of Saint-François de Sales.
Cross the avenue at the traffic lights and continue straight ahead along Quai Napoléon III between the Jardins de l'Europe and Lake Annecy. Walk in a semicircle along the lake to Pont des Amours.
(5) Cross the bridge over a small canal. Go down a flight of steps, continue straight ahead for a few metres, then turn left at the corner of a playground. Cross a large lawn and, at the end, turn left along an avenue. Take the Pont Albert Lebrun bridge at the end of the canal (small boat harbour), then turn left into an underpass that takes you across the busy Avenue d'Albigny.
On the other side, turn left onto Rue du Pâquier and walk past the Hôtel de Sales. At the next crossroads (fountain on the left), turn left onto Rue Notre-Dame and you will come out onto a square with a fountain, at the foot of the Notre-Dame de Liesse church.
Enter Passage Notre Dame, which starts to the right of the church (looking at its façade). You will come out in Square de l'Évêché. Turn left at the end of the church and you will reach a bridge. Turn right (do not cross the bridge) and walk along another canal on your left. Cross the street and continue straight ahead along Quai des Cordeliers. At the end, cross another street at the pedestrian crossing.
(6) Take Promenade Louis Lachenal, pass a memorial to the former mountaineer, and walk along the Thion on your left again. Cross the D41 at the pedestrian crossing and continue along a tarmac path alongside the Thion. Shortly afterwards, a wooden walkway allows you to follow the river closely before rejoining the promenade.
Cross Avenue de Chambéry at the pedestrian crossing and follow Promenade Sainte-Thérèse du Québec. After about 100 metres, turn right onto a tree-lined street towards the train stations (Avenue du Thiou). Pass a hotel and you will find yourself at Place de la Mandallaz on your left (S/E).
Visorando member
Difficult 
Moderate 
