The city of Annemasse, with its 35,000 inhabitants, is the second largest city in Haute-Savoie after Annecy! Annemasse is located south of Lake Geneva, at the border with Switzerland, near the city of Geneva.
City at the head of an agglomeration of 12 municipalities, Annemasse is located 2 kilometers from Geneva, 31 kilometers from Thonon, 43 from Evian, and 45 from Annecy. The municipality covers 498 hectares at an altitude between 400 and 500 meters. Many residents of the city go work in neighboring Switzerland to take advantage of attractive salaries.
Annemasse has neighboring municipalities: Ville-la-Grand, Ambilly, Véthraz Monthoux, Cranves Sales, Etrembières, and Gaillard, which, along with Machilly, Saint Cergues, Juvigny Lucinges, and Bonnes, make up the Annemasse agglomeration.
The municipality has two peaks: Mont-Salève (altitude 1,300 meters) and the Voirons (altitude 1,450 meters) and is crossed by a river: the Arve. Annemasse is the gateway to the Arve valley!
History and heritage of Annemasse
Originally, the city has Celtic and Roman origins, and its open geographical configuration did not allow for its development between the city of Calvin and the Princes of Savoy. It was the arrival of the train in 1880 that allowed the establishment of the first industries. After the Great War, the population increased from 6,000 inhabitants in 1926 to 8,000 in 1936. The watchmaking industry has been present since 1950.
Until 1990, the growth of activity continued alongside an expansion of the city in the Perrier sector. Later, the installation of the tramway helped to ease traffic.
Annemasse seen from the sky – Click to view larger – © Wikipedia.org
Cultural and sports facilities
Annemasse has many cultural facilities
- Three libraries
- A cultural center for youth: reading, gaming, play library.
- The municipal archives open to all.
- The Conservatory: a site for musical education and concerts with a rich agenda.
- The Château Rouge cultural center offers all disciplines of live performance, particularly contemporary music, theater, and dance. Cross-border cooperation with neighboring Switzerland allows for the production of original shows. This facility has a large hall with 1,500 seats, a concert hall with 700 seats, rehearsal studios, and a café-concert space. The very varied programming can be compared to that of Brise-Glace in Annecy.
Address: 1 route de Bonneville, 74100 Annemasse. - The Auditorium: is a performance hall with 243 seats that hosts acoustic concerts, debates, and conferences.
- A contemporary art center: La Ville du Parc dedicated to exhibitions and resident artists.
- The School of Fine Arts of Genevois.
Cultural events punctuate the year’s agenda
- The Musical Summer Festival: world and jazz music during the month of August.
- The Kétavous street: which allows for the appropriation of seven locations to play music from March to November.
- Hello Winter: in December to enjoy the Christmas Market and Village of Annemasse.
- Outdoor Cinema: during the month of August, outdoor screenings in the Place de la Libération and Place Fantasia.
Diverse sports facilities
- The municipal sports school: a bridge between school and sports clubs.
- The Camille Claudel gymnasium.
- The sports house.
- The M. Bruchon aerodrome.
- The canoe-kayak base on the Etrembière road.
- Sports fields, leisure areas, and roller park on the impasse des Rocailles.
- The aquatic center Le Château Bleu.
Parks and Gardens
You can enjoy six parks in Annemasse as well as a fenced dog park of 1,500 m². Seven squares are equipped with playgrounds for children and bike paths. The natural space of Gavilles of 5,000 m² highlights a wetland while preserving the stream of the same name in the city. The walk is easy and offers a pleasant view of the Salève.
Tourist circuits
From Annemasse, you can discover the iconic sites of Haute-Savoie. By taking the roads by car or motorcycle, you can visit the Geneva mountains, the Vaud Alps, and Gruyère via the Col du Pillon, the French shore of the Lake Geneva, the tour of Lake Annecy, the Verte valley and Risse, the Col des Aravis, and the Col de la Colombière. These various circuits can be easily completed in a day, enjoying good restaurants to discover local specialties.
Walks and strolls around Annemasse
We offer you a selection of beautiful hikes:
The Voûtes Loop
Along the way, you will discover: ancient inscriptions, vaults, former hotels from the 19th century, the source of Eaux-Belles, and the beautiful Château de l’Ermitage. This loop takes three hours over 8 km. Address: route du Salève, parking de la Chapelle, 74100 Etrembières. The departure is next to the Château d’Etrembières.
The Foron Path
This urban walk takes place over 18 km in three hours. The route runs along the border with Switzerland, passing through the municipalities of Annemasse and Ville-la-Grand. The departure is from the Place de la Gare in Annemasse or from Lake Machilly. The arrival is in Bons-en-Chablais.
The Signal des Voirons
This natural site is classified as Natura 2000. At the top of the loop, you can admire the Salève, the Chablais mountains, and Lake Geneva. The departure is from the parking lot south of Lake Machilly. The ascent begins on the paved path of Sauget. Then you need to turn right onto a fairly steep path and climb up to the Sauget farm. Finally, you must exit via a tree-lined path and cross a stream.
Donkey hike on the Salève
This involves taking a mountain hike with a donkey and a guide. The departure is from the parking lot of the Salève cable car, at La Croisette, in Beaumont, or at the Maison du Salève. The price ranges from €190 to €290 depending on the duration and location of the outing.
Education
Each school year, more than 3,700 students are enrolled in the 11 public schools of Annemasse:
- Eight nursery schools,
- Seven elementary schools,
- After-school care for children aged 3 to 11 is provided in the schools, grouped under the name CLAE (leisure center associated with school),
- Six middle schools,
- Four high schools.
The markets of Annemasse
You can do your shopping at one of the three markets we present below.
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The market at Place de la Libération, on Tuesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. More than 200 vendors in food, manufactured products, flowers, and plants.
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The market at Place de Jumelage and the Jean Jaurès market at Perrier from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: food and manufactured products.
Public transport
The city of Annemasse offers a very comprehensive multimodal transport system throughout its agglomeration. It is the TAC network (collective transport of Annemasse) that manages this offer with:
- A bus network with two main lines (L3 and L5) and four secondary lines (L4, L6, L7, and L8).
- The Tram Annemasse Genève which connects to the tramway on the Swiss side of the border. The line serves four stations in the cities of Annemasse, Ambilly, and Gaillard. This tram has a frequency of 9 minutes with a capacity of 80 seats.
- The Annemasse train station hosts 4 of the 6 lines of the Léman Express which connects 45 stations on both sides of the border over 230 km.
- A car-sharing offer called “Citiz” allows for the use of a car for necessary trips.
You can check the lines and schedules in real time.
Town Hall
- Town Hall of Annemasse located at Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Official site: Town Hall of Annemasse - Community of agglomeration: www.annemasse-agglo.fr
- Tourist office: The Monts de Genève
For skiing nearby
Praz de Lys-Sommand ski resort
