Annecy

— Trajet —

1 h 15 from Lyon

Annecy is the Venice of the Alps — a medieval town threaded with canals, opening onto one of Europe's purest lakes. Ninety minutes from Lyon, FFGR Lyon arranges lakeside arrivals at the Impérial Palace, private boat charters across the turquoise water to Talloires, and lunch at the Auberge du Père Bise (two Michelin stars) on the eastern shore. The old town — the Palais de l'Île, the Pont des Amours, the arcaded rue Sainte-Claire — rewards a slow morning on foot, while the surrounding Aravis massif offers helicopter excursions to the glaciers of Mont Blanc. In summer the lake is the social centre of Haute-Savoie; in winter Annecy becomes the discreet base for La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand.