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
AccessFree access · Free
PriceFree
SeasonJuly - August (lifeguard supervision)
Plage d'Excenevex
Excenevex
The only large fine-sand beach on Lake Geneva.
AccessFree · No charge
SeasonJune – September (supervised swimming July–August)
Plage de Sciez-sur-Léman
Sciez
AccessFree · No charge
SeasonMay–September (supervised swimming July–August)
Plage de Margencel - Port de Séchex
Margencel
AccessFree access · Free
PriceFree (Blue Zone parking disc, max 3h)
SeasonJuly - August (lifeguard supervision)
Plage de Saint-Disdille
Thonon-les-Bains
AccessFree · Open to all
SeasonMay – September (swimming July–August)
Plage de la Pinède
Thonon-les-Bains
AccessFree · No charge
SeasonMay to September (swimming)
Plage Municipale d'Amphion
Publier
AccessFree access · Free
PriceFree
SeasonJuly - August (lifeguard supervision)
Plage Municipale de Saint-Gingolph
Saint-Gingolph
The beach of the border village, at the foot of the Valais Alps.
AccessFree access · Free
PriceFree
SeasonJuly - August (lifeguard supervision)
Free · paid parking in season · 1
Plage de Messery
Messery Seasonal
AccessFree access · Free
PriceFree (paid parking €3/day 1 June-15 Sept, badge)
SeasonJuly - August (lifeguard supervision)
Paid entry in summer · 2
Plage du Centre Nautique d'Évian
Évian-les-Bains Seasonal
AccessPaid in summer season
Price€5.50 (2025) - 2026 rate to be confirmed by municipal decree
SeasonJuly - August (lifeguard supervision)
Plage Municipale de Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains Seasonal
AccessFee-based during the summer season
Price€5.70 (rate from 25/05/2026, verified on ville-thonon.fr)
SeasonJuly - August (lifeguard supervision)
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.