Annecy from the Petit-Bornand campsite: about 50 minutes away (Glières-Val-de-Borne)

Annecy is the nearest big town to the campsite, about 50 minutes by road. There are two routes: via Bonneville and the motorway, or via Thônes and the valley, which lets you stop at the Morette site. Route planners give different distances depending on the road taken, so we prefer to give a time. In July and August, allow longer because of traffic around the lake.

The old town and the Palais de l'Isle

The heart of Annecy is its old town and canals. The Palais de l'Isle, built in the 12th century on an islet in the Thiou, long served as a prison; it is the town's most famous sight. Allow half a day to wander the pedestrian streets, then head for the lakeside, with its beaches and promenades.

Markets

The old-town markets are held on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. They complement the valley's own: Le Petit-Bornand on Sundays, Le Grand-Bornand on Wednesdays and Thônes on Saturdays.

The Retour des Alpages

Every autumn Annecy celebrates the herds coming down from the pastures with the Retour des Alpages, a big Savoyard festival in the streets of the old town. In 2026 it took place on Saturday 10 October. Check the year's date on the Lake Annecy tourist office website.

Morette, on the way

Via Thônes, the road passes close to the Morette site in La Balme-de-Thuy: the Glières national cemetery and the departmental museum of the Haute-Savoie Resistance. It is a chance to link a day in Annecy with the history of the Glières plateau, above the campsite.

Why stay in Le Petit-Bornand?

At the campsite you are in peace, by the Borne river, about 50 minutes from the lake: an ideal base to alternate days in town with mountain hikes starting right from the campsite.