My outings often start from Divonne-les-Bains, and the same question comes up every time: what is there to do here with half a day, a weekend or children to keep busy? Here is my list, from the classics everyone mentions to the nature spots the guidebooks forget.
Walk around the lake
Lake Divonne is a man-made lake of about 45 hectares, dug where marshes once lay and filled in 1964. The loop around it is 3.3 kilometres, car-free, and can be done on foot, by bike, on rollerblades or in a pedal car, all year round and free of charge.
Along the way, the planet trail runs beside the racecourse for about 250 metres. The solar system is to scale: every metre you walk equals 10 million kilometres. In summer, the supervised beach rents kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and pedalos.
Walk through the Bidonnes marsh
This is the spot I show to anyone who thinks rare nature only starts at altitude. The Bidonnes marsh covers 66 hectares, from Divonne to Bogis-Bossey on the Swiss side. It is part of the Natura 2000 network, has carried the Ain Sensitive Natural Area label since 2015 and is managed by the Conservatoire d’espaces naturels.
The nature trail starts at the Pont des Îles and follows the Crans canal for about 3 kilometres, allow 1 h 30. Boardwalks, footbridges and a hide make it a very easy walk, although the ground can be muddy and it is not wheelchair accessible. It is home to around 160 plant species, three species of blues, the small blue butterflies of wetlands, and the marsh gentian. The hardy cows you will meet are there for a reason: they graze to keep the marsh from closing in.
It is also the setting for my Springs and Marshes walk, if you would like to discover it with a guide.
Climb Mont Mourex for the view
Mont Mourex rises to 754 metres and offers a panorama over Lake Geneva, the Alps, the Pays de Gex and the Haute Chaîne du Jura. The yellow-waymarked loop starts from the tourist office or the town hall and takes 2 h 30 to 3 hours. A viewpoint indicator facing the Alps stands about 200 metres off the path, and a stone circle 145 metres round still puzzles walkers.
Closer to the centre, Mont Mussy can be reached on foot by the Tatati path or the Dames path, with a fitness trail and a farm restaurant at the top.
Step back in time at the Moulin David
The Moulin David is described as the oldest hydroelectric plant in France still working on its original site. Fitted with a micro power station in 1887, it produced electricity until 1960, and the Divonnelectro association has been restoring it since 2005. Visits are free on Sundays from 10 am to noon, from late June to mid-November. Times change from year to year, so check with the tourist office.
The springs and the spa
Divonne owes its reputation to its springs. Thermal activity has been suspended since December 2022 and, in May 2025, the town council voted to enter exclusive talks with a developer to revive it, with 2030 as the stated goal. In the meantime, the self-guided “From the great spring to the springs” walk links the thermal baths to the tourist office.
For a spa, the town’s hotels remain. That is the whole idea of the RandoSpa: a brisk walk in the morning, lunch, then the afternoon at a partner hotel’s spa.
In one line
- Golf: a 9-hole pitch and putt at the racecourse and an 18-hole, par 72 course at the Domaine de Divonne.
- Racecourse: trotting and flat racing facing the Jura, mainly in August and September.
- Casino: run by the Partouche group.
- Market: on Sundays, Grande Rue and place de la Mélie.
- Papette: the sweet tart flavoured with orange blossom or vanilla, a speciality of the Pays de Gex.
With children
- The tourist office’s “Fountains” and “Monuments” treasure hunts, about 1 h 30 each.
- The Randoland trails, puzzle walks for children.
- Forestland and its tree-top courses, the mini golf, and in summer the inflatable course at the beach.
- The planet trail and the Bidonnes nature trail, both flat and short.
To go further as a family, I have gathered my family hiking ideas in the Pays de Gex.
In winter
The tourist office puts the Monts Jura resort 19 kilometres away. The La Vattay Nordic area has 130 kilometres of cross-country ski trails and three snowshoe routes. A reminder before you put on your snowshoes: in the Haute Chaîne du Jura Nature Reserve, quiet zones protect wildlife from 15 December to 30 June, and you must stay on waymarked routes.
I explain why in what crossing your path costs a chamois.
For a guided outing, see the snowshoe hikes in the Jura.
When you want to go higher
Above Divonne, the Haute Chaîne du Jura lines up the highest summits of the range. The Crêt de la Neige, at 1,720 metres, is the highest point of the Jura, and the Croix du Reculet stands almost level with it.
If you prefer to go with a guide, the RandOpéra starts from Divonne town hall, and every way to walk in a group is on the Group hiking in the Pays de Gex page. And if you are heading on towards the Jura, here is what to do in Gex and the Pays de Gex.