If you’re looking for new places to discover near Geneva this summer, look no further than the beautiful medieval village of Yvoire on the French shouthern shore of Lake Léman, right on the tip of the peninsula where the “small lake” meets the “large lake”.
Yvoire is one of France’s most beautiful villages, a picture-perfect ville fleurie only 28km from Geneva, which you can travel by car in around 40 minutes or by boat from the Swiss lakeside town of Nyon in about 20 mins.
If you have friends visiting, or the kids are particularly bored during the holidays, then taking the boat to Yvoire is definitely a great choice and an experience they won’t forget.
This walled fishing port dates back to the 14th century and boasts amazing views over Lake Léman, a 19th centrury bell-tower and a Medieval castle with its kitchen garden, which has been restored and transformed into The Garden of the Five Senses, a garden labyrinth filled with aromatic plants, flowers, herbs that you can touch, smell and taste.
Yvoire has some nice restaurants and tempting little shops too. We found a beautifully illustrated book called “A Treat in a Trout: a Tale of Yvoire” by Elisabeth Benson Booz, a British expat writer and mother of five who moved to Yvoire in 1982.
My boys love the illustrations and the fact that it features a place that they’ve visited in person: they can’t get enough of this kooky story !
Here’s some more photos of this charming little village…
Enjoy your visit!
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