Today I want to share with you a story about Swan Lake and the legend of the flottins and flottines, little creatures who arrived at Evian on the shores of Lake Geneva and saved Christmas one winter night.

The legend of the flottins

The story takes place in Evian les Bains, a beautiful alpine town on the shores of Lake Geneva, and famous for its spring water, which you can taste at the Cachat Spring source.

The Cachat Spring is located on the Avenue des Sources, and was built in 1903. There is a continuous stream of Evian water straight from the source, which is free and, so you will see quite a few locals filling up their bottles there.

Evian and the legend of the flottins

Swan Lake translates as “le lac des cygnes”, and there are a lot of swans on the lake. Also, our hotel (more about that later) is called the “Hotel des Cygnes”, and is right on the waterfront, and so the title seemed appropriate.

But, now for the legend, which tells the tale of fairy folk, including elves, sirens, pixies, hobgoblins, nymphs and pixies, who were washed up on the shores of the lake in Evian since the beginning of time.

the legend of the flottins

From snowfalls to avalanches, from trickling streams to wide rivers, from small rivers to the river Rhone, they were carried along on driftwood rafts until they reached a place to rest at Evian on the banks of Lake Geneva. These creatures are called ‘flottins’ or ‘flottines’ (the latter being the females), as ‘”bois flotté” translates to ‘driftwood’.

the legend of the Flottins

Every Winter the flottins come to their village in Evian, which is built entirely from driftwood washed up from the Lake.

the legend of the Flottins

The legend tells how the flottins saved Christmas, one chill November night many years ago. As Santa Claus set out on a practice flight over Lake Geneva, a squabble between the reindeer forced the sleigh into an emergency landing on the water. The flottins rushed to the rescue and swam out to rescue Santa Claus and his reindeer. That very night they built a magnificent cabin from driftwood for their marooned visitors and ever since, Santa Claus pays a visit to his Flottin friends and their driftwood village before setting out on his big journey!

the legend of the Flottins

And so, every year, the small town of Evian is home to a Christmas fair with a difference!

There is nothing to buy but plenty of enchantment to inspire the imagination and feed your dreams.

For three weeks (since 2007), Evian is home to the “Fabulous Flottin Village”, where you will discover sculptures made from driftwood washed up from the lake and a host of storytellers, circus performers, actors and musicians with stories to tell and songs to sing.

This year the event runs from December 13th 2019 to 5th January 2020, and started with the Flottins arriving from the Lake on Friday 13th to the acompaniement of a spectacular light show, music and fireworks.

Santa Claus arrives in Evian on December18th and will stay until December 24th, telling stories all about the North Pole, before he sets off on his annual gift-giving tour on Christmas Eve.

During this magical three weeks, there are storytelling sessions, concerts, games, rides on ‘flottin’ horses, merry-go-rounds, and a host of other activities. For more information have a look here.

Then, finally on January 5th 2020, the Flottins head home to the mountains ……… until next year!

It’s a magical experience for children and adults alike, and is an ecological alternative to the traditional Christmas markets.

You can find out about some other European Christmas markets here, here and here.

Evian and the legend of the flottins

We stayed at the “Hotel des Cygnes“, which is situated right on the waterfront, and we couldn’t have been happier with our stay!

Hotel des Cygnes; Evian

With old-fashioned charm, a warm welcome and an excellent restaurant, the 3-star Hotel Les Cygnes has a prime waterfront location.

It was closed for several years, before being purchased and lovingly restored by the present owner in 2000.

No attention to detail is spared: on arrival we were greeted with a basket of fruit, pastries and beautiful flowers.

Christmas at Hotel des Cygnes, Evian

As we were there at Christmas time, we were able to appreciate the beautiful Christmas decorations.

The rooms are both cozy and comfortable, and yet also spacious, and some rooms have a lake view.

Lake Geneva, Evian

I won’t tell you about breakfast – I will just let the photos speak for themselves!! Another lovely attention to detail is the day’s weather forecast, horoscopes and some suggested activities for the day, which is placed on the breakfast table.

Hotel des Cygnes, Evian
Hotel des Cygnes; Evian

The restaurant is in a lovely setting and a wide variety of food is offered, including a daily fixed menu (from Monday to Friday), and in the Winter ‘Savoie’ specialities, such as cheese fondue are also available.

In Summer, the hotel boasts an outdoor dining area, a mooring spot for arrival by boat, sun-loungers and a pool.

You can find out more about the hotel and book a room or the restaurant here.

There is a host of other things to do in Evian, but I will save those for another time as for now, I just want to leave you with the magic of the “Flottins” and their “Swan Lake”.

Some products, trips, hotel stays, restaurant visits are gifted.  All opinions are my own