Ferney-Voltaire: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

Culture and history

The Château de Voltaire is classified as a historic monument and has carried the “Maison des illustres” label awarded by the French Ministry of Culture since 22 June 2012. The Maison du Pays de Voltaire houses a former theater that Léonard Racle set up in a warehouse and that opened in 1776 in the presence of the actor Le Kain.

The Notre-Dame-et-Saint-André church is considered the largest neoclassical religious building constructed in the Ain department. Guided tours include a brief history of its construction and an architectural examination of the neoclassical building. La Comédie de Ferney has been home to the Compagnie Thalie since 1994; it offers theater workshops for adults and children as well as the development of performances. Théâtre la Comédie is a theater with around 80 seats in the center of Ferney-Voltaire and offers a varied program featuring comedies, tragedies, and audio theater.

Tours and visits

The Château de Voltaire can be visited independently, without a reservation, inside the building and in the park; the visit takes between 45 minutes and two hours.

During school holidays, visits and workshops are offered there for children aged 6 to 12.

The “Promenade culturelle” is a free walking tour through the center of Ferney-Voltaire, available via the municipal smartphone app. Professional actors tell the story of the town in French, English, or Spanish. The “Promenade culturelle” covers 3 km and includes 40 minutes of walking and 20 minutes of listening.

The guided tour “In Voltaire’s country, kindred spirits meet” lasts one and a half hours and follows a route of approximately 2 km. The tour “A tour on the red Ferney side” explains the production techniques for glazed ceramics from Ferney-Voltaire and presents three ceramic workshops on display: Eugène Hécler, René Nicole, and Paul Ami Bonifas.

Paths and outdoor activities

The Allée de la Tire forms the historic axis between the Château de Voltaire and the forests of La Bagasse. The “Allée et parc de la Tire” route takes around one hour as a round trip; a variant along the airport runways and via the path of La Bagasse takes approximately one and a half hours.

The Allée et parc de la Tire offers children’s playgrounds, a fitness trail, a city sports court, picnic tables, and a large avenue decorated with quotations from Voltaire.

Water and events

The Centre nautique has an indoor swimming pool with a heated leisure pool, a 25 m lap pool, an outdoor paddling pool, and a relaxation area with a sauna and hammam.

The Centre nautique offers water familiarization, aquagym, aquabiking, and swimming lessons for adults. There is also a swimming school for children. Aquabiking is offered to participants aged 16 and over.

The “Fête à Voltaire” combines street theater, contemporary music, permanent stages, and itinerant artists, professionals, and volunteers in an artistic and festive program.

The Ferney-Voltaire weekly market takes place every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. From Geneva’s Cornavin railway station, TPG bus 60 goes to the Ferney-Mairie stop; from there, it is a five-minute walk to the Château de Voltaire.

Renting a holiday apartment in Ferney-Voltaire can be part of your own travel planning.

Further local destinations: Giron, Samognat, Meximieux, Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Blyes, Montmerle-Sur-Saône, Vongnes, Loyettes

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Ain.