Evian Markets and Lunch in Yviore

 26th September 2023

Tuesday and Friday are market days in Evian, and on these days the earliest funicular leaves at 9.15 am instead of 10 am, so our plan is to get down to the village on an early funicular, have a look around the markets and we are hopeful we will find something for breakfast whilst there.

We caught the 9.40 am funicular and it is only a short walk from the station to where the markets are held in the area around the church.

Initially we see lots of stalls selling clothing

A bit deeper into the market the food stalls began to appear

Saucisson lovers were well catered for with a huge variety on offer

Our search for breakfast came to a quick end when we discovered a delicious gozleme stall. After getting free taste of the range on offer, we all found something that would hit the spot with the most popular choice being spinach, goats cheese and honey.

Gozleme Stall (i am not sure what they call it in French)

Today we plan to have a substantial lunch, so the thought of another self catered dinner passes through our minds particularly when we are surrounded by all of this lovely produce. We are soon in purchasing mode buying some salad vegetables, a cooked chicken, olives, artichokes and we still ave some leftovers from last night. Once again we will fill the gaps with a visit to Carrefour.

We bought some radishes and cucumber here

With the market on today, cafe's appear to have opened early, so after looking around the markets we found a nearby cafe where we could get a cup of coffee before heading back to La Verniaz. We are not sure when the next funicular will leave, but it runs regularly so whilst we are down here we decided to go and see Source Cachat, the fountain where everyone goes to get their free Evian water. The source was apparently discovered in 1807 by Gabriel Cachat, hence the name.

Along the way we pass a boulangerie and add a baguette to our dinner provisions.

It was pretty busy when we arrived with one man filling about 12 litre bottles and other lined up with similar numbers to fill. Finally there was a break in the crowd so we could get a photo

Opposite the source is a lovely old building, Buvette Cachat, undergoing substantial renovation. This building housed lounges, a post office, ticket counter for boat crossings and concerts.

Buvette Cachat

It is time to head back up the hill and there is a funicular station very close by. We have about a 10 minute wait before the funicular arrives.

Once the fridge is loaded with our food, we are ready to drive to Yvoire for lunch. It is about a 30 minute drive back in the direction of Geneva.

Yvoire is a small medieval town located on the edge of Lac Leman. Parking in the old town area is not possible, but adequate paid public parking lots are well located only a short walk from the town. Our lunch venue is Hotel Restaurant le Pre de la Cure, which has a stunning view over the old city and lake.

View from the restaurant

We all had the set menu for the day which was a great meal

After lunch we ventured down to the town to explore this interesting historic medieval village dating back to 1306.

Entry is through the main gate which now faces a large square

Once inside the gat there is a maze of cobblestone streets lined with renovated old buildings that now house shops and a myriad of restaurants and accommodation.

Our first instinct is to follow the road down to the water side and take in the sights along the way.

This man cave turned out to be full of wine gourmet foodstuffs

There is a small marina on the lakeside at the end of the street we wandered down, passing the church along the way. The very calm water made the overall view stunning with the reflections off the water.

Following the walkway around to the left of the marina, the castle provides an imposing image, with some of the original fortified walls still partly in place.

The walkway runs out when you reach the castle and we head back into the village.

Looking back at the castle

Not far from the castle is the Garden of 5 Senses ( Jardin des Cinq Sens)

Formerly a kitchen garden, this garden has been developed into a series of mazes that divides the garden to stimulate  5 senses with gardens devoted to touch, smell, taste, sight etc. All of the time walking through you get glimpses of the castle and the medieval village that surrounds the garden.

The first exhibit is an alpine garden

There were a few odd looking plants like the one above in the touch section

Fortunately for us, a lot of the plants were flowering.

A glimpse of the castle through a flowering crepe myrtle

In the taste garden there was an amazing range of varieties of mint and the plant below tasted just like camembert cheese.

There was a formal garden planted out in beds of herbal and medicinal plants that were used to cure ailments and we were specifically advised not to taste or touch and of these, as some could be toxic. The beds were broken up into the ailments they were used for like cardiac issues, respiratory problems, arthritis  etc

In the final garden bed, it was just planted out with flowers, but the highlight was the view of the castle and it was more of a photo point to capture that shot.

Back in the village we wandered through the streets snapping photos everywhere. Here are a few of the shots.

The day has gone quickly and it is around 4.30pm before we leave Yvoire to return to Evian. On the way we make our customary stop at Carrefour to top up our supplies for dinner back at the hotel

A few appetisers to start with