Boat Day Trips and Excursions on Lake Geneva
Passenger Ferries, Ships, Lunch and Dinner Cruises on Lac Léman
Jun 12, 2009
Lake Geneva (usually referred to as Lac Léman in French) is the largest lake in Western Europe. Boating is a popular activity for both locals and visitors. Options range from simple cross-lake passenger ferries in Geneva to longer sightseeing trips and dinner cruises departing from various lake-side towns including Genève, Nyon, Yvoire, Evian, Lausanne, Vevey, and Montreux. Boats can be rented for private use ranging from two-seater pedal boats to electrical speedboats and yachts with crew. The cheapest boating on the lake is offered by the small Mouette ferries in Geneva that provide cheap fun when traveling with children too.
Sightseeing Cruises on Lake Geneva, Switzerland
A wide range of sightseeing cruises are available on Lake Geneva. The largest number of departures is from Geneva on the southwestern point of the lake while cruises also operate regularly from towns on the opposite end of the lake such as Montreux, Vevey, and Lausanne.
Standard sightseeing cruises from Geneva usually last one to two hours. The most popular sights are generally the city shores of Genève, the numerous parks and palaces fronting the lake, as well as the Jet d’Eau – the water jet that is the symbol of Geneva.
The nature is even more spectacular on the opposite end of Lake Geneva. Cruises in the Lausanne-Montreux region pass by steep vineyards – the Lavaux vineyard terraces are inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list – while the mighty Alps dominate the southern shore of the lake. A round-trip cruise from Vevey via amongst others Montreux, Chillon, and St Gingolph takes around an hour. This part of the lake has the most beautiful nature and shoreline by far.
Excursion Cruises, Day Trips, and Passenger Ferries on Lac Léman
Many excursion cruises to popular day-trip sightseeing destinations on the shores of Lake Geneva operate year round. Boats come in a range of different sizes in style including historic steamers and modern solar-powered vessels.
Popular destinations served from Geneva include Nyon (1h30) and the medieval French town Yvoire (1h45). The passenger ferry from Nyon to Yvoire crosses Lac Léman many times per day and usually takes around 20 minutes. Yvoire to Morges takes just over an hour.
From Lausanne, up to twelve passenger ferries per day cross over to Evian in France in just over half an hour. A cruise from Lausanne to Vevey takes around an hour with Montreux half an hour further. Historic Chateau de Chillon is 15 minutes from Montreux by boat.
On the French southern shore of Lac Léman, cruises connect the medieval town Yvoire and the spa town Evian via Thonon les Bains.
Dinner and Lunch Cruises on Lake Geneva
Numerous lunch and dinner cruises are available on Lake Geneva with departures from many ports with Geneva once again having the most departures by far. Some cruises are dedicated gourmet cruises with meal included in the cruise price. Fondue cruises are popular on colder nights.
Regular boat cruises at meal times are often significantly slower than on regular trips. Meals are usually not included in the cruise price and taking lunch or dinner on these slower cruises is not compulsory.
The Seasons for Cruising on Lake Geneva
The high season for cruising on Lake Geneva is from mid-June to late September. The number of cruises, departures, and destinations served are by far the highest during summer. During the winter season, November to mid-April, cruises operate mostly only on weekends and vacation days.
Spring and autumn are in many ways the most beautiful time of the year in the Lake Geneva region and cruises are generally available at least daily. These may be the best seasons to cruise Lac Léman as the air is often clear, the weather usually very pleasant, and the crowds smaller.
Switzerland is relatively expensive and cruising on Lake Geneva is unfortunately no exception. Cheaper boating options on Lake Geneva include renting a paddle boat or far easier, use the Mouettes – small passenger ferries in Geneva which are part of the regular public transportation system.
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