Capital of Chablais, Thonon-les-Bains is a spa town pleasantly situated on the edge of the Lake Geneva. The upper town is a wonderful place for walkers, with its hilltop gardens which boast viewpoints of the lake and its religious heritage with the Saint-Hippolyte church and the Saint-François-de-Sales basilica. Situated in the Sonnaz castle, the Chablais museum is dedicated to arts and popular traditions. Below, the Rives district is a picturesque fishing village that is home to a fishing and lake heritage museum.
The city has grown significantly since the Second World War, from 13,000 inhabitants in 1946 to nearly 36,000 today.
Thermalism, tourism and tertiary activities explain this development, while agriculture and fishing were long the traditional activities of this fortified town in the duchy of Savoy (to which the town belonged from the eleventh century), which was said to be " the garden".
After a brief Swiss occupation in the 16th century, Thonon-les-Bains returned to Savoy until the French Revolution where it was included in the department of Mont-Blanc then in that of Leman. But it became Savoyard in 1814 before finally reintegrating France in 1860.
Its privileged geographical position, on a plateau adjoining the Alpine mountains, close to Switzerland, and its rich historical and natural heritage make Thonon-les-Bains a step of choice.
Two short videos you might enjoy!
Two short videos you might enjoy!
