Evian-les-Bains is not a ski resort and does not pretend to be one. It is a spa town on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, at the foot of the Chablais, and it is where Evian mineral water comes from. People come here for the water, the lake and the thermal baths, and ski from here as a day trip rather than as the reason for the stay.
How to get there: Geneva airport is 50 km away. By road it is 45 km from Geneva, 85 km from Annecy, 190 km from Lyon and 580 km from Paris. The Léman Express train runs from Geneva Cornavin to Evian in 1 hr 12 min, and the boat from Lausanne across the lake takes 35 minutes.
Skiing from Evian: the Portes du Soleil is the nearest large area, linking 12 resorts across France and Switzerland on one pass with close to 600 km of slopes. Morzine and Avoriaz are the usual destinations for a day out.
The thermal baths: Evian has been a spa town since the 19th century, and the thermal water is the reason the town exists in its present form.
What else there is: the lake front, golf, the belle-époque architecture left over from the town’s spa heyday, and the boat crossings to Lausanne.
Where you stay: hotels here are lakeside and town-centre rather than slope-side, which is the trade-off: better evenings and a lake view, a drive to the snow.
