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French Lake Geneva, from the lake to the mountain and from the mountain to the sky
Lake Geneva, on its French side, is one of the dream destinations in our neighboring country. Discover this unforgettable place.
Live it!
On a route through France in a motorhome, we discover fairytale villages, emerged from a freezer of the most remote history of Europe, pirate villages and beautiful coves on its coast, impressive natural parks and surprising archaeological sites. In addition, we discovered France with children and with our dog Max, who broadens our gaze and makes us enjoy it 200%.
Stay on our journey through our blog posts and start traveling with us to France by motorhome and this time around Lake Geneva.
Summary of our trip around Lake Geneva
We arrived at Lake Geneva as the first stage of a trip that we made for a total of 10 days through three different stages that runs through the surroundings of the Rhone River in France.
The entire trip goes from the origin of the Rhône river in France, which is Lake Geneva, to its mouth in the Camargue, with a stop in the middle, as a second stage, at the Massif de Bauges.
We spend 4 days at Lake Geneva to discover these 6 destinations that we explain to you.
Surely we could have spent the entire 10 days touring Lake Geneva, but in this case we want to make a route with varied landscapes that shortens the trip home.
The time of year of our trip is a magical and special time, Christmas. That is why on this route we tell you about some very Christmassy destinations that you cannot miss.
Expenses of our motorhome trip
To give you an idea of the approximate costs of a trip like the one we did in a motorhome, we make a summary of our expenses during our trip of those 10 days in France. These costs are the total for the 4 of us in the family plus our dog Max.
En car parks, motorhome areas and campsites the cost has been about 60 €uros. And in tickets to museums or places of interest, ski passes, restaurants, supermarkets and activities of leisure about 800 €uros for the 10 days.
Total
In total, this 10-day trip down the Rhône with Lake Geneva for the four of us cost approximately €1500 . For everything we did, I assure you it would have cost considerably more elsewhere. Lake Geneva in winter and the ski resorts in this area are much cheaper than those in Spain.
Likewise, remember that we are traveling in our motorhome. Now, if you don't have a motorhome and want to rent one, it costs around €50-€180 euros per day if you rent it, depending on the season and type of rental you do.
The best of Lac Leman
- Being able to ski as a family on very familiar and easy slopes such as those of Thollon les Memises with impressive views over Lake Geneva. If you don't ski, we also recommend you go up with the cable car and see its views from the ski resort restaurant.
- Other impressive views and a place full of peace, calm and very beautiful is Allignes. Going up and making the easy walk between its two castles, the new one and the old one, must be a must.
- French gastronomy never disappoints and in this case we recommend you eat the local fish in Yvoire where you will find many excellent restaurants.
- Abondance and its free motorhome area if you go by camper. It is one of the few large areas, right next to the town and above all with water in winter! And on top of that, the town has a thousand things to do and see. We loved the House of Cheese, the Abbey and its ski resort with the toboggan run!
- The excellent security that is breathed in all the places visited on Lake Geneva. The motorhomes here can be very calm and there are also few prohibited to park campers 🙂
- Going at Christmas has made the trip to Lac Leman even more special. Les Féeriques de Thonon les bains and the Village Fabulous de Évian, which are open until January 2, are spectacular. Not only are the Christmas markets beautiful, but they have much more to see and in the case of Évian we have never seen something as original as turning a town into a magical fairytale town based on sculptures of branches and theatrical shows.
The worst of Lac Leman
- Rain in snow places. The days we were there we had the bad luck that it was hot days and it rained on top. That made it rain in snowy spots like Abondance, a strange feeling.
- In winter all the motorhome services areas close the water, which makes it very difficult to stock up on water in the area. Abondance and the private area next to Yvoire are the only ones that have an open heated water terminal.
- In winter many museums and places of interest are closed. Take a good look before visiting something.
- There are few translations in Spanish, almost everything is only in English or French.
- In summer it seems to be a very busy place. But in winter it is a sensational place and with absolutely no one!
Our route around Lac Leman by motorhome on the map
Access the interactive map and see the motorhome areas, overnight or day-only parking, campsites, restaurants that we liked and the points of interest that we elaborated on Lac Lemán during our trip.
French Lake Geneva: what to see and do around the 6 essential destinations on our route
Lake Leman is an immense expanse of water that has 167 kilometers of Franco-Swiss shores, of which 54 kilometers belong to France. The Gallic riverbanks are dotted with pleasure ports, such as those of Évian-les-Bains, Yvoire, Thonon-les-Bains or Saint-Gingolph. We anticipate some of these destinations where we have been and we believe are essential on your route:
1 Yvoire one of the most beautiful villages in France
Do not miss one of the towns listed as one of the most beautiful in France and in this area of Lake Geneva.
Yvoire is beautiful. Discover it by clicking here or on the photo to find out what to see in Yvoire.
2 Allignes, two castles with the best views over Lake Geneva
The castles of Allignes are an essential that you should not miss on your trip. Nestled in the UNESCO Geopark of Chableau, any traveler falls in love with its impressive views over Lake Geneva.
Find out what to see in Allinges by clicking here or on the photo.
3 Thonon les bains, city of Christmas on Lac Leman
If you go to Lac Lemán at Christmas, like us, you cannot miss the Féeriques de Thonon les bains.
Find out what to see in Thonon les bains by clicking here or on the photo.
