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Some 40km north of Annecy lies the dolphin-shaped expanse of Lake Geneva ("Lac Leman" 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 Rhone. 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 EVIAN 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 Evian 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; 84F/12.81 return). CGN Ferries also runs a number of sightseeing cruises (174-208F/26.54-31.72), 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, www.eviantourism.com ). Evian has several hotels that can severely dent your wallet, but you can avoid these by heading straight for a wonderful place in the centre of town, the Hotel Continental , 65 rue Nationale (tel 04.50.75.37.54, fax 04.50.75.31.11, hcontinental-evian@wanadoo.fr ; 220-300F/34-46 summer, 300-400F/46-61 winter), 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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