Yvoire

Shared between southern Switzerland and south eastern France, flows one of the most gorgeous and largest lakes known as Lake Geneva. Nestled away on the french side of its shore, are some of the most enchanting villages. Yvoire, is one such medieval village located between Geneva in Swiss and Evian in France.

View of Mont Blanc from the lake, en route

One summer day, we took a boat cruise from Geneva to Yvoire, stopping at Nyon for more people to get on board. This pleasurable cruise took us approximately an hour and a half.  Sailing on the lake was divine. The panoramic view from the deck was enthralling; the open sky and lake water like mirrors of the same blue, the tall mountains skirting the lake, other sails passing us by feeling the same sun shine and cool breeze and pretty little villages at a distance, decked with flowers on their ports.

An old castle towering high above its wall alongside rows of ancient stone houses welcomed us to lovely Yvoire.

Wandering about the streets of this village, we immersed ourselves fully in its charm. You’ll find flowers adorning all corners of this pretty town ; hanging in pots from balconies, beautifully decorated on the main squares and some wildly growing in the alleyways. For more such delight, visit the castle garden of five senses which is said to be a little piece of heaven.

Yvoire is an old fishing village, so its no surprise that the local cuisine includes fish a plenty. Bon appétit !  The speciality of this place is the delicious fillet de perch enjoyed with white wine and some potato fries on the side. If however fish is not your thing, suit yourself with some salad, cheese or crêpes. We ended our meal with a nice dessert that included fresh fruits from the region.

Next, we spent our time in and around the old church of Yvoire. It stands at the corner of a beautiful square that is lined with souvenir shops and restaurants on one side and an old drinking water fountain on the other.

The view of the shore from the vicinity of the church is beautiful. We continued our walk down nearer to the lake and relaxed on the lawns nearby enjoying the scenery, until it was time to board the boat back to Geneva.