Annecy
Alpine Lake Town Whose Old Quarter Of Canals And Arcades Lies At The Head Of Lac D'Annecy, One Of The Cleanest Lakes In Europe · Annecy, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
Annecy is a town in Haute-Savoie at the northern tip of Lac d'Annecy, a long alpine lake ringed by mountains and known for water clean enough to swim in from public beaches. Its old town, the Vieille Ville, is a compact quarter of pastel houses, arcaded streets and canals fed by the river Thiou, which drains the lake. In the middle of the Thiou stands the Palais de l'Isle, a small twelfth-century island building that served as a prison and courthouse and is now a local history museum. Above the old town the castle holds a museum of the region and the lakes. Along the shore lie lawns, gardens and the Pont des Amours. A cycle path runs down the western shore, beaches line both sides, and boats cruise the lake from spring to autumn. Paragliders launch from the Col de la Forclaz above the eastern shore. Summer brings heavy crowds, full car parks and traffic around the lake. In winter the ski resorts of the Aravis are about an hour away. Geneva airport is roughly 45 minutes by road.
Vieille Ville and the lake shore, Annecy, Haute-Savoie, Annecy, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France
The old town and the lakeside are public spaces open at all hours, and the town is at its quietest early in the morning and after dark. The Palais de l'Isle and the castle museum keep daytime hours, open daily in summer and closed one day a week, often Tuesday, for much of the rest of the year, with some closures around public holidays; confirm before going. The main old-town markets run on set mornings several days a week and are biggest on Sundays and Tuesdays; confirm the current days, as they have shifted. Lake cruises run from roughly spring to autumn with the fullest timetable in July and August and a reduced or no service in winter. Paid beaches and lidos open for the summer season only, roughly June to early September, and some free beaches have lifeguards only in that window. Paragliding runs all year when the weather is right but is cancelled in wind, rain or low cloud, so book a flexible slot. Restaurants in the old town close between lunch and dinner and fill fast in summer and on weekends. The big Lake Festival fireworks in August and the animation festival in June fill every hotel room for kilometres around.