Summer walk in Geneva

Last summer, I went on a day trip to Geneva. Starting at La Jonction, I visited some highlights of the city and walked near the lake.

Here is a map of the path I walked (download KML):

I came to Geneva from Annecy in the morning, taking the T72 LIHSA bus and getting down at the Jonction bus stop. I then started walking. When I arrived at Port Noir, I took a taxi boat (Mouettes Genvoises) to Parc Mon Repos on the north side of the lake. At the end of the day, I walked along Quai du Mont Blanc then took the bus back to Annecy from the highway bus station nearby.

Above, Arve river seen from a bridge near the Jonction LIHSA bus stop.

Above, Viaduc de la Jonction.

Above, Rhône river.

Above, Arve river.

Above, TPG bus depot.

Above, at Bois-de-la-Batie.

Above, goat in the Zoo of Bois-de-la-Batie.

Above, bouquetin (alpine ibex).

Above, Viaduc de La Jonction.

Above, Sentier des Falaises Saint-Jean.

Above, below Pont-sous-Terre.

Above, Quai du Seujet.

Above, dam on the Rhône, seen from the viewpoint of Quai du Seujet.

Above, Jet d’Eau.

Above, Bâtiment des Forces Motrices.

Above, entering the Old Town.

Abovde, Arsenal.

Above, Cathédrale Saint-Pierre.

Above, view from the north tower of the cathedral.

Above, bench in Promenade de la Treille.

Above, Place du Bourg-de-Four.

Above, stairs at Parc de l’Observatoire.

Above, Eglise Saint-Joseph.

Above, Jet d’Eau.

Above, Jetée des Eaux-Vives to the Jet d’Eau.

Above, swan gathering.

Above, marina at Les Eaux-Vives.

Above, CGN boat.

Above, Parc La Grange.

Above, rose garden.

Above, art in Parc des Eaux-Vives.

Above, Marina in Port-Noir.

Above, Mouettes Genevoises boat.

Above, across the lake at Parc Mon Repos.

Above, Lake Geneva (Lac Léman).

Above, Parc Barton.

Above, World Trade Organization (WTO).

Above, in Jardin Botanique.

Above, torii in the Zen Garden.

Above, greenhouse.

Above, alpine garden in the botanical garden.

Above, Gare de Genève-Sécheron.

Above, Institut des hautes études internationales et du développement.

Above, Paroisse Saint-Jean XXIII.

Above, Parc de Vermont.

Above, mad lad.

Above, ladybug statue at Parc Beaulieu.

Above, Théâtre des Grottes at Les Schtroumpfs.

Above, Pavillon Doré in Parc des Cropettes.

Above, Cornavin train station.

Above, Mausolée de Brunswick.

Above, Lake Geneva.

Above, Quai du Mont Blanc.

Above, Bain des Pâquis.

Above, evening crowd on Quai Wilson.

Above, highway bus station.

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Promenade des Pertes de la Valserine

The Promenade des Pertes de la Valserine in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is a short and easy walk that follows the Valserine, a river that takes its source in the Jura mountains and empties into the Rhône. Starting near the train station in the city, the path goes upstream to the Pertes (French for “losses”), where the river disappears in natural canyons dug into limestone rocks.

This page has proposals for additional exploration of the area (beyond simply walking there).

Above, start of the walk.

Above, Valserine.

Above, Pont du Moulin Convert.

Above, Métral dam (Barrage de Métral).

Above, machines for electricity production.

Above, fish ladder.

Above, waterfall.

Above, at the Pertes.

Above, Pont des Oulles.

Above, canyon.

Above, the rock has been shaped by past floods.

Walk in Annecy: La Varde, Pont de La Bornale, Pont de Brogny, Vallon du Fier, Promenade du Thiou, Lake Annecy

At the beginning of spring, I went on a walk around Annecy, trying to stay on parks and green spaces. Not a complete success but close enough… Starting in Annecy-le-Vieux near L’Abbaye Espace d’art contemporain, I followed a bike / pedestrian path to La Varde then crossed the Fier river at Pont de La Bornale on the way to Pont de Brogny and the large park of Vallon du Fier nearby. I walked in the Vallon and exited at the Zone industrielle du Pont de Tasset. I crossed the Fier river again to reach Cran-Gévrier then followed the Thiou river all the way to the old town of Annecy. Finally, I arrived at Lake Annecy.

