Aix les Bains is a lake-side town in the East of France. It’s located in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region, in the Savoie district. As it’s located right next to Lac du Bourget, the largest lake of France, it’s mostly popular for water activities. On this page I’m telling you about some top things to see and do in Aix Les Bains.
SUP yoga at Lac du Bourget
There are many water sport activities that you can do at Lac du Bourget. My favorite one is SUP Yoga. SUP is short for Stand Up Paddle and we did a SUP Yoga class at Soren Yoga. From the 1st of May to the 30th of September you can book a SUP Yoga lesson at Soren Yoga. She arranges the SUP boards and paddles and gives you a lesson on the water. After that you’ll have some free time to paddle yourself.
Cycle around Lac du Bourget
There’s a cycle path all the way around the Lac du Bourget. You can rent bikes at L’entrepot du Velo. They have e-bikes that make it a bit more relaxing to cycle around the lake. The path is well signed and it’s very easy to do. The total length for a loop around the lake is 52 kilometers, but you can also agree with L’entrepot du Velo that they pick you up somewhere half way.
Domaine Xavier Jaqueline
Domaine Xavier Jaqueline is a vineyard in Aix les Bains. It’s run by 2 relatively young sisters (31 and 28) and their dad. They do everything by hand and work organic. The domaine has a clay and limestone soil. The climate is influenced by the lake and the mountain. The climate and the soil give the wines of Domaine Xavier Jaqueline a unique taste. They grow 5 different grape varieties.
Domaine Xavier Jaqueline organizes wine tastings where you get to taste several of their wines with a great view and some delicious snacks.
Le Bistrot du Port
Le Bistrot du Port is a nice restaurant next to the harbor at the lake. They work with local and seasonal products and everything is 100% made on the site. I had a great grilled vegetables salad and the ravioli with mushrooms is also nice for vegetarians. They serve wine from Domaine Xavier Jaqueline at the restaurant.
One tip if you’re having dinner at Le Bistort du Port in Aix les Bains, is to leave some room for dessert! Look at this beautiful large macaron with raspberries for example!
Restaurant La Martine
La Martine is a Michelin star restaurant in Aix les Bains. They’ve had their star since 1987. The current chef is Pierre Marin. His father started the restaurant in 1964, but it was much smaller then. Pierre Marin has put the restaurant where it is now. The restaurant has a big terrace that overlooks the Lac du Bourget.
Pierre Marin works with vegetables from the region, fish from the lake and lamb from the Chartreuse, the mountains next to the lake. He follows the season, so he’ll always look at what’s available in the region that season.
Restaurant La Martine is open from Wednesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner and on Sunday for lunch.
Pictured you see a vegetarian galette that we made ourselves during a workshop with Pierre Marin.
All the desserts at restaurant La Martine are works of art. We all ordered a different one, and each one was as beautiful as the others. I had a hard time choosing which picture to place here as they were all so good. I went for this raspberry square with mint sorbet.
You can reserve your table at Restaurant La Martine by calling +33 4 79 25 01 03.
Golden Tulip Hotel
Looking for a hotel in Aix les Bains? I recommend the Golden Tulip Hotel. This four star hotel has everything you need during your stay in Auvergne Rhone-Alpes. The Golden Tulip Hotel in Aix les Bains is beautiful designed. The rooms are spacious and bright and the colors reminded me of the region; with sand and water colored elements.
The hotel has its own spa. It’s a 1000m2 heaven for spa lovers with a jacuzzi, sauna, treatment rooms and much more.
The Golden Tulip Hotel also has a fitness room, free wifi and a large breakfast buffet.
Click here to book your room at Hotel Golden Tulip Aix les Bains.
Click here to read more about the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region.
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