OLD TOWN OF ANNECY

It's the signature of the town and a must-see. Small, winding cobbled streets, with an irregular grid inherited from the Middle Ages, old houses with geminated mullioned windows, arcades where shops once stood, or wooden doors topped by a bracketed arch. And monumental gateways such as the Porte Sainte-Claire still stand. In the Middle Ages, the street was the town's main thoroughfare, narrow and lined with a variety of stalls where craftsmen were grouped by trade. But make no mistake: potential buyers didn't always enter the stores. Merchants would open their shutters and place some of their wares on display: customers would then sort through the goods on the shutter, hence the expression "trier sur le volet" (sort on the shutter)!

On a more general note, it's worth noting that decrepitude and slums threatened the entire site after the Second World War. It was at least three decades of joint efforts by elected officials, shopkeepers and an active minority of residents that really saved what is now known as the Old Town. We had to treat all the canals, all the street furniture and more and more facades at the same time. At the same time, the roads were adapted to the "car-free" lifestyle, and excellent flowering put the icing on the cake, at least throughout the summer season, which is now extended to include winter events. The nickname of "Little Venice" is well-founded, and hundreds of thousands of visitors have gradually come to appreciate it. So much so that your guide hardly needs to seek out his basic advice: if you want to avoid the big crowds, choose an off-season day for your visit, or a warm, sunny day, as we say here. The strong competition from the lakeside beaches will allow you to stroll through the narrow streets without too much hustle and bustle. Among the many stores on offer, there's something for everyone. While the souvenir stores are not always in the best taste, and the ice-cream parlors are one after the other for better or for worse, the general standard is good, and not all the restaurants are tourist traps - quite the contrary, especially in the suburbs at the beginning and end of the Old Town. You can dine on a number of pleasant terraces, and there are picturesque food markets 3 times a week. Tuesday and Friday are the most pleasant, with typical stalls.