Every year, the first weekend of August, around 200,000 visitors gather in Annecy to enjoy one of the biggest pyrotechnic shows in Europe, the "Fête du lac", which includes 70 minutes of fireworks in rhythm with music, lights and special effects over the lake.

It is an engineering marvel, the world's steepest steam-operated railway. This is Tasmania's West Coast Wilderness Railway, and it is 28 tonnes of special. Today, passengers are moved by the same locomotives that began the run from Queenstown back in 1896. They take a comfortable 16-kilometre run through the wildlands, uphill through spectacular landscapes and down to a place called Dubbill Barrill, with stops for a little gold panning and sightseeing. These locos were originally built to move copper ore for the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, delivering the mine's deep riches out of a massive, landlocked deposit at Queenstown to the port of Strahan, and from there, to the world. And every passenger is greeted by one of the line's original workhorses, a 28-tonne steam locomotive that's ready to roll — and guaranteed to raise a smile.

With its 3,5 km of length, the Thiou is considered one of the shortest rivers in France. Beside its size, it has a lot of canals which give Annecy its nickname "Venice of the Alps". It crosses the Old Town, with its flowered bridges and its picturesque charm.