Évian-les-Bains or Évian is a commune of France, in the northern part of the
Haute-Savoie département, on the shores of Lake Geneva, opposite Lausanne, Switzerland.
It has a population of about 7,300 people.
In July 1938, the Évian Conference was convened there to discuss the problem of Jewish refugees.
On March 18, 1962, the Évian Accords were signed there.
On June 1, 2003 the G8 began its 29th summit meeting in Évian.
The town is home of Evian Mineral water, which makes up the foundation of the economy
together with the [Casino d'Evian], largest themed casino in Europe, and the [Royal Hotel],
favorite haunt of former French President François Mitterand.
read full wikipedia reference about Evian, France
Some 40km north of Annecy lies the dolphin-shaped expanse
of Lake Geneva ("Lac Léman" to the French),
forming a natural border with Switzerland. Around 70km long, 13km wide and
an amazing 310m deep, the lake is fed and drained by the Rhône.
It is a real inland sea, subject to violent storms, as Byron
and Shelley discovered to their discomfort in 1816. On a calm
day, though, sailing slowly across its silky-smooth surface is
a serene experience.
There probably isn't any
point in visiting ÉVIAN unless you are a well-heeled
invalid or gambler, but it's actually a very unspoilt, peaceful
town, and makes a pleasant base from which to take a leisurely
trip on the lake. The mineral water for which the town is famous
is now bottled at Amphion, 3km along the lakeside, but the Source
Cachat still bubbles away behind the Évian company's beautiful
nineteenth-century offices in rue Nationale, all wood, coloured
glass, cupolas and patterned tiles. Anyone can go along and help
themselves to spring water.
The waterfront is elegantly
laid out with squares of billiard-table grass, brilliant flower
beds and trees, mini-golf, water slides and other peaceful ways
of amusing oneself. In summer, the Centre Nautique swimming pool
complex also has outdoor film screenings by the lake. There are
ferries to explore other towns around the lake, including Lausanne (9 daily; 104F/15.86 return) and
Geneva (2 daily; 160F/24.40 return) in
Switzerland and the medieval town of Yvoire
(2 daily; 137.60F/20.89 return) and Thonon-les-Bains on the French
side (9 daily). CGN Ferries also runs a number of sightseeing
cruises, which do circuits of the lake, stopping at the most
picturesque spots; enquire at the tourist office for routes and
times.
The tourist office is in place d'Allinges (May-Sept
Mon-Fri 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-7pm, Sat 9am-noon & 3-7pm,
Sun 10am-noon & 3-6pm; rest of year Mon-Fri 8.30am-12.30pm
& 2-7pm; tel 04.50.75.04.26). Évian has several nice
hotels such as the Hôtel Continental
, 65 rue Nationale (tel 04.50.75.37.54, fax 04.50.75.31.11, hcontinental-evian@wanadoo.fr ), run by a friendly French-American
couple, with rooms on the top floor that have a view of the lake.
Alternatively, the Terminus
, at 32 av le Gare (tel 04.50.75.15.07, fax 04.50.74.63.23; 300-400F/46-61),
is a good, basic option and handy for the train station, while
the water-side Littoral , quai Barron de Blonay (tel 04.50.75.64.00,
fax 04.50.75.30.04; 400-500F/61-76), provides three-star amenities
without breaking the bank.
There is also a hostel
on avenue de Neuvecelle (tel 04.50.75.35.87, jpteil@cur-archamps.fr ) - the D21 towards Abondance
- and a campsite , the Grande Rive , off avenue Grande-Rive (closed
Oct-March), less than 1km from the town centre.
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