Legends of Lake Geneva

The legends of Lake Geneva

The Geneva audio-guided tour tells you the legends of Lake Geneva, the largest alpine lake in Europe, inseparable from the beauty of the city.

Gargantua, the giant and the monster of the lake

With its crescent shape, Lake Geneva is the largest alpine lake in Europe, and its formation would have, says the legend, a fabulous origin. It is said that it was dug by Gargantua, the giant who inspired the writer Francois Rabelais: passing through the region, the colossus, thirsty and finding the Rhone too small, would have dug again and again until forming the lake where to quench his thirst. Another version has it that he simply wanted to take a bath: the earth moved as he dug would have piled up further off, and the inhabitants, seeing so much earth pile up, would have cried ca leve, thus giving birth to Mount Saleve. Other older accounts even speak of a time when mammoths lived, or of a mysterious monster of the Leman glimpsed by fishermen. So many stories that nourish the imagination and the charm of this mythical lake.

What there is to see

Beyond the legends, Lake Geneva offers a splendid panorama over the water, the mountains and the bay of Geneva. Walks on the quays, cruises and viewpoints invite one to savour this alpine setting. It is the soul of the city, between fabulous tales and natural beauty, to contemplate along the walk.

Practical information

Lake Geneva borders Geneva; its quays and its banks can be discovered freely on foot at all hours. Cruises and boat trips are regularly offered, according to hours and seasons to be checked on site.

Who would have created Lake Geneva according to the legend?

The giant Gargantua, who would have dug it out of thirst or to take a bath, forming along the way Mount Saleve.

What is Lake Geneva?

The largest alpine lake in Europe, crescent-shaped, which borders Geneva and nourishes many legends.