Spend Summer Lakeside in Haute-Savoie

 
Spend Summer Lakeside in Haute-Savoie

Explore the lakeside wonders of Haute-Savoie. From Yvoire and Chamonix, to Evian and Annecy, find enchantment at every turn.

Wandering through the woods to the lake; the sound of the cicadas; my first real taste of ‘foreign’ food. These are the memories I have carried with me for 50 years. I had been taken on a camping holiday by a French family to the Haute-Savoie region of France. We stayed at a campsite at Thonon-les-Bains on the edge of Lake Geneva, or Lac Léman to give it its French name. Three weeks of swimming in the lake and exploring this lovely area gave me enduring memories and a burning desire to return to see if it really was as beautiful as I remembered.

Finally, I got my wish. On my trip when I was 12, I had been taken to Yvoire, Évian, Annecy and Chamonix and I was now going back. Would these places live up to my childhood memories? After travelling through the rush-hour traffic in Geneva I was relieved to arrive in Yvoire, a beautiful and tranquil medieval village on the side of the lake and my first port of call.

Yvoire © Shutterstock

Memory lane

My abiding memory of this place was of flowers everywhere and it didn’t disappoint. It has won many awards for its magnificent floral displays and is named one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. One attraction that was new since I was last there was the Jardin des Cinq Sens – the Garden of the Five Senses – and I spent a relaxing morning exploring this series of different gardens. Transformed in 1986, these botanical gardens were developed from one of the kitchen gardens of the nearby castle. Walking through an alpine garden and then a cloister full of medicinal herbs you can then explore the gardens of the five senses – scent, touch, sight, hearing and taste. It is all beautifully laid out and to wander around on a warm summer’s day is a delight.

On to Thonon next, home to the campsite where I had spent the long, hot summer of 1970. Even now I only have to hear Mungo Jerry’s In the Summertime to be transported back to that idyllic three weeks.

Thonon is a busy little spa town which is perched on a cliff overlooking the lake. There is a funicular which takes you down to Rives, the harbour at the foot of the cliffs, and here you can hire sailing boats or book yourself a trip over the lake to Lausanne in Switzerland. Just outside the town is the Château de Ripaille, made famous by its one-time resident Duke Amadeus VIII (1383 -1451), who later became antipope Felix V.

Unsurprisingly, the highlight of my visit to Thonon was returning to where I had camped on the edge of the lake. It hadn’t changed much at all and soon brought the memories flooding back. As I sat at the lakeside bar sipping my wine, I reflected on how quickly the years have passed since that long, hot summer.

Dining in this area is a wonderful experience especially if you like fish and I was lucky enough to eat at the wonderful Restaurant Raphaël Vionnet in Thonon. I wouldn’t have been doing that 50 years ago!

Lakeside splendour

Driving around this area in my tiny Fiat 500 was such a pleasure as everywhere was so clean and tidy even the roundabouts were full of flowers and fountains.

Onwards to Evian-Les-Bains, home of the famous Évian mineral water. I had remembered this as a town full of beautiful buildings and it lived up to all expectations. The most stunning buildings were built during the late 19th and early 20th century, when Evian was a thriving spa town attracting numerous visitors who were keen to bathe in its healing waters. Huge hotels were built, along with the magnificent thermal baths, which in 2007 became the new Évian Cultural and Congress Centre, where they hold exhibitions and other cultural events.

I have fond memories of going up in the funicular in Évian, an experience I was able to repeat and which I thoroughly enjoyed again second time around. The funicular takes you up to where all the very grand hotels are situated, and wandering back down towards the town, you are afforded some fantastic views of the lake.

I now left the towns on the edge of Lake Geneva and headed towards another lake, smaller but just as beautiful. Lake Annecy is the deepest lake entirely in France and is renowned for its sparkling clean water. My memories are of swimming in the lake with the backdrop of the picturesque old town of Annecy full of quirky buildings and canals (it is often called ‘the Alpine Venice’). Again, I was not disappointed. It was as amazing as I remembered and this time, I had new memories to make: it was Bastille Day while I was there (and also my birthday) and I was treated to a great firework display on the lake. I also hired an e-bike for what I thought was going to be a gentle cycle around the lake. How wrong I was. With it being la Fête nationale, families were out in force having fun and there seemed to be hundreds of children and teenagers racing round the lake on their bikes. I gave in and adjourned to the nearest bar – a rather more relaxing option!

Next came Chamonix, the last destination on my whistle-stop tour. I can remember my 12-year-old self being awestruck at the immense size of Mont Blanc as we approached, and 50 years down the line, it had exactly the same effect.

I absolutely loved Chamonix and the quirky hotel in which I stayed, La Folie Douce, was like no other I had ever visited, with its unusual décor and acrobats performing while you dine. I also tried the new spa, QC Terme, where I sat in an infinity pool gazing over the mountains, another experience that will stick in my mind forever.

Unfortunately, the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, has shrunk in the last 50 years as a result of global warming. I had visited it back in 1970 but this time a trip up to the Aiguille du Midi was on offer instead and what an experience it was. Here the cable car holds the world record for the highest vertical ascent, taking less than 20 minutes from the valley to the panoramic viewing platform. I wouldn’t have missed the views of the surrounding Alps and Chamonix laid out far below for the world – and I was pleased I had wrapped up well as the temperature was below zero despite it being midsummer!
My return trip to the Haute-Savoie region had confirmed what I already knew that it is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever visited. I shall not wait so long to return next time.

HAUTE-SAVOIE ESSENTIALS

TOURISM

WHERE TO STAY

GETTING THERE

Easyjet and BA fly from several UK airports to Geneva.

From France Today Magazine

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