48h in Annecy

Two days in Annecy, on the shore of Europe's cleanest lake, thanks to a sewerage programme begun as early as 1957. The trip opens in the old town and its canals, with the Palais de l'Isle, a former prison shaped like a ship's prow set midstream in the Thiou and probably the most photographed building in Savoie. The lakeside cycle route, the Semnoz and its 1,704-metre panorama over the Alps and Mont Blanc, the Fier gorges with their suspended walkway, then the castle of the Counts of Geneva complete the stay. The west-shore cycle path, 33 kilometres long, is fully separated from the road. The lake reaches 22 degrees in August. Parking in the centre is difficult: use the park-and-ride sites.