The great lakes of France’s Pays de Savoie offer ‘an impression of cleanliness, order and rude good health’
Beloved of historical figures from Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Queen Victoria and Paul Cézanne, the great Alpine lakes of France’s Pays de Savoie match the region’s towering peaks, including Mont Blanc, in their “still, silent majesty”, said Steve King in Condé Nast Traveller. A tour might begin beside the largest and northernmost – Lake Geneva, or Lac Léman, which is shared between Switzerland and France – and proceed in a southwesterly direction to the other three: Annecy, Bourget and Aiguebelette. There are charming old towns beside each, and their waters – clean and surprisingly warm in summer – are good for swimming, making a Savoyard holiday a pleasant alternative to a Mediterranean beach break.
