The ferry from Lausanne to Évian takes forty minutes. You cast off, watch the Swiss shoreline slowly recede, and wonder why you don't make the crossing more often.
On the French side, a palace dating from 1909 awaits. The «Hotel Royal» owes its regal name to British King Edward VII, who had promised to be among its first guests. He died in 1910 without ever having set foot inside. The name stuck.
Familiar Ground
On June 15, the G7 heads of state will arrive for their annual summit. For some of them, the hotel's royal heritage will hold particular appeal. It was here, in 2003, that a French host — President Jacques Chirac — opened the summit (then still the G8, with Russia's Vladimir Putin at the table) on the terrace of the «Hotel Royal».
Évian 2026 will once again give the Alpine spa town its moment on the world stage. News channels across the globe will carry the name into living rooms everywhere. Host and organizer Emmanuel Macron will preside over a gathering that carries no small measure of geopolitical tension — and no shortage of personal friction among its participants.
