The ultimate destination of our trip was to be Lake Geneva, or Lac Leman as the French call it. Well, finally after 20 days we found it. This is part of the joy of Motorhoming. We can meander, take detours and just please ourselves. No prior bookings, no deadlines to meet other than for me at least having to return to work.
Having been unable to find any aires in Thonon-les-Bains, we finally succumbed to a campsite. We hadn’t booked but there were spaces as this is nearing end of season. We checked in for in 2 nights, reminding ourselves that we’d get “facilities” for our Euros. Madame at reception had told us it would be 200 metres to the lake, so it was bikes off the rack and off we go! Wow, what a sight! We initially followed a track round the lake. However it became a bit too “rugged” so we instead cycled into the town itself. The “lower” part of town, Rives, is an area dotted with numerous cafes and restaurants and sail boats, but first I had to have a go on the Funicular railway up to the more commercial part of town.
Ooh, I do love a funicular, having used them in the Cairngorms, Scotland and in Bergen, Norway.
The €2 return fare on the funicular was money well spent to avoid the 150ft climb from the port to the city centre! Anyway, whilst up here we wandered around the the streets and alleyways of the old town admiring the architecture of the many medieval buildings. We were also able to view the lake from a much higher viewpoint.
Although Thonon is a small town, there are numerous shops, cafes and restaurants around the city centre and in its many squares, it is all very compact and tidy.
We were enthralled by the scenery and atmosphere of Thonon, especially in Rives, which is the lake port of the town. From here, you can catch ferries to Lausanne, Geneva and Evian.
On our third bike ride into town we didn’t bother with the funicular, instead settling for a Sunday lunch in Rives while watching the many motorbikes come and go, and the Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches promenade the main road.
That said, we didn’t feel out of place in our cycling kit. The atmosphere was friendly and we spent a few hours after lunch exploring further along the lake front and vowed to come back one day.
As for camping, well it made a change from aires. We were able to leave out the table and chairs under our new pop-up gazebo and we used the campsite facilities to justify the cost. We actually extended our stay in Thonon to 3 nights as we were enjoying the area so much and the weather was very warm for the end of September.
Here is a selection of our photos of Thonon Les Bains
