Things to do in Evian, France

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Things to do in Evian, France

You’ve heard of the water, now visit the town. Evian is a relaxing destination on the shores of Lake Geneva. To help you plan your trip, here is a complete guide to Evian-les-Bains.

Evian-les-Bains (Evian for short) is a scenic French spa town in the Haute Savoie region of the Alps, just across the lake from Switzerland. A Belle Epoque beauty, it’s a short ferry ride from Lausanne and just over an hour from Geneva by car.

One day in Evian-les-Bains

If you’ve ever tasted Evian water, in a way you’ve already visited Evian-les-Bains, a flower-filled spa town on the banks of Lake Geneva (known as Lac Leman in France). With its turn-of-the-century history, stunning lakeside location and famous mineral springs, the small city of Evian in France has a lot to offer, either on a day trip, a spa trip or for a longer stay.

I spent 10 days here, creating my own spa vacation and touring the sights of Lake Geneva by ferry, but you can see most of Evian’s attractions in a day.

How to Tour Evian-les-Bains

You can tour Evian in an orderly way, following the Historic City Tour on the map, or in a haphazard way, jumping from sight to sight like a jack rabbit in a field of lavender. However you do it, this one day in Evian-les-Bains travel guide should help.

The All-Important Free English-Language Map

First, pick up a free city map from the Tourist Office at Place d’Allinges or at the more convenient Palais Lumière, (which for the longest time I thought was the Tourist Office) at Quai Charles Albert Besson.

Visit the Source of Evian Water

Once armed with your map, head to the Cachat Springs Point of Emergence, also known as a fountain. Located on the Avenue des Sources, Cachat Springs is the most famous spring in Evian. Once called the Fountain of Sainte Catherine, it was built in 1903.

This small pastel pink arcade offers a continuous stream of Evian water straight from the source. Drinking the water is free and, as a bonus, if you hang around long enough you’ll see every other tourist in town as well as quite a few locals filling up bottles to go.

To taste the fresh Evian water, you need to bring your own cup or bottle. As a last resort, cup your hands and slurp. (Just make sure they’re clean.)

About Evian Water

Evian-les-Bains means, quite literally, Evian the Baths, and the mineral-rich water that springs out of the ground is the town’s raison d’etre.

Evian Water Benefits

Rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium, Evian water is naturally filtered through glacial sand during its 15-year journey from high in the Northern Alps. The spring water is said to have a smooth buttery taste, though when I tried it, it pretty much tasted like water.

It’s also healthy to bathe in Evian water. The first baths were built in 1824 and Evian-les-Bains rose to the heights of prominence as a spa town, attracting a global elite including King Edward VII, the Aga Kahn and Marcel Proust.

Why is Drinking Fresh Evian Water Better than Drinking It From the Bottle?

Ah. Important question. Apparently there are trace elements in the water that vanish after 23 hours. (My French isn’t that good, I may have got some of the finer points wrong from the woman who was explaining it to me, but I’m clear on the 23 hours.)

Take Self-Guided City Tour

Now you must choose: You can take an orderly tour of Evian-les-Bains using the map or an erratic tour, also using the map.

Let me explain. You do an orderly tour by following the brass raindrops embedded into the pavement around town. Or, you can do a disorganized tour like I did, which is just as much fun though I didn’t do it on purpose.

For one thing, I spent the longest time thinking the raindrops were tear drops and it seemed like a downer to follow them.

Also, with my keen eye for detail, I assumed that the numbers on the tourist map corresponded to the numbers beside the pictures of the tourist attractions on the back. They don’t, but it seemed like a perfectly reasonable assumption to me.

This is why I could never understand why the Cachat Springs Fountain was, once I got there, the 3-star Hotel Les Cygnes (the Hotel Swan) instead, or why the Medieval Hospital was the modern and very chic Hilton Hotel.

At that point the tear drops began to make sense because I wanted to cry every time I got somewhere and it wasn’t what it was meant to be.

The Correct Way to Follow the Raindrops

IMPORTANT: To do an orderly tour of Evian-les-Bains know this: The smaller Historical City Tour map in the bottom right corner of the big map is the one that corresponds to the pictures on the back. It’s quite obvious, really, if you look at the map after you’ve had your morning coffee.

Visit the Cachat Pump Room

Either way, have a look at the former Cachat Pump Room on 19 Rue Nationale. Built in 1903, this former pump room is a striking pavilion with wrought iron, glass and a fancy tiled cupola.

What’s a pump room, you ask?

Every spa town worth its mineral salt had a pump room. It’s where society spa goers would drink the water, walk around in a stately manner and gossip viciously.

While the Cachat Pump Room is a “masterpiece of Art Nouveau spa resort architecture” according to my guide, it was also closed when I was there in April. From May to September it hosts an exhibition of Evian products, so if you find your way in let me know what I missed.

Note: Many people mix up the Cachat Pump Room with the Cachat Springs Point of Emergence. It’s easy to do (take it from me), but they’re not the same thing.

The Pump Room is a building and the Cachat Springs is an outdoor fountain behind the building.