4 Abondance, an alpine mountain village where you can taste good cheese
If you like idyllic and fairytale mountain villages, Abondance is your destination. In winter, snowy, the visit to its Abbey becomes more magical. But first, you can go skiing in its Nordic or Alpine resort.
And don't miss the Abondance cheese and the visit to the House of Cheese!
Find out what to see in Abundance by clicking here or on the photo.
5 Thollon les Mémises, the ski resort with the most beautiful views we have ever skied!
If you like to ski with amazing views or ski with your family, this is your place. Or if you just want to have a coffee in the place with the best views of Lac Leman, this is also your place!
Find out what to see in Thollon les Mémises by clicking here or on the photo.
6 Évian les Bains, spa town and the Fabulous Village of Flottins at Christmas
If you like to see Christmas and different places, this is your destination. At Christmas the Village Fabuloux impresses any traveller, don't miss it! And in summer enjoy a lively town and spa.
Find out by clicking here or on the photo to learn what to see in Évian les bains.
We advise, manage, solve doubts, give support and set up a route or trip in a motorhome personalized to your tastes and needs, so that you can go calm, safe and your trip in a motorhome is unforgettable.
With this service you will really enjoy a motorhome trip without setbacks or loss of time.
To finish ... 3 maxims about France in a motorhome
1 Don't forget winter chains or tires in winter
You should know that between November 1 to March 31 in 48 departments of France, including those bordering Spain, it is mandatory to wear chains (at least for the two driving wheels) or winter tires.
If you want to see an article about which snow chains and/or winter tires are best for a motorhome, here's an article we wrote based on our experience with our motorhome.
Finally, here's an article with recommendations on what you should never do in the snow in a motorhome.
2 Do not forget the necessary documents
To go to France, you must carry valid ID cards or passports for adults and children as identification documents.
You must also bring your Covid vaccination certificate or QR code , or a negative PCR or antigen test for those over 12. This may be requested not only at the border, but also in many restaurants, museums, and other places of interest.
On the other hand, for medical matters, you must have a valid European Health Insurance Card , although you should know that in France there is a co-payment for foreigners in most medical procedures. Therefore, and based on the experiences of several colleagues, we decided to always have travel medical insurance , which, given the cost, gives us peace of mind. We always use Iati Escapadas insurance, which is designed for family trips in motorhomes or campervans. Besides medical insurance, it even includes accident insurance for any pets you travel with and a small amount of insurance against theft from the motorhome's interior. For the price, it's truly worthwhile, especially with Covid still present here. We're including a 5% discount on the insurance we mentioned, in case you'd like to request a better price.
3 Learn about the regulations on parking, spending the night and camping in a motorhome in France
We make it easy for you, here is a small practical guide about France by motorhome with everything you need to know.
Traveling in France in a motorhome is the easiest. Without a doubt, the motorhome routes in France are among the best in Europe.
Regulations on parking and spending the night in a motorhome in France freely
The regulations in France regulate that you can park and spend the night anywhere that a vehicle can do it, as long as it is not camped (you leave the perimeter of your vehicle, that is, take out tables, chairs, etc.), as in Spain although with particularities, which we will see later. This is the general rule, you can park and stay overnight without problem if there is no explicit prohibition.
Regulations on camping in a motorhome in France
Camping in France is meticulously regulated in various ways depending on the region and site.
However, as a general rule , free camping (setting up tables and chairs, opening windows, putting up awnings, etc.) is prohibited in these places throughout France:
- By the sea
- In natural parks or protected environmental areas
- In the streets and public roads
- Less than 500 meters from a tourist attraction
- On private farms without permission
Outside of these sites, you have to look at each case about the region we are in and place, a normative tidal wave.
But as a general rule, outside of the sites mentioned above, if there is no prohibition, we could take out our awning, table and chair to eat without problem.
Another important thing to know is that the French motorhome culture is of great respect and education, which means that no one thinks of leaving their table and chair and awning anywhere all day. They only do it at the time of use and then they collect everything quickly. You must always do this as well, so that free camping is still tolerated in France outside of the sites we have mentioned above.
Motorhome services and areas in France
Traveling through France by motorhome is very easy, as it boasts the largest network of motorhome areas in Europe, with over 6000 sites . These areas offer full services, including waste disposal and water filling, and many also have electricity.
Most of the overnight areas for motorhomes or campers are municipal and free or at very low prices, less than € 10 for 24 hours.
In practically all points of interest or tourist towns you will find a motorhome area, and generally always central or well connected to the center of the towns.
The French have a PhD in camping and caravanning and it shows.
In addition to these motorhome areas, we find a network of overnight areas in very important farms and vineyards where they allow to spend the night and camp in exchange for the purchase of km0, this network is what makes France Passion.
Routes
In general the roads are very good in France. The national ones usually have a hard shoulder and are usually fine, although depending on the area you will find many changes in grade, curves and a lot of two-way traffic.
The highways are great, but against the extortionate prices. In some sections there are highways, however they are minimal.
Finally, you should know that between November 1 to March 31 in 48 departments of France, including those bordering Spain, it is mandatory to carry chains (at least for the two driving wheels) or winter tires.
If you want to see an article about which snow chains and/or winter tires are best for a motorhome, here's an article we wrote based on our experience with our motorhome.
REMEMBER, CAMPING IS OUTSTANDING THE PERIMETER OF YOUR VEHICLE (taking out a table and chairs, awning, opening windows, spending more than 72 hours in the same place ...). For camping you can go to private areas or campsites.
