The 'Venice of the Alps' tag undersells it: Annecy pairs a canal-threaded medieval old town with a lake so clean it's routinely called Europe's purest. Hire a bike and ride the flat lakeside voie verte to Talloires for lunch, swimming wherever the water looks irresistible — which is everywhere. Stay midweek if you can; Saturdays bring half of Geneva. The Tuesday and Friday old-town markets are worth planning around.
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