Lake Bourget, between the Épine range and the Bauges massif

Living around Lake Bourget

Between the Épine range and the Bauges massif, Lake Bourget stretches for 18 kilometres. Its surface stands at 231 metres above sea level, with a maximum depth of 147 metres. The Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park describes Lake Bourget as the largest natural glacial lake lying entirely within France. Aix-les-Bains, on the eastern shore, rises from 224 to 524 metres above sea level.

A thermal identity

The first baths of Aix-les-Bains date from the end of the 1st century, and their Roman remains have been listed as a historic monument since 1921. The Royal des Bains, commissioned in 1776, was completed in 1783. Aix-les-Bains now has 32,406 residents according to INSEE, and the Grand Lac agglomeration, which brings together 28 communes around it, counts more than 80,000.

Activities and leisure

In summer, Grand Lac lists nine beaches in 2026, three of them in Aix-les-Bains, and manages thirteen harbours around the lake. A year-round berth means waiting twelve years on average, and buying a boat already afloat remains the most common route, with 138 contract transfers in 2023.

In winter, the Revard is part of a network of 150 kilometres of groomed cross-country ski trails, together with La Féclaz, Saint-François-de-Sales and Arith. All year round, the Aix-les-Bains market enlivens Place Clemenceau on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and both Brison-Saint-Innocent and Serrières-en-Chautagne lie within the Vin de Savoie AOC area.

Heritage and culture

The Grand Cercle casino in Aix-les-Bains, built in 1896, preserves its theatre and its mosaic hall, both listed as historic monuments. The royal abbey of Hautecombe, at Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, holds the tombs of counts of Savoy and of the last kings of Italy. The Thermes Chevalley, in Aix-les-Bains, offer eighteen-day thermal cures, and the Technolac campus, in Le Bourget-du-Lac, is home to Polytech Annecy-Chambéry.

If the lake holds on to its residents first through its beaches and its spas, it will win you over just as much with its thirteen harbours and the cross-country skiing of the Revard. To take your property plans further, our estate agency in Aix-les-Bains is here to help and invites you to discover its prime properties currently for sale around Lake Bourget.

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Settling around Lake Bourget

Settling around Lake Bourget means living beside a lake of 4,400 hectares, with a TGV to Paris, an airport a few minutes away and a town of more than 32,000 residents.

Transport and access

The Ondéa bus network run by Grand Lac has three main lines, each running every 15 to 20 minutes on weekdays, from Monday to Saturday. Line 1 links Pont Rouge to Technolac. Line 2 runs from the Grésy secondary school to the Hexapôle, in Drumettaz-Clarafond. Line 3 serves Avenue du Petit Port and the Thermes Chevalley.

The Aix-les-Bains-Le Revard station is served by regional TER trains to Annecy, in around 40 minutes, Chambéry, Geneva and Lyon, and by TGV INOUI services to Paris, in around 3 hours 20. On the western shore of the lake, no main line runs, but the Mobéa on-demand service and local lines during term time provide transport.

The A41 has two exits at Aix-les-Bains, Nord and Sud, and reaches Geneva in an hour by road, as the A43 does for Lyon.

Education and schools

Aix-les-Bains has five secondary schools (collèges), including the state schools Garibaldi and Jean-Jacques Perret, and the state multi-discipline sixth form (lycée) Marlioz, which prepares students for the general, technological and vocational baccalauréats as well as for BTS higher technical diplomas, and offers a European section. There is no international section in Aix-les-Bains, but the Vaugelas sixth form in Chambéry has one.

Healthcare and services

The Métropole Savoie hospital centre, formed by the merger of the Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains hospitals, runs A&E departments on both sites. At Chambéry it has the Éveillon maternity unit, a level 3 unit that follows high-risk and normal pregnancies alike, with neonatal care and neonatal intensive care on site. Aqualac, in Aix-les-Bains, combines a 25-metre pool and a heated 50-metre Nordic pool in the open air.

Living around Lake Bourget: seven communes and the gateway to Chambéry

Choosing to live around Lake Bourget means choosing between four lakeside communes, two communes set back from the lake, Serrières-en-Chautagne on the edge of the Rhône, and Chambéry. Chambéry does not border the lake and belongs to the neighbouring agglomeration, Grand Chambéry, but it forms the gateway to the area. Population figures come from the latest census.

Aix-les-Bains

Main town of Grand Lac, Aix-les-Bains brings together the station, the Marlioz sixth form, the hospital A&E department and the Aqualac aquatic centre. The beaches of Mémard and Rowing line the lake, and the MOBI’Aix shuttle links the station to the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Discover our luxury properties for sale in Aix-les-Bains.

Tresserve

A lakeside commune of 2,909 residents, Tresserve has its town hall in an English-style park, a listed site since 1970, where Lamartine wrote “Le Lac” in September 1817, according to DREAL, the regional environment authority. Ellen Willmott acclimatised rare species there from 1890 to 1920, and the Lido beach lies on the lake. Explore our prestige properties available to buy in Tresserve.

Brison-Saint-Innocent

Brison-Saint-Innocent, with 2,445 residents, reaches the lake through the beach and leisure base at Pointe de l’Ardre. The Salon des Vins has been held there every year since 2005, the church of Saint-Innocent dates from the 13th century, and the Sardinian towers of the Brison tunnel date from 1857. View our prestige homes on the market in Brison-Saint-Innocent.

Conjux

With 218 residents, Conjux is the least populated commune of the area. The submerged archaeological site of Conjux-le-Port 3 dates from the late Bronze Age, and the entrance to the Savières canal opens at the hamlet of Portout. A beach, a harbour and a Grand Lac harbour master’s office are all found in the commune. Browse our high-end properties for sale in Conjux.

Mouxy

Mouxy, with 2,311 residents, overlooks the lake and offers views of the Nivolet, the Chartreuse and the Dent du Chat. The Pertuiset path leads from the commune to the Revard, and two Ondéa local lines, the 108 and the 209, serve it during term time. See our homes for sale in Mouxy.

Drumettaz-Clarafond

Drumettaz-Clarafond, with 3,012 residents, is home to the Château du Donjon, which dates from 1582 and is now a guest house, and to a priory of 1110 at Clarafond. The Marlioz state secondary school is here, Ondéa line 2 stops at the Hexapôle shopping centre, and the market takes place on Sundays. Discover our properties in Drumettaz-Clarafond.

Serrières-en-Chautagne

Serrières-en-Chautagne, with 1,156 residents, lies on the edge of the Rhône, not far from the lake, between the Chautagne marsh, the Grand Colombier and Mont Clergeon. The commune is one of the four that share the “Chautagne” designation of the Vin de Savoie AOC, and the Mobéa on-demand service reaches it in zone C. Explore our luxury real estate in Serrières-en-Chautagne.

Chambéry

Prefecture of Savoie, Chambéry has 59,964 residents. The covered Halles market opens from Tuesday to Saturday, the Jacob-Bellecombette campus of Université Savoie Mont Blanc is here, and the Buisson-Rond swimming pool and ice rink complete the facilities. Discover our prestige homes for sale in Chambéry.

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