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With its snow-capped mountains and its clear Alpine Lakes, the Haute Savoie is one of the most beautiful parts of Europe. After the bustle of the school summer holidays the gradual changes of autumn reveal themselves in glorious colours on the forested mountainsides. Autumn is harvest time in the vineyards and mushrooms flourish alongside the forest pathways. There are festivals and gastronomic events to celebrate the summer. The Haute Savoie has a fascinating history and is proud to celebrate its traditions. There are both castles and museums to visit, all the year round. Many of these are still privately owned, as the area was not part of France until 1860, and thus missed the bloody years of the French revolution. Nearly all of the towns have preserved their historic centres, many of them car-free zones, and they are a delight to wander around. The cities have become a pleasure for window-shopping and café culture where you are can absorb the history that lives and breathes all around you. Within the Haute Savoie and Savoie are the three most important Alpine lakes in France. Lakes Annecy, (the cleanest in Europe), Bourget and Leman are areas of outstanding natural beauty in the French Alps. Lake Annecy flows through the city of Annecy via a network of canals leading it to be dubbed the “Little Venice of the Alps”. Lake Bourget is the largest lake entirely within France and has on its banks Aix les Bains that in Victorian times was a well-known spa for the English. Lake Leman is the biggest of them and effectively divides Switzerland from France. It is sometimes known as Lake Geneva though only the part at the Western end, which is enclosed by the city, should be so called. All the lakes have good beaches and can offer the visitor a wealth of water sports both above as well as below the water line. Sailing, swimming and water skiing are always available and snorkelling and even scuba diving can be practised. |