Operators’ images, refreshed at their own pace; they are not a continuous video stream. Click to enlarge; check the capture time on the image or at the source.
| Day | Lac d’Aiguebelette 374 m | Wind 374 m | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 11 Oct | 10° / 15° | 8 km/h | |
| Mon 12 Oct | 8° / 17° | 10 km/h | |
| Tue 13 Oct | 10° / 18° | 6 km/h | |
| Wed 14 Oct | 11° / 21° | 7 km/h | |
| Thu 15 Oct | 11° / 23° | 6 km/h | |
| Fri 16 Oct | 12° / 22° | 6 km/h | |
| Sat 17 Oct | 10° / 15° | 9 km/h |
Weather-model estimates at the stated altitude of each point, not measurements. Source: Open-Meteo, updated every hour.
A quarter of an hour from Chambéry on the motorway, Lac d’Aiguebelette lies at the foot of the Épine mountain. It is a lake of glacial origin, known for its calm water: boats with combustion engines are banned, and rowers from all over the world come to train on its marked-out courses.
Unusually, the lake is private. It belongs to EDF (the French electricity company) and to a family, and the Communauté de communes du Lac d’Aiguebelette (CCLA, the local group of municipalities) manages it for the public. Almost the whole lake is a regional nature reserve. You swim from equipped beaches, which charge an entry fee in summer, and taking out your own boat requires a boating permit.
By car, 15 to 20 minutes on the A43 towards Lyon, exit 12. By coach, regional line S01 runs from Chambéry bus station to Saint-Alban-de-Montbel via Novalaise (timetables on oura.com). Chartreuse Regional Nature Park, transport guide (2026)
Regional TER trains on the Chambéry – Saint-André-le-Gaz line stop at Lépin-le-Lac – La Bauche; Le Sunset beach is within walking distance. According to the tourist office, it is the only lakeside municipality served by train. Lac d’Aiguebelette tourist office
About an hour by car on the A43 towards Chambéry, exit 12. CCLA, nature reserve management plan 2024–2028 (assessment)
Tap a point on the map or in the list to see its description, with a link to get directions from where you are.
The main way into the lake area. Two large car parks (P1, with car-sharing spaces, and P2, which takes motorhomes) at the motorway exit.
Tourist office and sale of the boating permit, on the lakeshore. Start of the walk along the wild shore.
Regional train (TER) stop on the Chambéry – Saint-André-le-Gaz line. Le Sunset beach is within walking distance; it is also the start of the lake circuit.
Large, shady, lifeguarded beach at Saint-Alban-de-Montbel, with a park, food, and pedalo, canoe and paddleboard hire. Free parking; entry fee in summer.
The only beach on the east shore, lifeguarded in summer; hire of electric boats that need no licence. Often the last to fill up.
Lifeguarded beach at Novalaise with showers, food, crazy golf and a slipway.
Shady beach next to the rowing centre, lifeguarded from mid-June to the end of August.
Lifeguarded beach at the north end of the lake, in Nances, with a restaurant and boat hire (more expensive than elsewhere).
Lifeguarded beach at the south end of the lake, within walking distance of Lépin-le-Lac station.
Public slipway at the north end of the lake, near the Maison du Lac. Boating permit compulsory.
Public slipway in the south-east, next to Aiguebelette beach. Boating permit compulsory.
One of the finest views of the lake, on the road to the Col de l’Épine (closed in winter).
The other great panorama over the lake, at the end of a short forest path.
Six equipped beaches (Bon Vent, Sougey, Aiguebelette, Pré Argent, Sunset, La Crique), lifeguarded and with an entry fee in summer, most with boat hire and snacks. In 2026, adult entry was €2.50 on weekdays and €4 at weekends at most of them. Out of season, access is free but there are no lifeguards.
Lac d’Aiguebelette tourist office, beachesPedalos, rowing boats, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards can be hired on the beaches; at Aiguebelette, 7-seat electric boats that need no licence. With your own boat, you need the boating permit.
Lac d’Aiguebelette tourist office, water sportsThe Bon Vent rowing centre, at Novalaise, hosts training camps and international competitions all year round; crews train early in the morning on the marked-out courses at the north end of the lake.
CCLA, nature reserve management plan 2024–2028 (assessment)Perch, pike, Arctic char, trout or carp: you can fish from the banks or from a boat, with a permit from the lake’s fishing association.
Lac d’Aiguebelette tourist office, fishingTake-off above Nances, on the Épine, and landing near the marsh; the paragliding school stays open until the end of October.
Lac d’Aiguebelette tourist office, autumn at the lakeAbout 300 km of waymarked paths around the lake, some fifteen trail-running routes and an e-bike circuit across the hillsides.
Lac d’Aiguebelette tourist office, hiking, trail running and cyclingA small museum run by a local association on the west shore, devoted to the geology, lakeside archaeology, wildlife and plants of the lake.
Tourist office (Cirkwi page), Lac et Nature museumAn almost flat walk along the east shore, suitable for everyone, from the Maison du Lac.
Read the route 5 km · 117 m ascent · 1 h 30 minA short out-and-back through the forest to one of the two finest panoramas over the lake.
Read the route 5.2 km · 275 m ascent · about 3 hA family loop along an old track, past a 17th-century chapel to the ruins of a castle.
Read the route 11.5 km · 436 m ascent · about 5 hA demanding loop on the side of the Épine, linking one viewpoint after another high above the water.
Read the route 12.9 km · 859 m ascent · 4 h 30 minThe big loop up to the viewpoint indicator on the Épine, looking over Lac d’Aiguebelette and Lac du Bourget.
Read the route 60.4 km · 2,467 m ascent · 3 days (24.1 km, 22.3 km and 14.1 km)A 60 km multi-day trek along ridges and through woodland, starting from Lépin-le-Lac station.
Read the routeA webcam or a forecast cannot tell you whether a beach has lifeguards, a boat is running or a road is open: check with the official sources.
Yes, from the six equipped beaches, which are lifeguarded and charge an entry fee in summer (13 June to the end of August in 2026). Swimming is banned along the rocky east shore. Out of season, the beaches are free to access but have no lifeguards.
Yes, with your own craft: the lake is private and the CCLA sells a boating permit (in 2026, €7 a day without a motor, €9 with an electric motor), online or at the Maison du Lac.
Only electric motors. Combustion engines are banned on the lake, and speed is limited to 9 km/h.
Yes: regional TER trains on the Chambéry – Saint-André-le-Gaz line stop at Lépin-le-Lac – La Bauche, from where you can walk to Le Sunset beach. Regional coach S01 also links Chambéry with Saint-Alban-de-Montbel.
Avoid summer weekends from late morning onwards. The tourist office advises coming on a weekday or before 10.30 am, and September and October are quieter.
Text written for AlpeSnow and last reviewed on , based on the sources below (mostly official French pages, in French). Webcam images belong to the credited operators; each photo shows its author and licence (Creative Commons for those from Wikimedia Commons, resized for the site); the forecast is the Open-Meteo model at the lake’s altitude.