Évian les Bains

We took a long weekend and drove to Évian les Bains. You know – the place that’s famous for its water. It is a lovely resort city on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) complete with thermal baths, a casino, lots of hotels (including The Royal Resort where you can stay in the Edward VII suite for only 2700 euros/night), restaurants, shops, and, of course, THE water. We enjoyed people and car watching (Jaguar, Bentley, Maserati, etc.) and just wandering around town. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was spectacular, so we thought we’d let some of the pictures we took “do the talking.”



Driving to Evian…

A chateau on a hill.

We had lunch al fresco at this bistro in the village of Amberieu.

In Évian

Looking up to our hotel from Place Charles de Gaulle.  Our room was the last one on the left on the top floor.

Views from our hotel window...

View of the lake with the Notre-dame-de-Grace (part of which dates back to the 12th century) on the right.

Another view of the lake.  That's the casino on the left.  We somehow managed to resist it.

Looking down on the pedestrian street below and Place Charles de Gaulle on the left. 

Another view of the Place with some lovely, old buildings, the church, and the lake in the background.  There was a flea market in the Place that day.

 We ate breakfast in the Place at a corner boulangerie that's run by a husband and wife. (Small umbrella on the left at the far end.)

 The Water


As we mentioned before, Evian is renowned for its water. There are several locations in town where people can fill their bottles with THE water. There is sometimes a queue waiting while people fill their containers, but we managed to get these pictures between queues.

Various views to give you an idea of the lovely scenery…

Evian is also known for its flowers and has received many awards.  Flower beds are all over town and add to every veiw.

Looking over rooftops at the lake, Switzerland in the distance, and boat arriving from Lausanne.

We enjoyed walking along the lake.  Here we are looking back at the central city.

Pump house for the Cachat spring (the Saint Catherine Fountain).  Built in 1903.

View from park on the side of a hill.  Boat from Lausanne can be seen arriving.

The Royal Resort



We were puzzled about a barracade on the walkway along the lake until we got closer and saw the reason people needed to keep their distance.  (The nesting swan's mate was swimming nearby in the lake.)

As always, we take our responsibility to supporting the local economy very seriously.

We took a ride on a boat and went across the lake to Lausanne, Switzerland.

There are CGN boats going back and forth across the lake at regular intervals. Here's the one we took. 

On our way across!

Arriving in Lausanne.

13th century Gothic cathedral - the biggest in Switzerland.

There is much, much more we could show you and tell you about the area, Évian's rich history and lovely sites, but we'll leave you with this introduction.  Maybe it will entice you to visit and explore on your own?














Boat ride across the Lake to Lausanne