Lake Annecy's west-shore jetties

Down the western shore of the lake, a string of wooden jetties runs out from the reed beds into open water, and the best of them sit around Duingt, where the castle headland narrows the lake and the mountains rise straight from the far shore. A couple at the end of a jetty, water like poured glass, ridgelines doubling in the reflection — this is the frame that fills Annecy photographers' portfolios, and it is ten minutes' drive from the old town.

First light is not negotiable if the mirror matters: the lake is at its stillest around dawn, before the morning breeze and the first boats put texture on the water. The light comes up over the mountains on the eastern shore, so the west side gets a long, soft ramp of brightening sky before direct sun — ideal working light. By mid-morning on a warm day the glass is gone.

Small print: the jetties are narrow, dew-slick early, and mostly without railings — barefoot or grippy soles, and keep gear bags on shore. Some belong to lakeside properties; use the publicly accessible ones and leave fishermen their space. In autumn, morning fog on the lake replaces the mirror with something arguably better.