If you head to the cute waterfront in our little town of Nyon, on a clear day you can see a panoramic view of the lake, France, and the Alps in the background. After all of my trips to this waterfront—there are great little café’s lining the water to suck in coffee addicts like me—I am still taken aback by the view. There’s a pretty ferry stop here, and I especially love when the old-fashioned looking paddle wheel ferries come in. The deep “toot” from their “authentic replica” (kinda like genuine imitation leather) horns always makes me smile.
Luckily for me, we don’t have to just enjoy this view from afar. Thanks to our location, we can mix up regular day trips around Lake Geneva with easy escapes to France.
Yvoire
It can’t get any better than taking an old-time ferryboat across the lake to dock at Yvoire, France. Sigh, imagine a sunny day with a soft breeze and we’re chugging gently across the lake and all is well with the world. I do love a good ferry ride though, so maybe I’m biased.
Yvoire is a great place to wander around and it is only about thirty minutes by boat. Once you set foot on terra firma again, you are greeted with an historic chateau, lovely flowerboxes overflowing with the season’s best, and quaint restaurants and shops. The hilly town twists and turns and just when you think you have seen it all, you turn a corner and there is a cute shop or—jackpot!—an ice cream parlor. Yvoire also serves up one of the regions specialties, filet de peche. During the summer months, restaurants in this area display placards advertising the famous fish dish. Well worth a visit in itself.
Annecy
On our first trip, we were caught in a downpour and experienced Annecy in the rain, which was a sketchy way to be introduced to this little gem. I have to say, when the weather is nice, it is a lovely place. Situated right on a lake sporting the same name, Annecy has it all: shopping, street artists, great views of the Alps, and a large park right on the water where you can rent boats.
The quaint old town is a perfect place for a stroll, with its mix of boutiques and tourist shops all set on cobble stone streets. Strolling under the stone colonnaded streets makes shopping in the old town a unique experience. And cafés abound, hurrah! In addition to the abundance of cafés (as if you need another reason to check out Annecy) there is an old prison called Palais de l’Isle (which now houses regional cultural items) in the middle of the canal that runs through the old town.
Chamonix
About one and a half hours away, this town in France is at the base of Mont Blanc. It’s funny—I can see Mont Blanc when I am walking our dog Tycho and it too always makes me stop and send up a little prayer of thanks. That huge white glacier is just amazing. But, when I was up close, of course it’s still amazing, but I somehow lost the thing. You know when you are used to one view and then it changes? When in Chamonix, mountains surrounded us, and I just lost the thing. Random, I know. At home, we have the view that was made famous by the Mont Blanc pens—you know, that big snowy peak that looks like the kind of triangle mountain that you would draw as a kid? That’s what I’ve grown to know and love. Still, you could get used to this view too.
Chamonix is not only a great place to soak up a panoramic view of the French Alps; it is a great place to people-watch too. The two main streets are pedestrian areas and run adjacent to the River l’Arve. The juxtaposition of cobblestone, snowy peaks, and crystal clear water running through the heart of Chamonix acts as the perfect antidote to the abundance of tourist shops and ski goods stores.
