Veyrier-le-Lac just 5km from Annecy is known to the locals as the “ Savoyard Emerald Coast ”, it ’ s a very pretty village and home to several excellent restaurants overlooking the lake .
A little further on you ’ ll arrive in Menthon-Saint-Bernard , another pretty village with a 1000 year old fairy-tale castle in which a Saint was born and whose descendants still live there . It ’ s a fascinating place to visit with exquisite views over the lake and gorgeous gardens . Read more about it
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Then there ’ s the truly scrumptious village of Talloires with its ancient abbey , now a hotel and restaurant with one of the best sommeliers in France . Read more about it
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Don ’ t miss lovely Doussard , a tiny little village of astonishing beauty which is the gateway to the Massif des Bauges Mountains and as pretty a place as you ’ re ever likely to see .
Go further on and you ’ ll arrive at Duingt , nicknamed the pearl of Lake Annecy , with its gorgeous chateaux – yes two of them , turrets peaking over the trees as the snowy mountain peaks soar into the sky around them .