Aquaparc in Le Bouveret is a year round water fun park on the banks of Lake Geneva near Montreux. Most of the waterslides and toboggans are indoors allowing for fun family breaks from nearby ski resorts in winter.
Water parks and hot spring resorts are popular throughout Switzerland with travelers to the Rhone Valley and Valais Alps having plenty to choose from. However, few offer so much fun and variety as the waterslides and toboggans at Aquaparc in Le Bouveret on the banks of Lake Geneva near the Swiss-French border. Aquaparc is a great day out for families with children of all ages while special quiet zones offer peace and a day spa atmosphere for adults too. Admission is fairly steep but no further expenses are compulsory (or really needed) while many offers and special online deals are often available. Aquaparc is great day-trip destination from Geneva, Lausanne, and the ski resort in the Rhone Valley.
Waterslides and Toboggans at Aquaparc in Le Bouveret
The main attractions of Aquaparc in Le Bouveret are the variety of waterslides and toboggans. These range from a full upwards loop to simple slides for small children.
The most challenging waterslides at Aquaparc do not require the use of tubes or similar floating devices. Here simply freefall with no protection is the name of the game. The top slide is the Booster Loop, which involves a full upwards loop – note the special doors at the bottom of the loop from which people that did not make the loop can be extracted! The minimum age is 14 while the weight requirement here is between 45 and 100 kg – other rides simply require 120 cm as the minimum length to keep the smaller children out. This slide starts with a 15 m freefall, on the way down expect to pull 3.7G and reach a speed of around 80 km/h before looping upwards. The around 15-second Booster Loop is the only slide in the park that requires a surcharge (CHF3 for the day).
Also frighteningly fast are the orange and red slides from the top level. The orange slide drops fast in a spiral while the red slide proofs that the shortest (and fastest) distance between two points is a straight line and thus starts with a 20-m freefall. Calmer fun but still pulling a good 2G right from the start is the yellow and blue slide (Chute 2 G), which spirals sliders into a funnel before finally dropping into a pool. A special balcony allows friends and family to observe sliders coming out of the tunnel – arms crossed on the chest is not only a safety measure here.
Family Fun at Aquaparc on Lake Geneva in Switzerland
Four toboggans require sliders to drag tubes up the flights of stairs – note the correct entrances. The number of tubes lying around for the various toboggans is a good indication of which ride will have the shortest waiting times at the top of the stairs.
The easiest is the yellow Nesquick, which allows one or two adults or one adult and two children to go together at the same time. Simply place the yellow tubes on the starting block and get in – this is the only slide that starts mechanically without the need for pulling or pushing and thus very popular with families with smaller children.
The blue slide allows up to three to go together too on red KitKat shuttles while the green toboggan on blue rubber tubes is for solo travelers. The black toboggan is for one or two riding together – this ride is in pitch black and fairly fast making five full turns along its 177 m length. A number of further slides are mainly aimed at children but there is nothing preventing adults from using them too.
Smaller children will enjoy the pirate boat with water features while the lazy river is also fun. If the weather allows, the lazy river makes a long detour outside the building too. During summer a large play area (Splash Lagoon) with many water features are available for children aged 6 to 12 years old.
A foot bridge gives access to a private beach on Lac Léman, further outdoor slides, and a large swimming pool. The Copacabana zone has a small indoors beach area with an artificial sea. The water is calm for 25 minutes and then followed by 5 minutes of waves.
Day-Spa Facilities in the Adults-Only Wellness Center at Aquaparc
The Wellness area is only open to adults over 16 years – no additional charge. It is mainly a place to escape from the noise and the crowds in a spa atmosphere with typical day-spa facilities including saunas, hamman (steam room), hot baths, and a bar.
The wellness area has both indoor and outdoor pools and relaxation areas. A limited range of day-spa treatments (mostly massages) are available and can be reserved in advance.
Restaurants and Lockers at Aquaparc in Le Bouveret
A few restaurants sell fairly basic fast food similar to McDonalds (burgers, nuggets, chips / fries) at typical Swiss restaurant prices. The food is not particularly exciting but not bad either. Picnicking is not allowed on premises but in good weather visitors can exit the main park via a foot bridge and picnic at the beach.
Admission tickets to Aquaparc are similar to wrist watches, which can be loaded with any amount of money for use inside the park. (The remaining funds are refunded.) No cash is used inside the park and money is only necessary for food and drink. In the locker room, press the watch against the scanner to find the number of the allocated locker.
Only bare feet are allowed in the locker room, which makes even flip flops unnecessary – they are certainly only a hindrance once inside the park itself. Regulars, especially those keen on riding the slides and not lying around, seem to even leave towels behind in the lockers.
Admission Tickets and Opening Hours of Aquarparc in Le Bouveret
Admission to the Aquaparc is fairly steep but special deals are often available both on the Aquaparc website and many other travel service providers or combination tickets with Swiss Railways.
After paying the admission fee, no further expenses are necessary. Full fare – full day – admission is CHF49 for adults and CHF40 for children 5 to 15. Under 5s enter for free and small discounts are given for over 60s and students. Currently, 20 to 50% discounts are given for entry after 15:00 (or up to 17:00 in summer / weekends). Family tickets are also available.
Depending on the season, time-limited tickets (3 or 5 hours) and combination tickets (admission plus meals) may also be available.
The Aquaparc is generally open year round (but closed mid-November to early December) with opening times depending on the season and specific day. The park usually opens at 10:30 am and rarely closes before 7:30 pm. During school vacations and most Saturdays the park is open until 8:30 pm and sometimes even 10 pm.
Transportation to Aquaparc in Le Bouveret in Switzerland
Getting to the Aquaparc in Le Bouveret is easiest by car but public transportation is of course also available. When traveling from Swiss cities on Lake Geneva, exit the Autoroute A9 at Villeneuve and follow signs towards Evian. In Le Bouveret the brown signs for the Aquaparc are clear. Parking (CHF5 per day) is available close to the Aquaparc but during very busy periods it may be necessary to park further away and use a shuttle bus.
Visitors arriving by train or CGN Lake Geneva passenger boats disembark a short walk from the Aquaparc. See Transportation to Le Bouveret for more details on getting to Le Bouveret by car, train, bus, or boat from other parts of Switzerland and France. Le Bouveret is also famous for the collection of small steam trains in the Swiss Vapeur Park, which is just down the road from the Aquaparc.