Arboretum de Ripaille

Thonon-les-Bains, France, France

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Arboretum de Ripaille is a 53-hectare arboretum and forest located beside Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in Thonon-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France, on the grounds of the historic Château de Ripaille.

The site was originally the medieval hunting grounds of the Counts and Dukes of Savoy, now enclosed by high walls with wide tree-lined alleys, and contains an ancient 53-hectare oak grove of old rouvre oak trees that is emblematic of the domain. Between 1930–1934, Andrew (André) Engel created the arboretum sylvetum by planting 58 species of trees from around the world across 19 hectares to test how they would adapt to the regional climate.

The forest is protected by an enclosure wall and maintains rich biodiversity including roe deer, herons, and many nesting birds, recognized by the European ZICO label. It has been designated an Important Animal Conservation Zone and, since 2012, is recognized by UNESCO as a geosite of the Chablais Geopark. The site also houses the Mémorial National des Justes de France, inaugurated in 1997 in honor of those who saved lives during World War II.

Open daily except Monday (closed in December), entry is free with signposted trails (a short blue route and a longer red route that goes to the memorial and offers a superb lake view), and visits take 1–2 hours. The forest is currently closed due to storms, though the arboretum remains accessible via marked itineraries from the forest house at 10 Chemin de la Forêt, 74200 Thonon-les-Bains.