On the shores of Lake Geneva, Ripaille Castle

The Château de Ripaille, former residence of the Dukes of Savoy, is well worth a visit. This short hike offers an original way to get there, following the shores of Lake Geneva as closely as possible. It's a great way to combine the pleasure of walking with that of culture and heritage!

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.51 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 21 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 20 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 397 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 373 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available at the Parc de la Châtaigneraie car park in Saint-Disdille. To get there, leave the N5 road (Thonon-Amphion) at Vongy and follow the signs for "Z.I. de Vongy" and "Parc de la Châtaigneraie". When you arrive in Saint-Disdille, the car park is on the left (large sign).

Red and yellow markings

(S/E) Head towards the lake (beach). Turn left and continue west-southwest on the shaded path, which remains a few metres above the lake.

(1) When you reach the boundary wall of the Domaine de Ripaille, continue south-west along a path between the wall (on your left) and the lake shore (on your right). This path has been improved in places with a footbridge, handrail, steps, etc. After walking alongside a boxwood undergrowth on your right, you will reach an old tower in the boundary wall.

(2) Continue along the path beside the wall. Further on, turn right to get closer to the lake. Then turn left and take a wide path through the pine trees. Walk along a fence on your left and you will come to a concrete esplanade that used to be a pontoon.

(3) Continue along a wide path and walk along a lawn bordered by a hedge on your left. Go around the Thonon swimming pool park on the left. Go past a metal barrier and you will come out onto Avenue de Ripaille.

No markings

Follow the avenue to the left for about 50 metres.

(4) Turn left onto the small road that leads to the entrance to Château de Ripaille. Retrace your steps.

(4) Here, there are two options for returning to the car park:
- Take the lakeside path in the opposite direction (red and yellow markings).
Follow the circular loop marked on the map and described below.

Back on Avenue de Ripaille, turn left and follow the road on the left-hand pavement, parallel to a wide cycle path. At the roundabout, take the first road on the left, Chemin de la Forêt.

(5) At the forest house (possible detour, see "During the hike"), continue on the road marked as a dead end. Go past a barrier and turn right into a gravel lane to walk along the wall of the Domaine de Ripaille again. Further on, you will come back to the tarmac road. When the road turns right, continue straight ahead along the wall. At the corner of the wall, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing.

(6) Then follow Avenue de Saint-Disdille to the left, on the right-hand pavement, towards Parc de la Châtaigneraie. Continue straight ahead on this avenue until you reach a roundabout in Saint-Disdille: the car park where you started is on the left (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 383 m - Parc de la Châtaigneraie - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 375 m - Wall of the Domaine de Ripaille
  3. 2 : km 1.87 - alt. 374 m - Old tower
  4. 3 : km 2.23 - alt. 375 m - Old pontoon on the - Lac Léman
  5. 4 : km 2.73 - alt. 390 m - Access to - Château de Ripaille
  6. 5 : km 3.62 - alt. 395 m - Forest house
  7. 6 : km 4.53 - alt. 392 m - Avenue de Saint-Disdille
  8. S/E : km 5.51 - alt. 383 m - Parc de la Châtaigneraie - Car park

Notes

Simple trainers are sufficient for this short hike. There are no water sources along the route.

A detailed map is useful (at least the one accompanying the previous description).

Variation:
At Château de Ripaille, you can of course retrace your steps and return to the car park via the same route you took to get there, along the lake.

Hike completed twice by the author, the first on 25 April 2015, the second on 17 August 2020.

Worth a visit

Built at the beginning of the 15th century, Château de Ripaille was a residence of the Dukes of Savoy and then, in the 17th and 18th centuries, a Carthusian monastery. This château alone is worth a visit. The château is open from 4 April to 1 November, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in July and August). For more information, visit the Château de Ripaille website.

Between (S) and (3), there are numerous access points to small pebble beaches for a refreshing swim in season. Among these many beaches is a naturist beach at (2).

At (5), you can visit the Domaine de Ripaille arboretum and the Clairière des Justes memorial. Opening hours:
- from 1 May to 30 September, from 10:00 to 19:00.
- From 1 October to 30 April, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Nearby: Dranse Delta Nature Reserve.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Moukmouk
Moukmouk

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, easy walk. The path along the lake can sometimes be very narrow and slippery. You may wish to plan a visit to Ripaille Castle and its grounds (at least 1½ hours). Unfortunately, the forest was closed for an indefinite period.

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Roger21
Roger21

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An excellent, easy walk along Lake Geneva. This route is suitable for everyone.
At the end of the walk, you can even return to the town centre by taking a bus from the campsite.

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello Théobold-G, and thank you for your comments.

Thank you for pointing out what seems to be an interesting variation! Could you provide some additional information:

  • The gate you have to go through is not the one that gives access to the castle (paid entrance), it's another one?
  • On the 1:25,000 IGN map, there is a dotted line indicating a path that passes south of the castle, along the edge of a vineyard: is that the one you took?
  • Before joining the main route at MF (5), this path passes north of the sewage treatment plant shown on the map: is that correct?

Thank you in advance for your clarification.

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Théobold-G
Théobold-G
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike on 3 July 2023 and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially as we took a detour that isn't mentioned in the description or comments.

Taking the path leading to Ripaille Castle, you will find an interpretive trail on the right that appears to be recent (Geopark). Once past the metal gate (which is open), it first runs alongside the vineyards at the foot of the castle and then continues to the forest house, where you will find the route described.
This passage avoids walking along the streets for too long.

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Fox 73
Fox 73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk suitable for children along the lake shore

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Pascale et Laurent
Pascale et Laurent
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very pleasant family walk

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patte
patte

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

To see the arboretum and the Memorial to the Righteous, you have to enter the park at point 5 and, above all, exit at the same point. Is it worth the detour? I would say yes for the memory of the Righteous, but the park is not particularly interesting, especially if you follow the entire route through a rather ordinary forest where you occasionally see drawings of hares and foxes.
On the other hand, you get a good sense of the immensity of the estate and the route along the lake is pleasant.

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marafla
marafla

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

An easy and pleasant hike along the shores of Lake Geneva. Nice little beaches (bring your swimsuit).
In summer, do the walk in the opposite direction because the hike described starts in the shade of the woods and ends in full sun with no shade... I therefore recommend doing it in the opposite direction. What's more, the castle only opens at 10 a.m. in summer (allow 1½ to 2 hours for the visit), so you'll find yourself finishing the hike in full sun at around midday.

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Pascal539
Pascal539

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very easy and accessible to everyone, the lakeside is shaded and magnificent. We also visited the Ripalle forest, which is wonderfully calm and peaceful.

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elinelucas
elinelucas

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

beautiful walk along the lake

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Josy C.
Josy C.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Lovely walk in the woods of Ripaille, especially in very hot weather.

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sissi.249
sissi.249

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

An easy and pleasant hike that allows you to stop at the lake. Picnics and swimming are possible.
We took the opportunity to visit Thonon (about 2 hours extra).

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