Lac d'Annecy

Lake Annecy, sometimes nicknamed the "blue lake", is a lake in France located in the Alps, in Haute-Savoie. By area, it is the second lake of glacial origin in France after Lac du Bourget, leaving aside the French part of Lake Geneva. The lake formed about 18,000 years ago when the great Alpine glaciers melted. It is fed by seven streams and torrents born in the surrounding mountains: the Ire, the Eau Morte, the Laudon, the Bornette, the Biolon and a powerful underwater spring, the Boubioz, which gushes at 82 metres' depth. It is framed on the east by the Bornes massif (La Tournette – 2,351 metres, the Dents de Lanfon, Mont Veyrier and Mont Baron) and on the west by the Bauges massif (Le Semnoz and the Roc des Bœufs), to the north by the Annecy urban area and to the south by the valley towards Faverges that extends the Bout-du-Lac. The lake's shoreline can be covered on foot or by bicycle over about forty kilometres. The lake discharges its overflow into the Thiou, which feeds the Fier 1,500 metres north-west of Annecy, itself flowing into the Rhône. It is a very attractive tourist spot, known for its many water activities, paragliding, and environmental qualities allowing observation of preserved nature. The lake's only island, the Île des Cygnes, is artificial and lies opposite Annecy.

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