Ride the Funicular Railway

If you want to experience the heights of glamour on your ‘one day in Evian-les-Bains’ tour, head up the historic funicular railway, the Funiculaire d’Evian.

On the ride you’ll be reliving a bit of Evian spa history, as it was constructed in order to transport guests from the very posh Evian hotels at the top of the hill down to the spa baths in town.

The lofty hilltop hotels include the 5-star Hotel Royal Evian Resort and the 4-star Ermitage Hotel. There was also the palatial Hotel Splendide, which no longer exists. At that time the baths were in the Palais Lumière downtown.

The funicular, which opened in the early 1900s, has been completely restored. Today, it’s a fitting way to sail up to the ultra grand Hotel Royal Evian Resort, the luxury hotel that opened in 1909.

Bonus: The funicular is free. You can find it behind the Palais Lumière.

The downside: The funicular only runs from mid May to mid September, but you can also walk up, which is a good idea as it cancels out any pastries eaten later.

Check out the Historic Hotel Royal Evian Resort

Set on 47 acres of parkland, the 5-star Hotel Royal Evian Resort presides over this scenic European spa town like a sparkly tiara. Its elegant halls have seen a long list of celebrities and nobility come and go – the guest list includes names like Cartier, Nijinsky, Stravinsky and the elusive Greta Garbo.

If it’s nice out you can have a cup of coffee on the patio. On Sundays you can do afternoon tea. Or, you can just have a look around then head down again to the centre of Evian-les-Bains for a scenic walk along the shores of Lake Geneva.

Stroll Along the Quai

Once you’re back in town, you’ll be magnetically drawn to the lake. It’s inevitable. Just go with it. Quite honestly, if you don’t feel like sightseeing, a walk along the water is one of the best things to do in Evian les Bains.

If you’re ready for lunch, you can eat a casual meal at the Restaurant Brasserie La Voile which overlooks the marina at 2 Quai Paul Léger.

(Scroll down to my Travel Tips for Evian section for more restaurant ideas.)

Summer Activities on the Water

While the main ferries run year round, in summer there are a couple of unique activities you can do on the water.

• Take a cruise on Lake Geneva on the restored paddle steamer, La Savoie. (Check with the Evian Tourist Board for times and prices.)
• Take a boat tour to the wonderfully-named Pré Curieux Water Gardens, a protected wetland accessed by solar-powered boat. You can only get there on a guided tour. Boats depart from Quai Baron de Blonay, which is in front of the Casino.

I couldn’t do either because it was April, so I had to content myself with exploring some of the grand old buildings in town. Although I did take the year-round ferry over to see the sights on the Switzerland side of Lake Geneva quite a lot.

See the Palais Lumière

One of the grandest buildings in Evian is the Palais Lumière. Built in 1902, it’s a turn-of-the-century building that was a combination spa and pump room. Now it’s a cultural centre, showing various exhibitions.

Walk on in – the reception hall is still eye catching, with graceful statues of white Poitiers stone and period paintings of spa-loving nymphs.

Head to the Villa Lumière

The Villa Lumière on Rue de la Source de Clermont was the summer home of a wealthy industrialist, Antoine Lumière. Today it’s the Town Hall but you can still visit the gilded drawing room and the hall (only not on weekends).

Check out the Theatre

The Theatre of Evian-les-Bains is a striking building with fluted columns and a row of lion heads on the cornice.

Attached to the Casino on Quai Besson, and built between 1883 and 1885, it’s still running so if you’re in Evian overnight, you might be able to catch a performance.

Wander Through Town

The Rue Nationale is Evian’s main commercial street, and the shopping is, er, okay. Check out some backstreets, such as the tiny Passage de Bonbonnes  – because any street named after bon bons has to be worthy of your time.

Visit Notre-Dame de l’Assomption

To complete your Evian walking tour, you need to go to church. It was evening and pouring rain when I found my way to the medieval Notre-Dame de l’Assomption. It might not look like much from the outside, but the interior – if you like stout medieval pillars and that grey gloomy beauty 13th-century churches have – is quite glorious.

A Choir of Angels

As I walked in I was immediately hit by a warm blast of incense and beautiful cooing high notes. The choir was practicing. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to be in there, so I tucked myself behind a pillar and sat all warm and cozy, looking at the early Savoy Gothic architecture while a serenade of angels sang just for me.

It was practically a mystical experience, and would have been a 100% mystical experience if I hadn’t been planning to go next to the Casino, which seemed to take the tone down a bit.

Try Your Luck at the Evian Casino

Back out in the rain, I managed to miss the 19th-century Casino, which is a rare feat as not only is the Casino the biggest landmark in Evian-les-Bains, it’s right next door to the church. Originally set in a 17th-century castle owned by the Baron Louis Ennemont, it was rebuilt in 1912.

Visiting Evian Casino – You need to be over 18 and have your passport with you.

Seek Out the Japanese Gardens

If I hadn’t gone the wrong way, however, I wouldn’t have stumbled on the tiny Japanese Gardens.

It isn’t even on the tear drop raindrop map, but was a tumble of pink blossoms on bright green bushes and very atmospheric in the rain – so you see, there is a reason to do an erratic One Day in Evian-les-Bains tour, because you never know what you might see.