---
node: spot_annecy_lake_annecy
type: spot
slug: lake_annecy
destination: dest_annecy
title: "Lake Annecy"
lead: "Lake Annecy is the alpine lake at the town's edge, fed by mountain springs and reputed to be the cleanest large lake in Europe. Swimming, sailing and the 42-kilometre cycle path around it are what people come for."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_annecy_lake_annecy.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Annecy_(2).jpg"
image_author: "Krzysztof Golik"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

Strict controls on wastewater from the 1960s onward reversed the lake's pollution, and the water is now drinkable at source. The mountains rise straight from the shore — La Tournette to the east, the Semnoz ridge to the west — so the lake is deep and cold and the light changes fast. Public beaches ring the northern end; the southern shore stays wilder.

## Highlights

Cycle the old railway line along the western shore to Duingt, flat and car-free the whole way. Boats cross from Annecy to the lakeside villages in summer, and paragliders launch from Col de la Forclaz above the eastern shore. The Pâquier lawn in town is the free swimming and picnic spot.