Here is the path I followed (download KML):

Above, L’Abbaye.

Above, park in front of L’Abbaye.

Above, pedestrian path. There is also a bike path alongside it.

Above, cross near Novel.

Above, donkeys.

Above, in La Varde.

Above, Montagne de la Mandallaz.

Above, Parmelan.

Above, telecom antenna on Crêt de la Varde.

Above, short forest path.

Above, horses.

Above, horse riding school near the stables.

Above, Pont de La Bornale.

Above, Fier river.

Above, another bike road.

Above, path to some kind of beach on the Fier.

Above, Fier.

Above, Viaduc Ferroviaire du Pont de Brogny (train bridge).

Above, Viaduc and Fier seen from the Pont de Brogny.

Above, Vieux Pont de Brogny (aka Petit Pont Romain) and new Pont de Brogny behind it.

Above, path in Vallon du Fier.

Above, bridge across the Fier.

Above, bridge linking the Zone industrielle du Pont de Tasset with Cran-Gévrier.

Above, Fier river.

Above, in Cran-Gévrier.

Above, Cercle de l’Eau at the Thiou river.

Above, Promenade du Thiou.

Above, La Tournette.

Above, old town of Annecy.

Above, Eglise Saint-François de Sales.

Above, Parmelan seen from Lake Annecy.

Above, La Tournette.

Above, Mont Veyrier, Mont Baron and Mont Baret.

Above, Les Marquisats.

Above, Canal du Vassé and Pont des Amours.

Above, Pâquier.

Above, at Bonlieu.

Walk in Seynod: Parc du Val Vert, Parc du Pré de Vassy

Last winter, I went on a walk in Seynod, a neighbourhood of Annecy. Coming from the old town of Annecy, I visited Parc du Val Vert and Parc du Pré de Vassy, then went back.

Above, coming from the Thiou river in Annecy.

Above, in the ZAE de Vovray – Barral – Val Vert.

Above, entrance of Parc du Val Vert.

Above, “Danger de Mort” (Danger of Death).

Above, fish tail.

Above, Bassin de Loverchy, an overflow reservoir for the Loverchy river.

Above, Loverchy river (Ruisseau de Loverchy).

Above, the grid in the reservoir is shaped like the head of a fish.

Above, a large housing development near Parc du Val Vert.

Above, Monument du Souvenir Français.

Above, Parc du Pré de Vassy.

Above, pond inside the park.

Above, Seynod city hall and public library.

Above, back at Parc du Val Vert on the way back to Annecy.

Above, Thiou river seen from the Pont Neuf in Annecy.

Promenade de Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Chambéry)

The Promenade de Jean-Jacques Rousseau is a short and easy walk in Chambéry that follows the footsteps of Rousseau. It starts in the Old Town of Chambéry at Parc de la Calamine and goes up to Les Charmettes, a house where Rousseau lived with Madame de Warens between 1736 and 1742. It then loops back by passing through the Parc de Buisson-Rond and the Château de Boigne. I didn’t actually walk the whole loop: It was getting late and dark so I went down to the city directly once I reached Les Charmettes.

Here is a map of the path I walked (download KML):

Above, in Parc de la Calamine.

Above, I made a detour through the Montée de la Fontaine Saint-Martin, where there is a good view on Chambéry. I had to walk on the side of a paved road for a few minutes.

Above, Carré Curial.

Above, Dent du Nivolet.

Above, the Montée.

Above, Fontaine Saint-Martin.

Above, at Parc de l’Etincelle.

Above, Dent du Nivolet in the Bauges mountains, with its large summit cross.

Above, Dent du Chat.

Above, Mont Granier, in the Chartreuse mountains.

Above, getting dark.

Above, Les Charmettes.