Many thermal bath resorts, hot spring pools, and day spas are within easy driving distance from Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in Switzerland and France. The warm water baths are open year-round and particularly popular during winter.
The water of Lake Geneva warms up sufficiently every summer for pleasant swimming but year-round visitors may enjoy hot spring water in several spas and thermal bath resorts in the region. Leukerbad (Loècle-les-Bains) and Ovronnaz are in the Swiss Alps in the Valais Rhone Valley. Aquaparc in Le Bouveret and Évian are directly on the banks of Lake Geneva while Divonne and Vitam Parc in France near Geneva, Yverdon on Lake Neuchatel, Saillon in the Rhone Valley, and Gruyère are all in the plains and mostly snow-free even in the winter season.
All the day spas and hot spring resorts listed below are within easy driving distance of Lake Geneva and most may easily be reached on public transportation as well. Trainline sells tickets online for trains and buses and is often easier to use than CFF.
Transportation times and distances to hot spring spas below are calculated from Lausanne. When traveling from Geneva Airport (GVA), add 60 km or 45 minutes for driving and 45 to 60 minutes for train travel.
Top Hot Water Resorts and Day Spas near Lake Geneva
Several hot water spring resorts with thermal baths and spas are close to the Lake Geneva region in Switzerland. These spas usually have a variety of warm water pools with massage jets, hot tubs, jacuzzis, and waterfalls allowing visitors to relax while enjoying the claimed health benefits of the mineral waters. The indoor and outdoor pools are usually open in all weathers and usually daily — often also on holidays and even on Christmas day. A few thermal bath resorts have water slides.
Most have day spa treatments, massages, and beauty treatments, which should usually be booked in advance. Saunas and steam baths are sometimes charged for extra and may be nude and adults-only. Many resorts and baths have adult-only wellness areas.
The pools in these Swiss spas are very much clothes-on facilities although day spas and saunas may be textile-free (nude) with genders mixed. For men and boys, swimming shorts should never cover the knee and although smaller ones are preferred, only a few pools in France still insist on speedos or tight trunks.
The entry price for thermal baths in the Lake Geneva region is usually around CHF30 for three hours for adults. However, many deals and offers are available too.
For families, the best choices are the Leukerbad Therme, Aquaparc, and Vitamparc. The availability of discount family tickets is usually a good indicator of how welcoming the thermal baths are to families and young children. The minimum age for entering the warm pools is usually around three or four years.
Food and drink are available at all spas and most have accommodation directly linked to the hot thermal water resorts too. Picnicking is usually allowed in designated areas.
Most baths claim some medical and health benefits and cures but most visitors simply go to relax and have a good time.
The baths below are open year-round but even so, most have more facilities, especially for families, in summer than in winter. However, the thermal baths are very popular for relaxing after a day of winter sports and are often very busy in the late afternoon or evening in the winter season. In summer, many further outdoor pools, water complexes, and beaches are open in the Lake Geneva region.
Leukerbad – The Biggest and Best Hot-Spring Resort in the Alps
Leukerbad (Loèche-les-Bains) at 1,400 m above sea level claims to have the strongest hot water springs in the Swiss Alps. This small and beautifully located town in Valais has several public baths and spas while most of the top hotels have their own private spa area and thermal pools facilities for guests. The thermal springs here fill around 30 pools.
Leukerbad spas and hot water pools open to all visitors include the family-friendly Leukerbad Therme (previously Burgerbad) with water slides and the Walliser Alpentherme & Spa (previously Lindner) (best for adults and spa treatments).
Leukerbad has many excellent hotels and is a great weekend destination – see Trip Advisor to compare prices and ratings. The area has excellent ski facilities and many hiking routes. Cable car and thermal bath combination discount tickets are available.
See also: Transportation to Leukerbad — 140 km / 1h45 or 2h20 by train and bus from Lausanne. Trainline sells mobile tickets for the train and bus combination.
Les Bains d’Ovronnaz Thermal Baths in Switzerland
The Thermalp in Ovronnaz is a large thermal baths complex at an altitude of 1,350 m high above the Rhone in Valais. Special ski and baths discount deals are available, as the area is also a popular winter sports resort. See TripAdvisor for a selection of hotels in this small resort.
In addition to the pools and water features in Ovronnaz, a large range of day spa treatments is available in the adults-only wellness center. (Saillon is at river level below Ovronnaz.)
Transportation to Ovronnaz: 90 km / 1h20 or around 2h00 by train and buses from Lausanne.
Les Bains de Saillon in the Rhone Valley, Valais
Les Bains de Saillon is conveniently located in the Rhone Valley close to the river — Ovronnaz is more spectacularly located up the road in the Alps. The baths here have the usual variety of hot pools, day spa facilities, gyms, and restaurants. However, it also has a disco some nights (over 18s only).
Getting to Saillon by car is a fast 80 km / 1h00 drive mostly on the Autoroute A9 from Lausanne. Travel time by train and bus (change in Martigny) is around 1h20.
Les Bains de Lavey – Hottest Mineral-Rich Waters in Switzerland
The thermal baths at Lavey-des-Bains use the warmest hot spring source in Switzerland. The large complex is near the autoroute and Rhone River between Aigle and Martigny making it very easy to access by car without having to drive up into the mountains. It is the closest of the Valais mineral water day spas to Lake Geneva. Young hildren under 4 years old are not allowed into the complex.
