A 15th-Century Château Near Geneva Lists at €7.9 Million

If you follow the Geneva market closely, you know how little actually changes hands — and how rarely historic estates of real scale appear just beyond the Swiss border with clarity around what can, and cannot, be done. That context matters when Château de Buffavent quietly comes to market at €7,900,000, listed with Evian Sotheby’s International Realty.

The château is located in Lully, in France’s Chablais region, about 35 km (22 miles) from Geneva and within easy reach of Lake Geneva. While firmly on French soil, it sits within Geneva’s economic and residential orbit — a cross-border dynamic that continues to shape demand in this part of Haute-Savoie.

Built in the 15th century by the Lords of Langin, Buffavent is a fortified noble residence emblematic of Savoyard heritage. Its form is defined by four towers — one reconstructed in the 19th century — and by its elevated position on a natural terrace overlooking the estate. Listed on France’s Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments since 1944, the château remains protected while retaining its architectural integrity.

The estate spans approximately 10 hectares (24.7 acres), an unusually large holding this close to Geneva. The grounds are organised for estate living rather than left symbolic: landscaped gardens, an arboretum, a deer park, and multiple sports facilities, including tennis and multi-use courts.

Crucially, this is not an early-stage restoration.

Major structural works were undertaken in the 2010s, and around 75 percent of the renovation is complete. Core systems are already in place — elevator, underfloor heating, air-conditioning and ventilation, electrical infrastructure, as well as new windows and doors. Bathrooms have been installed, interior layouts are defined, and a substantial inventory of finishing materials, from parquet and stone to lighting and sanitary fittings, is included and stored on site.

What remains is largely a matter of finishes and final architectural decisions, rather than structural intervention or systems planning — a distinction that materially reduces execution risk.

Inside, the château offers approximately 1,204 m² (12,960 ft²) of interior space, currently arranged across fourteen bedrooms, several salons, and reception rooms, with scope to create additional accommodation.

A former farm building serves as a substantial annex. Structural works and a new framework have been completed, leaving flexibility for further residential, guest, or operational uses. Exterior works across the grounds are largely advanced, with final detailing — including lighting, fencing, and sports installations — still to be completed.

Most notably, a recent change of use authorization now permits hospitality and restaurant activity. For a Monument Historique château in this cross-border zone, that approval introduces rare optionality. While the estate can remain a private residence, it is now positioned for adaptive reuse as a boutique hotel, event venue, or hybrid model aligned with Geneva’s international business and diplomatic ecosystem.

Within the Chablais, day-to-day life is well supported. Thonon-les-Bains and Évian-les-Bains are close by, offering lakeside promenades, cafés, and rail connections along the Léman corridor. Geneva Airport is approximately 45 minutes by car, traffic permitting.

Château de Buffavent occupies a narrow segment of the market. Neither a turnkey trophy nor a speculative ruin, it is a late-stage historic asset where the most complex work — structural, regulatory, and strategic — has already been addressed. For buyers who understand the Geneva basin and its constraints, that combination is quietly compelling.

All photos courtesy of the listing agency.