Cycling along Lake Geneva
Parc du Belvedere, Thonon les Bains
Port of Thonon les Bains

Thonon-les-Bains

Thonon, surprising by nature

Massif du Chablais
Département et Région : Haute-Savoie and Auvergne Rhône-Alpes (AURA)
Principal passes : col des Gets, col du Feu
Stopover on Route des Grandes Alpes ® : Thonon-les-Bains / Morzine-Avoriaz
Stage on Route des Grandes Alpes ® Gravel: Thonon-les-Bains / Morzine-Avoriaz
Stopover on P'tites Routes du Soleil ®: Thonon-les-Bains / Boege

 

 

Summary

 

Suggestions for cycling loops around Thonon-les-Bains

 

Our grands cols

Point of departure towards the Col de Cou or the col du Feu, Thonon opens the doors to a whole territory to explore by bike.
Start your cycling season at the Col de Cou to get your feet wet with a gentle, even gradient (5.5%). The quiet, shady road gives you access to the Vallée Verte and its verdant landscapes.
As for the col du Feu, it offers a short and beautiful ascent, with the crossing of a pretty village and a few switchbacks in the forest. But beware of a one-kilometre stretch of extremely steep terrain. Better be warned!
Gradient: 8%
 

velo Thonon
Cycling events in Thonon-les-Bains

Cycling events in Thonon-les-Bains

May 3 and 4, 2025: The event not to be missed every year is the Thonon Cycling Race. In an idyllic setting between lake and mountains, the accessible courses are within everyone's reach. Gravel or Road with different options (46 km, 86 km or 122km) the different courses will allow beginners as well as experienced cyclists to find their happiness.
The Thonon Cycling Race is a round of the French Cycling Federation's Label d'Or Trophy.

May 25, 2025: Cyclotour du Léman

June 15, 2025: Triathlon de Thonon

Cycling in Thonon-les-Bains
Pierre Thiriet

Cycling in Thonon-les-Bains

In Thonon-les-Bains, cycling is an all-season activity. Kilometer zero of the Route des Grandes Alpes ®, located at the start of the famous ViaRhôna route, it's also the starting point for numerous cycling itineraries for beginners and experienced cyclists alike.
As a starting point or stopping-off point for cycling around Lake Geneva, the town offers magnificent landscapes to discover by bike!
An increasingly well-known event, the "Thonon Cycling Race" cyclosportive offers beginners and experienced cyclists alike a choice of two types of surface and different distances to guarantee an unforgettable day starting from Thonon-les-Bains, in an idyllic setting between lake and mountains.

Summer in Thonon-les-Bains

Summer in Thonon-les-Bains

In terms of culture, summer visitors can easily cross centuries and styles in just a few days. Château de Ripaille transports them from the Middle Ages to the 1900s with its new costumed tour. The unique history of the Basilique St-François-de-Sales takes them on a journey from 1885 to 1940, in the city center. Finally, contemporary artists surprise passers-by at the Chapelle de la Visitation.
As new trends emerge, so does the range of summer activities on offer. Whether for families or friends, the Tourist Office offers new experiences for everyone. The region offers a rich and varied range of activities for both relaxation and leisure. Hiking, sophro strolls, city tours, draisian competitions and cheese tasting - there's something for everyone!
Soundtracked by the gentle lapping of the lake, it's impossible to spend a vacation in Thonon without a trip in or on the water. Whether kayaking or sailing on the Léman or rafting on one of the Dranse rivers, water is a source of adventure and escape.
With the youngest members of the family, an outing to the farm is a great way to enjoy the region's assets in a different way. With all five senses alert, they can discover the farm animals and their environment. Those with a sweet tooth can even sample products made on site.
On the gastronomic side, taste buds are awakened and the senses are stimulated in the aisles of the farmers' and artisans' markets held throughout the week.

Coming back in winter

It's not just in summer that the town of Thonon offers unforgettable experiences. In every season, the lake offers an array of different landscapes to discover without moderation. The hustle and bustle of summer gives way to the gentleness of autumn and its major events showcasing Chablais traditions and folklore. From the International Gastronomy Festival to the "démontagnée", you'll discover all the local specialities and different facets the town has to offer. 
To round off the year, Thonon-les-Bains' town center comes alive with the enchantment of the Christmas market. In addition to the villages of craft and gourmet speciality chalets, the giant ice rink and the enchanted forest, Thonon Les féériques has plenty of entertainment in store throughout the town center.

 

Kzero

Other events

The town is punctuated throughout the year by many varied events:

  • Les folies végétales: the must-attend event for nature lovers. A weekend dedicated to nature, well-being and good gardening practices.
  • The Thonon Gaming Fest: this festival aims to bring young and old together around a common passion: video games, in a warm and friendly environment.
  • The FISE: The famous Festival International de Sport Extrême puts down its bags for a stopover in Thonon. On the program: BMX, scooter and skateboard competitions open to all.
  • Toques en Chablais: an international gastronomy festival where you can take part in cooking or pastry-making classes, enjoy a meal concocted by a Michelin-starred chef 50 meters up in the air, or take advantage of the excellent producers' market.
  • Les féériques: to experience the magic of Christmas on the shores of Lake Geneva, a festive and enchanting program punctuates the month of December. With craft and gourmet markets, an ice rink and concerts, there's something for everyone.

