Loisirs74 · Lake Geneva

Where to swim in Lake Geneva (French side)?

The public beaches of the Chablais ranked by real cost — entry and parking.

On the French side, Lake Geneva lines up 11 public beaches. 8 are free, 1 has paid parking in season (Messery) and 2 have paid entry in summer: the Centre nautique d'Évian (5,50 €) and the municipal beach of Thonon (5,70 €). Excenevex boasts the lake's only large sandy beach.
8 free1 paid parking2 paid entry (summer)

Completely free · 8

Plage de Tougues

Chens-sur-Léman
AccessLibre · Gratuit
PriceGratuit
SeasonJuillet - août (surveillance MNS)
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Plage d'Excenevex

Excenevex

The only large fine-sand beach on Lake Geneva.

AccessFree · No charge
SeasonJune – September (supervised swimming July–August)
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Plage de Sciez-sur-Léman

Sciez
AccessFree · No charge
SeasonMay–September (supervised swimming July–August)
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Plage de Margencel - Port de Séchex

Margencel
AccessLibre · Gratuit
PriceGratuit (parking Zone Bleue disque, max 3h)
SeasonJuillet - août (surveillance MNS)
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Plage de Saint-Disdille

Thonon-les-Bains
AccessFree · Open to all
SeasonMay – September (swimming July–August)
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Plage de la Pinède

Thonon-les-Bains
AccessFree · No charge
SeasonMay to September (swimming)
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Plage Municipale d'Amphion

Publier
AccessLibre · Gratuit
PriceGratuit
SeasonJuillet - août (surveillance MNS)
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Plage Municipale de Saint-Gingolph

Saint-Gingolph

The beach of the border village, at the foot of the Valais Alps.

AccessLibre · Gratuit
PriceGratuit
SeasonJuillet - août (surveillance MNS)
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Free · paid parking in season · 1

Plage de Messery

Messery Seasonal
AccessLibre · Gratuit
PriceGratuit (parking payant 3 €/jour 1er juin-15 sept, badge)
SeasonJuillet - août (surveillance MNS)
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Paid entry in summer · 2

Plage du Centre Nautique d'Évian

Évian-les-Bains Seasonal
AccessPayante saison estivale
Price5,50 € (2025) - tarif 2026 à confirmer arrêté municipal
SeasonJuillet - août (surveillance MNS)
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Plage Municipale de Thonon-les-Bains

Thonon-les-Bains Seasonal
AccessPayante saison estivale
Price5,70 € (tarif depuis 25/05/2026, vérifié ville-thonon.fr)
SeasonJuillet - août (surveillance MNS)
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Real cost (entry + parking) taken from the facts.access / facts.tarif fields of each listing. Nothing made up; "see listing" for details.

Frequently asked questions

Which beaches on Lake Geneva are free?

Most of them: eight public beaches offer free, open access, from Tougues (Chens) to Saint-Gingolph, including Excenevex, Sciez, Amphion and la Pinède in Thonon.

Which beaches on Lake Geneva charge an entry fee?

Two, in summer only: the Centre nautique d'Évian (5,50 €, 2025 price) and the municipal beach of Thonon-les-Bains (5,70 €). Messery remains free but its parking is paid in season.

Where to find a sandy beach on Lake Geneva?

In Excenevex: it's the only large natural fine-sand beach on Lake Geneva, very popular in summer.

Which beaches on Lake Geneva have lifeguards?

Lifeguard supervision is seasonal (July-August) at municipal beaches such as Amphion, Saint-Gingolph, Évian and Thonon. Several beaches (Messery, Margencel) offer open swimming without supervision — see each listing.