Gland Vd: Beach, Cultural Heritage and Sport

If you are looking for a hotel in Gland Vd, you can plan your stay around the themes that interest you: swimming, paths along the Lavasson, industrial and military history, or sport. A weekly market and an annual festival add to the cultural events. The various offerings give you specific ideas for planning your visit without limiting your stay to a single theme.

Beach and paths along the Lavasson

Gland’s municipal beach lies below Chemin de la Falaise, away from traffic. You can swim in the designated bathing area and swim out to a raft; there is also a lawn for sunbathing. If you would like to spend some time by the water during your stay, the beach offers a clearly marked bathing area and space to lie down.

Nature and local history come together in different ways along the Lavasson. The stream was revitalised in 2018 to restore its biological functions, including fish migration. A safe, publicly accessible footpath also runs alongside the site’s distinctive military and historical heritage, with information panels along the way. If you enjoy learning about local heritage while out walking, you will find a themed trail here rather than just a nature walk.

Industrial history and museum

The Usine électrique des Avouillons began operating in 1900 and has been generating electricity for more than a century. Groups can visit the facility by prior arrangement. So if you would like to include this in your itinerary, you will need to request a visit in advance.

The permanent exhibition at Grand'Rue 38 tells a different story. It traces the building’s development from its construction as a school in 1881 to its use as an administrative building. Its focus is therefore on the transformation of a specific building and its functions.

Villa Rose is a fort disguised as a house. As a museum, it recreates the site as it was in 1940. Its 1940 armaments included a cannon and machine guns; accommodation for soldiers has also been recreated in the attic. Villa Rose regularly holds open days and offers visits by prior arrangement. This means there are different ways for groups and individual visitors to visit: open days and visits by arrangement.

Market and events

The Marché de Gland takes place every Wednesday at Place de la Gare and brings together around 30 exhibitors from the region. If you would like to visit the market, Wednesday is the day to plan for.

The Fête multiculturelle is organised every year by the SPOP, is free of charge, and is open to everyone. It is therefore a recurring, freely accessible event in Gland’s cultural programme. If you are planning your visit around an event, the market takes place weekly, while the Fête multiculturelle is held annually.

Sport and exercise

The Centre sportif En Bord has a wide range of facilities, allowing people to take part in numerous sports freely. Another way to get active outdoors is the municipal «Visite aux sportifs» walk: it follows an approximately one-hour loop through the woods and fields around the Centre sportif En Bord and can be done on foot or by bicycle.

The Gland Spring Run is a running event launched in 2018. Starting from Montoly, it follows a 5 km loop. For planning your day, the walk and the running event offer different points of reference: the walk is defined by its approximate duration, while the run is defined by the length of its loop.

Transport options along the historic trail

All points along the historic trail are accessible by public transport and other modes of transport. These include Gland CFF railway station, TPN bus routes 805 and 811, and TUG route 836. Publibike stations are located in Prangins, at Gland station, and in Gland-La Lignière. If you plan to use one of these connections, check the current timetables for your travel date.

Discover more destinations: Begnins, Borex, Tartegnin, Genolier, Crassier, Founex, Vinzel, Vich.

For the main travel overview: Nyon.