Services

The town of Thonon has a bus and train station, as well as a pier providing access to numerous destinations, including neighboring Switzerland. A town of 38,000 inhabitants, it has all the necessary services: post office, mini-markets, hypermarkets, banks...etc
In terms of accommodation, the town has chain hotels (Ibis) as well as family-run hotels, as well as tourist residences and furnished tourist accommodation.

The map

Accommodation Useful information Leasure Restauration

Accommodation Useful information Leasure Restauration

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The map

Thonon-les-Bains / Morzine-Avoriaz

1 Thonon-les-Bains / Morzine-Avoriaz

50 km
3 h 49 min
Difficult
This is the first or last stage on the Route des Grandes Alpes®, depending on the direction in which you tackle the route, leaves from or ends at Thonon-les-Bains, a resort on the south bank of Lake Geneva, one of Europe’s largest natural lakes, with its French Riviera feel. Note that Thonon-les-Bains is the starting point of the great alpine itineraries, as well as the second stage of the ViaRhôna cycling route, which links Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean. Our objective being to improve the safety of cyclists and their experience of roaming, we propose here an alternative to the historical and signposted Route des Grandes Alpes®.
Thonon-les-Bains / Morzine-Avoriaz

1 Thonon-les-Bains / Morzine-Avoriaz

51 km
5 h 00 min
Difficult
This stage leads you close to, or even at times along, the classic Route des Grandes Alpes® cycle route, but it guides you, where possible, along tracks adapted to gravel bikes. After riding along a portion dominating Lake Geneva from on high, enjoying unforgettable views, you then turn in the direction of Lullin and the peaceful Vallée Verte via the Col du Feu (a pass at 1,120m in altitude). Head on for the Dranse Gorges, in the heart of the Chablais UNESCO Global Geopark. We recommend a stop to visit the site of the Gorges du Pont du Diable before you ride on to Saint-Jean-d’Aulps, then Montriond and its lake (the short detour is worth it), followed by Morzine-Avoriaz, the views opening up as you progress, high Alpine pastures becoming visible.
Thonon-les-Bains / Boëge

1 Thonon-les-Bains / Boëge

37 km
3 h 00 min
Medium
In Haute-Savoie, between Lake Geneva and the Vallée Verte area, cycle along following the Franco-Swiss border, perched high above one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Your journey begins at lakeside Thonon-les-Bains, official starting point of France’s grandes traversées alpines (or great Alpine crossings), to be tackled on foot, by road bike or on a mountain bike. Here, your way is shared with the second stage of the ViaRhôna cycle route linking Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean via the Rhône Valley. On the P’tites Routes du Soleil®, you’re heading out to tackle the cycle route through the French pre-alpine ranges. After a fairly short but very demanding climb, you cross the Col du Feu (1,120m in altitude), the first pass in a long line. Then descend into the Vallée Verte, to the banks of the usually peaceful Menoge River. Soon you come to the Col de Terramont (at 1,098m), which is less testing and takes you to Boëge.
vue belvedere

 

 

Témoignages

"An excellent place to recharge your batteries. For me it's been every year for 20 years!" Mathieu Boutois

"Coup de coeur assuré , I've been there, I've been back again and again and just talking about it, I'd love to be there.... Thonon-les-Bains, to try it is to adopt it" Claire B.

"Our old Lake Geneva is magnificent, I've never tired of it since I was a child. A lot of attachment to the region, very well placed, near the lake, near Switzerland... very attractive!" Jean-Paul Nivet

"Very beautiful region! Haute-Savoie, around Lake Geneva, Thonon-les-Bains, Yvoire, Evian... I love it!" Pierre Gérard.

 

velo

FAQ

  • Where is kilometer 0 of the RGA? On the town hall square.
  • What castle was built by the first Duke of Savoy Amédée VIII ? Château de Ripaille.
  • What is the circumference of Lake Geneva? 180 km
  • What painter created the frescoes in Thonon's Basilica? Maurice Denis
  • What infrastructure built in 1888 connects the town center to the port?A funicular railway

 

Access

SNCF railway station and bus station :

  • Thonon-les-Bains

Road access

  • A41 then D903 from Annecy (A41).
  • D1005, then D2005 from Geneva.

By plane:

  • Geneva International Airport

By boat:

  • Lausanne

     

Contacts

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☎ 04 50 71 55 55 www.thononlesbains.com

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"Text and photo contents published under the responsibility of the tourist offices that provided them to us and own them."

 

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