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.