From Geneva
Around Lake Geneva
The largest lake in Western Europe, done in one day and two countries.
Loop
182 km
Driving time only
3 h 30
Suggested hire
8 h
From
800 CHF
Lake Geneva is the largest lake in Western Europe: over 580 square kilometres, seventy-two kilometres long, fourteen wide, three hundred and ten metres at its deepest. The Franco-Swiss border runs down the middle.
The full tour runs 182 kilometres and three and a half hours of driving out of the eight hours. The north shore is Swiss and motorway; the south shore French and slow. The two halves have nothing in common, and that is the subject of the tour.
We drive and we wait. Admissions, meals and boats are settled on site.
The itinerary
Lausanne et la Riviera
The A1 then the A9 follow the north shore. Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux: the Swiss part of the tour runs on motorway and goes quickly, which leaves time for what follows.
Le château de Chillon
At Veytaux, on the water. First recorded in 1005, summer residence of the Counts of Savoy from the mid-12th century, Switzerland's most visited historic monument. It is the easternmost point of the loop.
Le passage en France
You cross to the south shore at Saint-Gingolph. The border runs down the middle of the lake: the north shore and both ends are Swiss, the south shore French. Schengen, so no systematic check.
Évian et le retour par la rive française
No motorway on this stretch: the road follows the water through Évian and Thonon. It is slower and that is the point — it is the half of the tour you cannot do by train.
km included : 200 km
The kilometres below are measured from the airport. Starting from a hotel in town, or from another town, changes the loop and therefore the count: the quote is adjusted to your actual pickup point.
Two shores, two rhythms
Lausanne to Montreux runs on motorway, fast. Saint-Gingolph to Geneva runs along the water, slowly, with no motorway. The tour does not get shortened on the second half: that half is the reason to do it by car.
Choosing the direction
Clockwise puts the Riviera in the morning and the French shore in late-afternoon light. Anticlockwise reverses it. We set it against your departure time rather than applying a direction out of habit.
Crossing the border
France and Switzerland apply Schengen: no systematic check at Saint-Gingolph or on the way back. Still carry valid ID, as spot checks remain possible.
Frequently asked questions
From 800 CHF in an E-Class for eight hours of hire, 1120 CHF in an S-Class and 1040 CHF in a V-Class. The loop runs 182 kilometres against 200 included: no supplement.
Over 580 square kilometres, seventy-two kilometres long and fourteen wide, with three hundred and ten metres at its deepest point. It is the largest lake in Western Europe.
Three and a half hours of driving for 182 kilometres, within an eight-hour hire. That leaves four and a half hours to stop, which works out at three or four real stops.
Yes, along the whole south shore. The border runs down the middle of the lake: the north shore and both ends are Swiss, the south shore French. The crossing is at Saint-Gingolph, with no systematic check.
Yes, it is the main stop of the loop, at Veytaux near Montreux. Allow an hour on site. Admission is paid there; we have no affiliation with the monument.
The boat does not complete the circuit in a day and imposes its timetable. The car lets you stop where you like and covers the French shore, served neither by motorway nor by a fast boat service.