In Divonne-Les-Bains, experiences range from the history of thermal bathing to walking routes, leisure activities and a market offering locally focused food products. When planning your visit, you can choose from a variety of options: local history, exercise by the lake, water activities, or golf and racing.
Heritage and thermal history
The Circuit patrimonial de la Ville comprises 20 panels on the history of Divonne-les-Bains. Those who want to discover the town through several historical stops will find a themed introduction to its history here. Another perspective is the two-hour heritage tour, which tells the story of thermal bathing and visits the town’s historic sites.
The “Aux Sources du thermalisme” visit takes you to the Emma, Vidart, Barbilaine and Ausone springs. They are considered evidence of the town’s history and its thermal bathing tradition. Seasonal availability may vary, so check in advance whether the visit can be included during your stay.
Moulin David also connects local history with a specific technical subject. It is France’s oldest hydroelectric power station still operating at its original location. The association runs numerous workshops there for children and adults on water and electricity. Moulin David therefore focuses both on hydropower and on explaining how it works.
A lakeside circuit and a model of the solar system
The Tour du lac du Divonne circuit is 3.3 km long and can be travelled year-round on foot, on roller skates, by bicycle or in a Rosalie. Motor vehicles are prohibited. Its length and range of ways to get around make it a different kind of outing from the two-hour heritage tour: here, the route itself provides a practical framework for planning, while the heritage tour focuses on the history of thermal bathing.
Another educational attraction associated with the lake is the Chemin des planètes. It represents the solar system at an extremely reduced scale, taking into account both the sizes of the planets and the distances between them. Each metre represents 10 million kilometres. This scale model makes the proportions and distances of the solar system easier to understand.
Leisure activities with a range of focuses
Forestland Parc de Loisirs is set in two and a half hectares of woodland and offers several professionally supervised aerial adventure courses. The site also has children’s play equipment and outdoor laser tag. Its range of activities means that it is not limited to just one kind of leisure pursuit.
The Centre Nautique offers several pools and water activities: the 50-metre Olympic pool has eight lanes, and there is also a 162 m² teaching pool with AquaSport activities. For diving, boards are available at heights of one, three and five metres above a five-metre-deep diving pool. The facilities also include a paddling pool and a children’s slide.
Golf and narrated races
Golf enthusiasts can choose between two different course formats. Golf de l'hippodrome has a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course next to Lac de Divonne. Its practice facilities include 25 hitting bays, a grass practice area and a putting green. Golf du Domaine de Divonne, by contrast, is an 18-hole, par-72 course, with golf lessons and training courses offered by professional instructors. These details distinguish the two options by course format and practice facilities.
Narrated trotting and flat races are held at Hippodrome du Grand Genève Divonne-les-Bains. If you want to include a race in your stay, check the dates in advance. This lets you plan the activity deliberately, rather than assuming a specific event day.
Friday morning market
A market is held on Place Perdtemps on Friday mornings. It sells food products exclusively, which are local, organic or sourced through short supply chains. This makes the market a distinct attraction alongside the cultural and leisure activities. Market hours can change, so it is best to check them before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Bâgé-La-Ville, Fareins, Villars-Les-Dombes, Versonnex, Meximieux, Châtillon-la-Palud, Vescours, Bourg-En-Bresse.
Go to the broader travel overview: Ain.
