Excenevex is, above all, reputed for its natural beach of fine sand of almost 10 hectares and its lakeside, unique in the department. La Pinède (the pine-wood) which borders this place to the west of the little stream, le Vion, border with Sciez, gives it a certain Mediterranean air.

 

The beach, watched over in July and August, slopes gently down into the waters of the lake. It attracts numerous tourists in summer and offers supervised bathing for the children.

Excenevex beach is a children’s paradise.

A play area, the volleyball pitches,  a mini-golf, pedal-boats and various other hire items (flyboard, stand-up paddles, motor-boats, deckchairs, beach-umbrellas…) are at your disposal.

Fishing, French bowls, sailing, and tennis complete the palette of leisure activities proposed to visitors.

Several boats enable excursions on Lake Geneva, and even to go to the market at Thonon-les-Bains on Thursday morning (in July and August – tickets on sale at the Tourist Office).

The municipality devotes enormous efforts to maintain and render welcoming this free beach of which all the charges fall solely upon the parish of Excenevex. The parking fees charged contribute towards the beach maintenance expenses.

The shores and the beach are cleaned daily, from 6 to 9 am, by the municipal staff seconded by the staff of the LIEN (Association Léman Insertion Environnement).

The sifting machine which filters the sand

During the holidays, swimming teachers/firemen assure the surveillance of the swimming perimeter and respond to the emergencies of the sores & pains one meets on the beach: wasp stings, sunburn, sunstroke or others.

The municipal police assures the security and ensures that the municipal byelaws are respected.

If dogs are prohibited on the leisure base throughout the summer, it is for safety and hygiene. The children come to play on the sand, build sand castles, and it would be irregular to see them confronted by dogs’ messes.

In winter, taking advantage of the “low tide”, the municipality undertakes major works on drainage of the sand and of the beach using impressive machinery to level the bottom in order to erase the differences in level caused by the surf and undertow of the waves.

The beach at « low tide »

In winter, this beach is the refuge of a lacustral fauna that the specialists come to admire: ducks, swans, coots, sea-gulls, grebes, sandpipers, godwits, herons, aigrettes… which in times of strong wind rest in the calm waters of the Vion, this little watercourse winding through the Pinède campsite.