The Museum of Traditions and Small Craft of Lake Léman – Saint-Gingolph

The history of merchant navigation on Lake Léman from the 15th to the 20th century. The scale-model room, beneath its larch roof structure dating from 1752, houses 33 Léman boat models.

The old thermal pump room ("Cachat pump room") - Evian

Built in 1903, this building is a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture. It houses the information hall for visitors on Evian® mineral water.

The Evian® water bottling factory - Amphion

The birthplace of the world's most popular mineral water. Discover the entire bottling process. Located in Amphion, the Evian bottling plant welcomes visitors. Following a historical and geological video presentation, the visit continues on to a glass gallery that allows visitors to observe the complete bottling process: manufacturing of the bottles, racking, conditioning and shipping.

Visits
Group visits: from Monday to Friday, at 9 and 10:30 AM and 2 and 3:30 PM, reservations required. Tel: +33 (0)4 50 84 83 23. Free.
Individual visits: from June to September. Reservations required at the Evian Mineral Waters Ltd information hall in Rue Nationale. Tel: +33 (0)4 50 84 80 29. Free visit. €2 fee for the bus transfer / Free for children under 12 years of age.

The Palais Lumière - Evian

A prestigious example of early 20th-century spa architecture, the Palais Lumière (the Evian Baths from 1902 to 1984) has served as the town's cultural and convention centre since 2006.
It houses:
A 600 sqm hall, welcoming renowned exhibitions (including those of Rodin, Ernest-Pignon-Ernest, La Ruche and Mossa).
The 800 sqm C.F. Ramuz multimedia library.
The Evian convention centre.

The reception hall, with its remarkable décor, is freely accessible during exhibition opening hours.

The "Villa Lumière" (1885-1896)

The former summer residence of the Lumière family (the inventors of cinema), this sumptuous villa, built in the Renaissance-inspired French classical style, became the Evian town hall in 1927.

Worth seeing is the bronze sculpture, by the Lyon-based artist Pascal Devaux, of a lioness guarding the monumental oak staircase. The town hall has preserved the Salon Doré or "Golden Lounge", where marriages are now celebrated. Admire the room's yellow silk curtains and golden panelling.
Non-guided visits to the foyer, the grand lounge and the "Salon Doré" from 9 to 11 AM and from 1:30 to 5 PM from Monday to Friday all year long.

The Evian – Neuvecelle funicular

The funicular railway, which began running in 1907, mainly served clients of the mineral water company and guests of Evian's hotels. Extended in both directions between 1911 and 1913, the line subsequently provided access to the new thermal baths. The funicular railway began to lose money and was shut down in 1969. However, on 21 June 2002, it was reopened for service following its long, careful restoration. If you take it to reach the uphill railway station, you'll save a half hour!

The Farquenoud – Publier pump room

Fed by the Souriane spring, the pump room produces Evian-quality mineral water. The Farquenoud "Griffon" was designed by the sculptor Béatrice Bouvet-Sassone and made from hardstone from Hauteville by the Bouvet firm.

The Meillerie church

Overlooking the village, you can discover the Priory of Saint Mary of Meillerie. Built in 1133, the priory remained occupied by ecclesiastics until 1752, a period of 619 years.

The Meillerie quarries

Well before the exploitation of its stone quarries, the upper lake region took advantage of this calcareous rock to manufacture lime, in so-called "lime kilns" located to the east and west of Meillerie. The district's first quarries were those of La Balle in Le Locum, which were operated beginning in the 1770s by the Poppon family from Les Plantés.
In 1840, the great quarries of Les Bames were opened from 1870 to 1874. Extraction was considerable, employing up to 450 labourers.
In 1931, Meillerie furnished the stones for the new Geneva headquarters of the League of Nations, the forerunner of the United Nations.
These quarries were closed definitively in 1939, following the great strikes and the development of concrete.

Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church - Evian

This medieval church, which dates back to the 13th century, houses the Chemin de croix ("Way of the Cross"), created in 2007 by the artist Pierre Christin. The church is open to non-guided visits daily, from 9 AM to 6 PM.

The Chapelle de Vieille Eglise - Lugrin

The Chapelle de Vieille Eglise ("Chapel of the Old Church") is currently undergoing an extensive renovation programme. Dating from the 11th century, the chapel houses mural paintings from the 15th century.

The Véron chapel - Lugrin

The Baroque-style Véron chapel was built in 1754. It therefore predates Lugrin's Saint Joseph Church. The chapel's construction was first proposed by the canon André Lugrin, born in Lugrin, who considered that the furthest hamlets, those of Troubois, Les Combes and Hons, could feel disadvantaged in comparison to the western portion of the district which already benefitted from the old church.

Blonay Castle

The history of Saint Paul was long intertwined with that of the Blonay family, who ruled over the entire Léman basin from the 11th to the 14th century. Blonay Castle, which belonged to this family up until 1878, now serves as the village hall.

The Baroque church of Champanges

The church has regained its original Baroque style thanks to its renovation in 1994. The paintings were made by the Dalla Palma brothers.

Larringes Castle

The castle was built on Roman ruins during the 10th century. A safe haven was necessary for the region's inhabitants during this violent, troubled time. The castle’s location was chosen for strategic reasons: an enemy's arrival would be signaled by torches being lit at the top of each tower, alerting the region's inhabitants within a radius of 100 kilometres.
Today, the castle is private property and closed to visitors.

The Chez Crosson cupule rock - Larringes

Located in the hamlet of Chez Crosson, at the place known as Les Bossenailles, the rock is commonly referred to as the "Gallic Stone". This erratic block dates from prehistoric times and is undoubtedly the earliest vestige of our district's ancestors. This sacred stone, a place of worship or of sacrifice, has not revealed all its secrets, its cavities, grooves, writings and symbols remaining incomprehensible. Listeners continue to be enchanted by certain local legends, which speak of magic, sorcery or superstitions!

Cupule rock - Féternes

Located between the Lesvaux oratory and Le Creux, hidden in the woods a mere stone's throw from your path, discover a tabular rock covered with dozens of perfectly carved cupules.

Why did man, some 5,000 years ago, carve these erratic blocks? No one knows, though it has been conjectured that this practice was religious in nature. However, it seems that this stone was located near an old route climbing from the Vongy ford to the Gavot Plateau.

Châteauvieux Chapel - Féternes

Near the old Romanesque-era castles of Féternes lies Châteauvieux Chapel, formerly known as Notre-Dame Church, up until the construction in 1855 of the current church located in the chef-lieu (district's main town).
Near the chapel grows a majestic lime tree dating from the reign of Henry IV and listed a "remarkable tree".

Three-headed stone - Lugrin

You won't want to miss the "three-headed stone" of the fortified manor house of Valliège in the hamlet of Chez Busset, with its single forehead, four eyes, three noses, three mouths and three chins. Sculpted during the proto-Celtic era around 1,000 BC out of a very hard rock known as serpentine, a magnesium silicate, the rock projected from the facing of a wall to support an exposed wooden beam. The stone was listed a historic monument in 1954 by the French Ministry of Education, and a replica can be found in the town hall of Lugrin.