Tucked away near the Swiss border in eastern France, Annecy is the kind of town that makes you question whether real life accidentally wandered into a fairy tale. Picture this: flower-draped balconies, cobblestone lanes, turquoise canals, and a sparkling lake ringed by snow-kissed mountains.

If you've ever dreamed of stepping into a postcard — all **colorful clapboard houses**, fishing boats bobbing on a breezy harbor, and old-timey shops that smell faintly of sea salt and wood polish — you might want to point your compass toward **Lunenburg**, Nova Scotia. This **UNESCO World Heritage Site** isn’t just a pretty face. It’s a living, breathing museum of Canada’s maritime past — where pirates once prowled the nearby waters, schooners were born, and every street whispers a salty tale.