Thonon-les-Bains Travel Guide

In Thonon one can easily spend hours at the harbour, looking at the ships coming in and out, the fishermen, the birds--- and have a drink at the sailors' mess.

The picturesque Monday and Thursday morning market in Thonon is where I do nearly all my shopping. The vendors can be difficult to get to know and may even be a little cold and unfriendly, but it's worth the pain of snubbery for the experience and the delights of the products. Knowing a few words in French always helps.

On market day if the weather is nice my son and I picnic near the fountains overlooking the lake.

What to buy: I like the local cheeses, Tomme, Abondance and of course the fresh goat cheeses. You can also buy olives, fish, meats, eggs, wine, and of course fruits and veggies. Vendors sell whole roasted chickens which are quite good and smell wonderful.

What to pay: The market is actually cheaper than the supermarkets in this area.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: The people in Thonon don't dress to impress. It's definitely more casual & sporty than other French cities. Shorts and flip flops will make you stand out as a tourist. In the summer most women wear skirts or lighter weight pants and/or cropped capri style pants.

Raingear is a must and bring an umbrella too.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: The pharamacies are well stocked and very helpful. They're closed on Sundays and at lunch time though so that can be a pain. A lot of American visitors ask me for ibuprofen and I haven't found an equivelent here so maybe bring that. Also vitamins are expensive and highly underdosed so travelling with that is smart. Also maybe Alka Seltzer ! I've never found it here.

Photo Equipment: All the local grocery stores have on the spot digital processing now.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: The lakeside beach here is nice but the water is too cold for swimming outside of the months of mid June, July and August. Bring jelly shoes or flip flops if you're thinking of wading in because the rocks in the water will hurt your feet. There is a ton of sport activity here and around the city so it all depends on what your interest is!