Transportation to Lavey: 60 km / 45 minutes by car or train from Lausanne.
Les Bains du Val d’Illiez (Closed)
The thermal baths at the Thermes Parc in the Illiez Valley are closed. Les Bains de Lavey is a handy nearby alternative.
Aquaparc – Water Fun Park with Slides on Lake Geneva
The slides of Aquaparc are a firm favorite with Swiss families. Aquaparc is a water park with warm water pools, numerous toboggans and slides, and a beach with a wave pool. It is more of a fun park than a hot water spa resort and is justifiably hugely popular with children.
Aquaparc is in Le Bouveret right on the banks of Lake Geneva where the Rhone River enters the lake near Villeneuve and Montreux. It can easily be reached from Lac Léman towns and ski resorts in the Valais.
Transportation to Aquaparc — 60 km / 0h50 by car or 1h10 by train from Lausanne.
Les Bains de la Gruyère in Fribourg
Les Bains de la Gruyère in Charmey is a large thermal bath wellness center with modern facilities. In addition to the pools, admission includes the use of saunas and steam rooms. Guests of the connected luxury hotel Grand Hotel Cailler have unlimited access to the baths.
The thermal baths are in the small town Charmey in the pre-Alps in Fribourg. A soak in the hot waters combines well with visits to nearby sights such as Gruyères (old town and castle) and the Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory in Broc. Old town Gruyères has a small selection of hotels — it is again a sleepy town at night once the day-trippers have left.
Getting to Charmey by car is around 60 km / 0h50 or 1h20 by train and bus.
Centre Thermal in Yverdon-les-Bains on Lake Neuchâtel
Yverdon’s Centre Thermal has three hot pools for visitors of all ages with further spa treatment rooms, a fitness center, and other wellness facilities reserved for adult use only. In general, the atmosphere of the indoor pool is more welcoming to adults than to families with smaller children.
The spa complex is being renovated — until the end of 2026 many of the interior facilities are closed and entry prices are reduced.
Getting to Yverdon is very easy with the thermal baths just off the Yverdon South exit from Autoroute A1. Yverdon is 40 km / 0h30 north of Lausanne. Trains take 20 to 40 minutes.
Hot Water Thermal Baths and Spas in France near Lake Geneva
Divonne-les-Bains in France near Geneva
The natural springs in Divonne-les-Bains are very cold but heated for spa use. The town has several day spas and prices are generally high. Valvital has the largest facilities but other day spas have more exclusive pools and spa treatments. In summer, large more family-friendly open-air pool complexes are available.
Divonne is easiest reached by car and is 50 km / 0h35 from Lausanne — from Geneva Airport only 20 km / 0h15. Public transportation is possible by bus from Coppet or Nyon train stations in Switzerland.
Vitamparc in St-Julien-en-Genevois in France
Vitamparc is a large water and sports park just across the border from Geneva in France. This fun park belongs to Migros, which often offers discount vouchers on the back of supermarket receipts.
Vitamparc has pools, toboggan water slides, a gym, day spas, badminton courts, climbing walls, and a shopping center.
Transportation to Vitamparc is easiest by car: from Geneva Airport it is 19 km / 0:20 and from Lausanne 75 km / 1h.
Évian-les-Bains on Lac Léman in France
Évian is world-famous for its water while the Les Bains in the name hints at baths too. The natural springs of Évian are cold but the spa facilities at many hotels and the public Les Thermes Evian are well heated. Top hotels here, such as the Evian Royal Resort (Royal & Ermitage) and the Hilton, have excellent day spa facilities with surprisingly good children’s programs too (separate from the adult pools!) — the public facilities, by comparison, are fairly low-key.
Evian is a lively spa town during the summer but in winter can be very sleepy. The public baths are usually closed in December and January.
- Transportation to Evian: 80 km / 1h20. If going to Evian simply for the spa and town, taking the ferry from Lausanne-Ouchy (0h35) is a much better option than driving.
- From Geneva Airport to Évian is 70 km / 1h10 by car. Use the Leman Express train from Geneva main station, or more interesting but much slower (and more expensive) the ferry via Lausanne.
QC Terme Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
The QC Terme Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is a large day spa facility in Chamonix in France at the foot of Mont Blanc. It claims to provide an Italian wellness experience in France but is also very easily reached from Geneva in Switzerland.
The QC Terme Chamonix-Mont-Blanc features 30 wellness options in a spa facility measuring a vast 3,000 sq meters. Admission tickets are available online.
Chamonix is a very popular day-trip tour destination from Geneva.
Best Hot Water Spring Resort and Spas in the Lake Geneva Region
- The Best Hot Mineral Water Thermal Baths near Lake Geneva — mostly in Switzerland but also some in France
- Leukerbad — the best weekend getaway in the Alps. Fantastic thermal baths and many good hotel options.
- Les Bains de Lavey – Hottest Mineral Waters in Switzerland
- Aquaparc – Water Fun Park with Slides on Lake Geneva near Montreux
- Les Bains de la Gruyère in Fribourg – near medieval Gruyères and the Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory.
- Yverdon-les-Bains on Lake Neuchâtel