evian-les-bains
DEPARTMENT: HAUTE-SAVOIE (74)
REGION: auvergne-RHôNE-ALPES

Nestled between the mountains and the great Lac Léman, Evian benefits enjoys an invigorating natural environment that has made it an internationally famous resort.

All year round, the town offers a wide variety of activities and lodgings for tourists, while nearby ski resorts make Evian the perfect base from which to enjoy the mountain slopes during the winter and the fecund pastures in the summer.

This spa town is renowned for its thermal baths, and, of course, its water. Located on Avenue des Sources, the Cachat Spring (formerly the Fountain of Saint Catherine) is the most famous of several springs that once emerged in Evian. Built in 1903, along with the opposite pump room, this spring flows every day of the year and is open to the public.

This is a splendid place to come too if you enjoy gardens and flowers: each year the town presents its 'Scènes Florales, a themed walk through the town's parks and gardens.

The village's expansion began in the Middle Ages, with the construction of a castle in the 12th century, and the granting of tax exemptions. As a result, Evian would grow into an important market town, a commercial port on the lake and a popular holiday destination for the counts and dukes of Savoy. The discovery of mineral water dates from the late 18th century, with the first Evian Baths appearing in 1824, and the right to bottle the water being granted 2 years later, a moment that also marked the town's expansion with the construction of thermal baths, the casino, hotels and a theatre to entertain Georgian and Victorian visitors.