The Customs Officers’ Path between Messery and Nernier

A very easy, short walk taking about an hour there and back. Views all along the route of Lake Léman and some beautiful private estates.

See the recommendations regarding access to the shores of Lake Léman in the practical information section.
Moderator’s note added on 18/10/2021: Section of the path (temporarily?) closed. See the comments at the bottom of this page

Details

n°3539723

Creation:
07 Jul 2020

Last update:
18 Oct 2021

Last review:
07 Nov 2021

Activity: Walking
Distance: 2.04 mi
Average duration: 0h 55
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 7 ft
Descent: - 7 ft
Highest point: 1,234 ft
Lowest point: 1,220 ft

Country: France
City: Haute-Savoie (74)
Start/End: N 46.355814° / E 6.286031°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3428ET
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Description of the walk

The walk starts at Messery beach, located at the end of Rue du Lac, which leads from the village of Messery near the post office. Park in one of the available parking spaces.

(S/E) Head to the far end of the beach, keeping to the right as you face the lake. A path appears with a sign setting out the rules to follow on the lakeside path.

Follow this path for 1.7 km, keeping the lake on your left. Just before you reach Nernier harbour, there are a few steps: this is the only challenging part of the route...

(1) The return journey follows the same route in the opposite direction to Messery beach (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,227 ft - Messery Beach - Lac Léman
1 : mi 1.02 - alt. 1,224 ft - Nernier Harbour
S/E : mi 2.04 - alt. 1,227 ft - Messery Beach

Notes

There are no drinking fountains apart from the refreshment kiosk open in summer on Messery beach, where toilets are also available. Restaurants and bars can be found in the village of Nernier.

A good pair of trainers is sufficient.

Recommendations to ensure this route remains open:
Throughout the walk, you’ll be following a public footpath along the shores of Lake Geneva, which is state-owned public land, 3.25 m wide from the water’s edge. You’ll be passing through the gardens of numerous private properties. It is therefore forbidden to stop to eat or lay out your towel to go for a swim. Please respect these guidelines.
- The shores, jetties and beaches are private.
- Keep your dog on a lead at all times and take your dog’s waste away with you.
- Bicycles and other vehicles (scooters, etc.) are prohibited.
- Do not pick up or gather anything, or leave any rubbish or litter behind.

Additional information:
In Nernier (1), you can continue on foot to the medieval village of Yvoire. To do so, follow the ‘Au bord du Léman’ walking route between Yvoire and Nernier, taking the ‘return’ section from the narrow streets of Nernier, between the points (6) and (5). Return on foot via the same route or, in summer, take the boat between Yvoire and Nernier.

Worth a visit

Visit the beautiful village of Nernier.
Opportunity to sunbathe and swim at Messery beach.
You can take the boat from Nernier to Nyon (Switzerland) or even back to Yvoire during the season.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5

Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
4.3 / 5

NCRANDO

07 Nov 2021 at 15:02 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

I don’t agree that the walk could be done in a wheelchair; quite the opposite, in fact: there are slippery sections that should be avoided with elderly people. And there are far more than just “a few” steps....

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Lnmaud

18 Oct 2021 at 09:22 7200 • Edited: 18 Oct 2021 at 09:22 7200

Hello,
We had planned to go on this walk yesterday, Sunday 17 October 2021, in the opposite direction to that described, from Nernier to Messery, as we were arriving on foot from Yvoire.
Access to the path has been PROHIBITED since 21 July 2021 by a local by-law; apparently there are erosion problems and the path has disappeared in some places.
I don’t know what signposting is in place at the start in Messery.
So it was a big disappointment – we weren’t able to do this walk. I hope the path will be repaired soon.

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mickou

06 Apr 2021 at 11:34 7200

Thank you all for your comments; I’ve made the changes. I can’t change the 55 minutes as it’s calculated automatically by the website.
Kind regards.

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François D4.

05 Apr 2021 at 20:37 7200

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk along the lake – thanks for the suggestion!
However, the suggestion that it “could almost be done in a wheelchair” might be misleading, as the path is completely unsuitable for this, and not just because of the five steps...

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Crideva

07 Mar 2021 at 17:17 3600 • Edited: 07 Mar 2021 at 17:22 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It states that the return to the starting point takes 55 minutes. In fact, unless you run, it’s more like 55 minutes for the outward journey, which is 3.5 km, and a return to the starting point by following the route in reverse, which takes a further 55 minutes.

It would be better to state ‘Return to starting point (i.e. circular) = No’ to avoid any ambiguity regarding the time. You can always retrace your steps!