We’ve found the perfect spot for you. After raving about Lake Nantua, here’s another absolutely exceptional natural setting nestled in the mountains. Imagine a place where you can swim, hike, kayak, paddleboard, or windsurf—all in a single day… and of course, if you feel like it, just relax. Welcome to Île Chambod!
Chambod Island, 20 hectares of paradise just outside Lyon
Here’s your new favorite spot. A place for the whole family where you can switch between water activities and relaxation. Nestled between cliffs and wooded areas in the Ain Gorges, Île Chambod is a little paradise. It features a 300-meter-long supervised beach, as well as a 15-kilometer stretch of navigable water and facilities for windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. You can also walk around the island in about an hour and a half.
Because the great outdoors works up an appetite! Don’t worry— Le Carbet restaurant offers a gourmet break right by the water, and you can stay overnight at the 3-star Le Camp’île campground, which has everything you need for a great time (mobile homes, bungalow tents, and standard tent sites, plus a pétanque court, mini-golf, a swimming pool…).
Chambod Island is designated as a “Sensitive Natural Area,” and the department is doing everything possible to preserve the area’s biodiversity and ensure a welcoming environment for visitors. Its preservation also depends on each and every one of us.
The Ain, the “number one” in the area
Less well known to Lyon residents than the Rhône and the Saône, the Ain is nonetheless one of the most beautiful rivers in our region—and, consequently, in France. It rises in the foothills of the Jura, drawing its clarity from the purity of its mountains. The Ain River, the Ain department… which came first, the chicken or the egg? It is indeed the river that plays the older sister. We often hear that its name comes from the Arabic aïn (source) following the Saracen occupation of the region . Well, believe it or not, that’s a myth! Its name actually derives from a pre-Celtic (Inn) or Latin (Indis / Idanus) root, long before the Saracens arrived.
For the record, the names of our departments emerged following the French Revolution. After the end of the monarchy, there was a need to clean up the map of France and erase the names of kingdoms and duchies. Starting in 1790, the French departments gradually came into being. A department named after a river—a coincidence? Not really… France has 101 departments, 83 of which are named after a river, a stream, or a mountain. Give it a try, and you’ll see that you can easily spot about ten of them!
Practical Information
📍 Location: Île Chambod, 2947 route du Port, 01250 Hautecourt-Romanèche
📅 Season with admission fees and supervised beach: May 23 to August 31, 2026
🎟️ Prices
Low Season: Ages 3–12: €2.50 | Adults (12 and older): €5
High Season (July 14 to August 15): Ages 3–12: €3.50 | Adults (12 and older): €6
September 1, 2026, to May 21, 2027 – Open daily with free admission
