Annecy, old town and lake Lac d'Annecy

Annecy is a town of around 110,000 inhabitants located just below Lake Geneva. A city with two faces. On the one hand there is the typical industrial city, similar to many other cities, and on the other hand there is the medieval old town, which borders directly on the beautiful lake, Lac d'Annecy.
This old town is a must-see. A tour of the Western Alps should always include Annecy, with at least one overnight stay.
In the summer months, the old town is like a festival every day. There is a colourful hustle and bustle in the many small alleyways along the Canal de Thiou.

Restaurants, bars and cafés dominate the old town centre. The cuisine, which naturally includes a lot of regional specialities from Haute-Sovoie, is excellent.
The lake is ideal for swimming in summer. It is picturesquely situated against the backdrop of the foothills of the Western Alps and is, so to speak, the ‘gateway to the Western Alps’. Although the Lac d'Annecy is fed by numerous mountain springs, it still gets up to 22 degrees in summer. The lake's water is completely renewed every 4 years thanks to the amount of water that flows out via the Canal de Thiou. This has earned the Lac d'Annecy the nickname ‘Europe's cleanest lake’.
Many varied motorbike tours can be undertaken from Annecy. You can find out more about the old town, motorbike tours and other tips about the region in the TV reportage ‘Alpen-Marathon in Switzerland and Haute Savoie’. A short film about the old town and the lake can be found here.