Lake Annecy (, ) is a perialpine lake in

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie () is a Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its Prefectures in France, prefecture is Annecy. To the north is Lake Gene ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is named after the city of

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

, which marks the start of the

Thiou The Thiou () is a short river in the city of Annecy, France. It is long. It is an effluent of Lake Annecy and an affluent of the Fier, which is in turn a tributary of the Rhône. The Thiou is considered one of the cleanest rivers in Europe ...

, Lake Annecy's outflow river.Jean-Daniel Stanley and Thomas F. Jorstad, ''Direct Sediment Dispersal from Mountain to Shore, with Bypassing via Three Human-Modified Channel Systems to Lake Annecy, SE France'' (2004) Volume 20 (4) Journal of Coastal Research pp 958 - 96
JStor
The lake is at feet above sea level. At approximately , it is the third-largest lake in France, after the

Lac du Bourget Lac du Bourget (; English Lake Bourget), also locally known as Lac Gris (; ) or Lac d'Aix (), is a lake at the southernmost end of the Jura Mountains in the department of Savoie, France. It is the deepest lake located entirely within France, and ...

and

Lac de Grand-Lieu Lac de Grand-Lieu () is a lake located to the southwest of Nantes, in the Loire-Atlantique, France, and almost entirely in Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu. At an elevation of , its surface area is , making it the largest lake in France in winter, bu ...

, if the French part of

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

, which is shared between Switzerland and France, is excluded. It is a popular tourist destination known for its swimming and water sports. The lake was formed about 18,000 years ago, at the time the large alpine glaciers melted. It is fed by many small rivers from the surrounding mountains (Ire, Eau morte, Laudon, Bornette and Biolon) and a powerful underwater source, the Boubioz, at an 82-metre depth (269 ft).

Cities and towns around the lake

Veyrier-du-Lac Veyrier-du-Lac (, literally ''Veyrier of the Lake'') is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Savoie department The following is a li ...

Menthon-Saint-Bernard Menthon-Saint-Bernard (; ), commonly referred to simply as Menthon, is a commune on the eastern shore of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 1,884 ...

Talloires Talloires (; ) is a former commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Talloires-Montmin. Due to its setting on Lake Annecy Tall ...

Doussard Doussard () is a commune in the southeastern French department of Haute-Savoie. The village contains a landing field used by many paragliders, usually after they've taken off from the nearby Col de la Forclaz. Population See also *Communes o ...

Duingt Duingt (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in south-eastern France. The history of the place starts in the Bronze Age (from 1400 to 70 ...

Saint-Jorioz Saint-Jorioz (; ), located on the western banks of lake Annecy, is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in south-eastern France. Population Wo ...

Sévrier Sevrier (; before 2017: ''Sévrier''; )Décret n° 2017-149
7 February 2017 is ...

A cycle path goes partially around Lake Annecy past Sevrier and St Jorioz to Ugine. It has an aim to reach Albertville. The lake is around 14 km long. File:Talloires, view of Lake Annecy, Kodacolor by Scott Williams.jpg, View of Lake Annecy from Talloires. File:Lac d'Annecy, par Paul Cézanne.jpg,

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...

. ''Le lac bleu'', 1896. File:Lac d'Annecy Apr 2012.jpg, Lake Annecy, with the mountains of

Dents de Lanfon The Dents de Lanfon (; 'Teeth of Lanfon') is a mountain in south-eastern France rising to 1824 m. Situated above Talloires on the east bank of Lac d'Annecy in Haute-Savoie. It is framed by mount Veyrier (1,291 m) to the north, and by Le ...

, Lanfonnet and

La Tournette La Tournette () (2,351 m or 7,713ft) is a mountain in the Bornes Massif in Haute-Savoie, France. It is the highest of the mountains surrounding Lake Annecy and has a prominence of 1,514 (4,967ft), qualifying it as an Ultra prominent peak, Ultra. ...

in the background.

External links

Official website of Lake Annecy (tourism information center)Association of the Friends of the Old Annecy
(French)
Best Cycling Climbs from Lake Annecy
{{Authority control Annecy

Tourism in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes