In short
Annecy sits on a lake reckoned among the purest in Europe, the result of a clean-up policy begun in the 1960s: waste water from the lakeside communes is collected by a ring main rather than discharged into the lake.
The old town is crossed by the Thiou, the lake's outflow canal, and organised around the Palais de l'Isle, a former prison set in mid-stream. Le Pâquier, a wide lawn at the water's edge, is the central public space. Annecy-le-Vieux is residential.
Arriving and getting around
Geneva is the nearest airport, about forty-five minutes away. Trains link Annecy to Lyon and Paris.
The old town and the lake are walked. The west-shore cycle path follows a former railway for some thirty kilometres to Albertville by way of Duingt and Doussard: flat, separated from the road, and the best way to see the lake.
Boats circle the lake and serve the villages.
What it really costs
Annecy is expensive for a town of its size: proximity to Geneva pulls property prices up and the summer season does the same for accommodation.
City-centre parking is expensive and saturated in summer. The park-and-ride sites on the outskirts are the answer.
When to come
May–June and September. The lake is swimmable from late June to September.
La Fête du lac, on the first Saturday of August, is one of Europe's largest firework displays and fills the town.
July–August completely saturates the old town and the beaches.
What nobody tells you
The Semnoz, a summit reachable by car above the town, gives the view over the lake on one side and the Mont Blanc range on the other. Locals use it and visitors rarely do.
The Col de la Forclaz, on the east shore, is one of the busiest paragliding sites in Europe: people go up without flying, for the view over the whole lake.
Not all the lake beaches are free: some lakeside communes run paying beaches, others leave access open. Le Pâquier and Albigny beach, in Annecy itself, are open without a ticket.
The international animated film festival, in June, is a world reference for the industry and fills the town with a professional audience.