Hocus pocus! Here we are, in what is surely the best season of all on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman)
It’s the season of magic, mystery and… murder
October on Lake Geneva at a Glance
Fête de la Pomme, Saint-Paul-en-Chablais – 11 October
Apple pressing, local produce, music and a proper village fête
Toques en Chablais, Thonon-les-Bains – 2-4 October
Three days celebrating food, chefs and the flavours of the Chablais
Vevey-Brisolé, Vevey – 3 October
Roasted chestnuts, new wine and an autumn tradition on the Swiss Riviera
Nuit de l’Épouvante, Château de Chillon – 10 October
An atmospheric evening of ghosts and shadows inside Chillon after dark
Frankenstein in Évian – 31 October
A Halloween storytelling walk beside the lake where one of Frankenstein’s most dramatic scenes takes place
Frankenstein, storms and Lake Geneva
October seems the perfect month for a little Frankenstein.
Let’s go back to the extraordinary ‘Year Without a Summer’ of 1816. Across the northern hemisphere the effects of the eruption of Mount Tambora, an active Indonesian volcano, were being felt. There was widespread flooding, crops failed, dark clouds covered the skies and temperatures plummeted during the summer. There was even snow on the Jura in June and July.
It was into this eerie, half-lit world that 18 year old Mary Godwin – later Mary Shelley, arrived on the shores of Lake Geneva with Percy Shelly. They rented a small house by the lake but spent much of their time at the Villa Diodati in Cologny, in the company of Lord Byron and his doctor, John Polidori.
One stormy night, back in the days before Gogglebox and Match of the Day, Byron suggested they each write a ghost story to pass the time.
Mary began the tale of the tragic life and death of the creature created by Dr Frankenstein.
Évian plays a pivotal role in the Frankenstein story. It’s the setting for the wedding-night murder of Dr Victor Frankenstein’s wife, Elizabeth.
After Victor and Elizabeth’s wedding in Geneva, Shelley writes in the 1818 original edition that ‘…Elizabeth and I should commence our journey by water, and pass the afternoon and night at Évian… and return to Cologny the following morning’
It also contains the lovely line about ‘the spire of Evian’ as they approach.
She then describes the breeze coming from the shore, carrying the scent of flowers and hay, before Victor and Elizabeth land at Évian.
Victor Frankenstein’s creation, ‘the creature’, has sworn revenge on his creator. Before Victor’s wedding to Elizabeth, he gives him a chilling warning: ‘I will be with you on your wedding-night!’
Victor mistakenly thinks the creature intends to kill him. Instead, while they’re staying at Évian, Victor hears Elizabeth scream and discovers that the creature has murdered her.
Mary Shelley visited Évian herself, so she was writing about a place she knew. Using her first-hand knowledge of Evian she created one of the most chilling scenes in one of the greatest Gothic novels ever written.
On Saturday, 31 October, La créature de Frankenstein is a guided storytelling walk along the lakeshore, following beaches associated with the characters in Mary Shelley’s novel.
It starts outside the Évian Tourist Office at 2:30pm and lasts until 3:45pm. Halloween costumes are definitely encouraged!
Toques en Chablais – Thonon-les-Bains
2-4 October 2026
October gets off to a considerably more cheerful start just along the lake in Thonon-les-Bains.
Toques en Chablais, the town’s international gastronomy festival, returns from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October. A ‘toque’ is the French name for a chef’s distinctive hat in case you were wondering.
For three days Thonon becomes one enormous celebration of food, with chefs, demonstrations, workshops, tastings and events taking place around town.
If you’re visiting the Chablais in early October, this is a very good weekend to arrive hungry.
Fête de la Pomme – Saint-Paul-en-Chablais
Sunday 11 October 2026
This is one of my favourite little autumn traditions.
High above Evian on the Plateau de Gavot, the village of Saint-Paul-en-Chablais celebrates the apple in pretty much every form imaginable.
There are apples to eat, apples being turned into juice, apple pastries, traditional pressing, music, games and activities for children.
I’ve been to this one myself and written about it before. It’s not a polished tourist spectacle, and that’s exactly why I like it. It feels like a really traditional village fête where the whole community comes together in celebration of the riches of the autumn season.
Read more: My visit to the Fête de la Pomme at Saint-Paul-en-Chablais
Chestnuts and New Wine in Vevey
Saturday 3 October 2026
Over on the Swiss side of the lake, autumn means chestnuts.
Vevey-Brisolé takes place beneath the Grenette on the Grande Place on Saturday 3 October, from 11am until 5pm.
A brisolée is one of those great simple Alpine traditions that is perfect for a cold, crisp autumn day: roasted chestnuts accompanied by local produce, a glass of the year’s new wine. Add music, alphorns and folk entertainment and you’ve got a proper Swiss autumn celebration.
If you miss Vevey, nearby La Tour-de-Pelz has its own brisolée on 10 October.
Frankly, sitting beside Lake Geneva with roasted chestnuts and a glass of new wine sounds like the perfect way to spend an October afternoon.
A Spooky Night at Château de Chillon
And finally, we’re heading back into the dark.
There aren’t many places around Lake Geneva that need less help creating a Halloween atmosphere than Château de Chillon.
The medieval fortress already has underground vaults, narrow passages, and centuries of stories. Even on a bright summer’s day the dungeons can send shivers down your spine.
On Saturday 10 October, Chillon holds its Nuit de l’Épouvante – its Night of Terror.
From 6:30pm until 11:30pm, the castle becomes a world of ghosts, shadows and strange creatures, with visitors invited to explore the fortress after dark.
Tickets are available in advance only, so this is one to organise before simply turning up at the castle gates.
October on the Lake
October sometimes gets overlooked on Lake Geneva.
Summer has finished, the Christmas markets haven’t yet begun and the first serious snow is still some way off.
But that’s exactly what I like about it.
The vineyards change colour. The mountains appear sharper in the cooler air. Village fêtes celebrate the harvest rather than the tourists. There are apples being pressed in Saint-Paul, chestnuts roasting in Vevey and enough cheese to feed an army of mice in Thonon.
And somewhere along a quiet beach in Evian, Frankenstein’s creature is walking by the lake again.
Not a bad month after all.
