Château de Ripaille

Meetings, congresses, seminars, gala evenings, sales events, general assemblies and weddings are held at Château de Ripaille, on the shore of Lake Geneva in Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie. Events use two levels of the Pavillon Amédée VIII, the Salle des Ambassadeurs on the ground floor and the first-floor salons, together with part of the gardens. The Fondation Ripaille, which runs the estate, does not publish capacities online and confirms them for each project.

Seminars and company events

Companies hire the château for meetings, congresses, seminars, gala dinners, commercial operations and general assemblies. The programme can include a guided tour of the château, a tasting of the estate's wines and other entertainment arranged by the foundation. Many catering formats are possible, from a standing reception to a seated dinner, always through the caterers approved by the foundation. A car park in front of the château takes 100 vehicles.

Weddings and receptions

Weddings use the same two levels of the Pavillon Amédée, with access to part of the gardens for the cocktail. A floor plan, a virtual tour and a wedding brochure are available from the foundation. Guided tours and wine tastings can be added for guests. The fees from private hire contribute to the upkeep of the château and to the foundation's projects.

Rooms and capacities

The Salle des Ambassadeurs occupies the ground floor of the pavilion. Upstairs, two salons and a hall form a second level that can be used for dinner, dancing or a separate reception. The large garden extends the spaces outdoors in fine weather, and the château is open from February to early January in several periods, which frames the hire calendar.

Catering

Only caterers mandated by the Fondation Ripaille may work at the château, and the list is sent on request. The estate's own white wine, sold under the Château de Ripaille label, has often won medals, and wine is sold at the château from April to October.

History and setting

The site has been occupied since Antiquity. From the 13th century it was a hunting ground of the counts of Savoy, then a princely residence: Duke Amédée VIII built a castle with seven towers here in the 1430s before being elected pope as Felix V. A Carthusian monastery later held the estate. At the end of the 19th century, the industrialist Frédéric Engel-Gros restored the château and fitted it with Art Nouveau interiors, which survive and make Ripaille a rare record of life around 1900. The château is surrounded by 22 hectares of vines, between the Dent d'Oche and the lake, and the estate is the largest natural site left on the French shore of Lake Geneva.

Getting there

The château stands at 83 avenue de Ripaille, on the northern edge of Thonon-les-Bains. Thonon station, on the Léman Express network, is about 2 km away, and Geneva airport is about 45 minutes by road.