Imagine you were asked to design the ultimate picturesque European town. You might think of church spires and pastel-coloured houses, medieval arcades and cafe terraces, which you’d arrange around cobbled squares and along winding alleys. You’d add a market for good measure, then top everything off with a castle so castle-like it would win a kindergarten drawing competition.
Annecy: The most beautiful town in France. Credit: Getty Images But then if you draped it in flowers, placed it along a pellucid river and lake, and popped snowy mountains in the background, you’d be accused of overkill. And if you sent out seven swans a-swimming through it all, your design would have strayed into improbable Hallmark schmaltz.
And yet, Annecy is real. A featureless and grubby modern town off to one side tones down the saccharine. The high-summer tourist crush can be appalling, just to remind you that perfection comes at a price.
But even so, Annecy is the prettiest place, set amid one of the prettiest landscapes you can imagine. Canal du Vasse in Annecy, which gets the top vote for quality of life in France. Credit: iStock Nor is it merely attractive.
The Association of Towns and Villages Where Life is Good – which sounds better in French – crunched data from the National Statistics Office on services, health, sports and leisure, transport and other criteria, and in 2020 declared Annecy the nation’s top town for quality of life. The town snuggles into the foothills of the Fren.