Heritage and history
Entremont Abbey, Le Petit-Bornand church, the Plateau des Glières: the heritage of Glières-Val-de-Borne and its neighbours
Heritage within walking distance
Camping Les Marronniers is in Le Petit-Bornand, at the heart of Glières-Val-de-Borne. Within a few kilometres you will find the former Abbey of Entremont and its listed treasury, the church and presbytery of Le Petit-Bornand, hamlet chapels and, above the valley, the Plateau des Glières, a major site of the French Resistance.
Less than an hour's drive away, Le Grand-Bornand, Thônes, Thorens-Glières and Annecy round off the visit: a 19th-century Bornand farmhouse, the farmhouse Reblochon cooperative, the birthplace of Saint Francis de Sales, and an old town on the lake.
Focus: Entremont Abbey
The treasure of the Borne valley
Entremont church and former abbey
Step inside the church of Notre-Dame-de-Tous-les-Saints in Entremont. This former abbey church was the heart of an abbey of Augustinian canons: a priory around 1115, an abbey from 1154. The canons left in 1776, but the church kept a rare treasury. Its 12th-century reliquary shrine and 13th-century arm reliquary have been listed as historic objects since 1904, as has the Baroque high altar of 1685.
Guided tour
In summer (in 2026: 10 July to 21 September) and during European Heritage Days
Days and times: confirmed each season
Notre-Dame-de-Tous-les-Saints church, Entremont
Faucigny Glières Tourisme: +33 (0)4 50 97 38 37
Places to discover
Plateau des Glières
Resistance memorial site
At around 1,400-1,450 m, the plateau was held by the Glières maquis from January to March 1944. It is home to Émile Gilioli's National Monument to the Resistance, unveiled by André Malraux in 1973, and to the Espace Mémoire du maquis visitor centre.
Espace Mémoire open April to September, closed Mondays (according to the Department)
Le Grand-Bornand
Village and heritage farmhouse
Further up the Borne valley, Le Grand-Bornand has preserved a 19th-century Bornand farmhouse, now the Maison du Patrimoine heritage house.
All year; ask the tourist office for Maison du Patrimoine times
Thorens-Glières, birthplace of Saint Francis de Sales
Historic site
On the other side of the Plateau des Glières, Thorens-Glières has the ruins of the Château de Sales, where Saint Francis de Sales was born. He was parish priest of Le Petit-Bornand in 1597-1598. A chapel was built on the site in 1672.
Château de Thorens: check opening before you go
Wood and Forest Ecomuseum
Museum
On the Route de Montremont in Thônes, this ecomuseum is devoted to wood and forests. Visits run at set times.
Times vary by season
Annecy Old Town
Old town and lake
Annecy's old town, its canals and the Palais de l'Isle, a 12th-century building on an islet in the Thiou river that once served as a prison. If you drive via Thônes, the Morette site continues the story of Glières.
All year
Le Petit-Bornand church and presbytery
Religious heritage
The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation, medieval in origin, had Saint Francis de Sales as parish priest in 1597-1598. The presbytery, built in 1782 to plans by Vagnat, is a listed historic monument.
The presbytery is not open to visitors
Le Farto, Farmhouse Reblochon Cooperative
Food heritage
In Thônes, the shop of the Coopérative du Reblochon fermier sells farmhouse Reblochon AOP. The cooperative can be visited on some Saturdays.
Tours on Saturday mornings, April to October (2026); check shop hours
Seasonal events
Les Estivales du Borne
July-August
Concerts, workshops and treasure hunts in Entremont and Le Petit-Bornand, including "Le dernier combat de Tom Morel" and "L'encre secrète de Guillaume Fichet" (2026 tourist office programme).
Au Bonheur des Mômes Festival
18 to 22 July 2027
Live performance festival for young audiences in Le Grand-Bornand. Exceptionally held in July in 2027: dates to be reconfirmed in spring.
European Heritage Days
September
Guided tour of the former Entremont Abbey and exhibitions in the commune (19 September in 2026).
Valley markets
All year
Sunday mornings in Le Petit-Bornand (9am-1pm), Wednesday mornings in Le Grand-Bornand, Saturday mornings in Thônes.
Local makers and know-how
Ceramics
JFB Céramique, on the Route de l'Église next to the campsite: functional and decorative ceramics. Workshop visits by appointment.
Woodwork
Boissellerie Milhomme makes objects from local spruce: carvings, fountains, furniture.
Borne valley artists
The Société des artistes du Borne brings together painters, sculptors and photographers, and organises exhibitions.
Reblochon AOP
Le Petit-Bornand lies within the Reblochon AOP area. Farms in the commune, such as GAEC Le Pas du Loup, sell their cheeses.