Boating
Lake Geneva: how fast can I go and where can I anchor?
Lake Geneva has Franco-Swiss navigation regulations plus additional local rules. Around Geneva city in particular, speed, anchoring and watersports face tighter restrictions than on the open lake.
Locate Geneva’s restrictions precisely
- Geneva’s rules limit motorboats to 10 km/h within 300 m of shore. Outside that strip, the 30 km/h limit applies on the city side of the Port-Noir/SNG to Perle-du-Lac line, not across the entire lake.
- Anchoring is prohibited, among other places, in the harbour basin on the city side of the Pâquis and Jet d’eau jetties and in the 300 m shore strip on the city side of the Port-Noir/SNG to Perle-du-Lac line.
Waterskiing and crossing the border
- Waterskiing, wakeboarding and wakesurfing are allowed in daylight and clear visibility between 8 and 21. The 300 m shore strip and the Geneva city-side sector described above are closed except in specially reserved areas.
- For the French side, check the prefecture’s current RPP as well. Geneva’s guidance alone does not cover French harbours and special zones.