Historical

Thonon-les-Bains’ railway station is a symbol of the town’s past and present. It is essential to the town’s economy and tourism as one of the main ways to reach the capital of the Chablais area.

Jules-François-Louis Levé bought the land and demolished the farmhouse in 1926 before building his château in 1930. He added a pigeon loft to the property in 1943.

Château de Sonnaz was built in 1666 on the ruins of Thonon’s medieval château. It belonged to the Gerbaix de Sonnaz, one of Savoie’s oldest families. It now houses the Musée du Chablais and Thonon-les-Bains Tourist Office.

One of Haute-Savoie’s historic, cultural and tourist landmarks that is also renowned for its wines, Ripaille is located in Thonon-les-Bains and is one of the largest and most stunning natural sites on the shores of Lake Geneva.

The Rives area appeared in the 14th century during which time the Tour des Langues, towering over the fishing village, was also built. Butchers came to pay the lord their taxes in beef tongue.

You can see Château de Rives and Château de Montjoux from the town’s esplanades. They are some of the few remaining buildings from the Middle Ages still standing in Chablais.

This Tuscan order building first housed a convent in the 17th century, then a hospital in the 19th century and now houses the courts.

The first "town house" was accidentally burnt down in 1815 by the Sardinian soldiers living in it. Fifteen years later the new town hall was built by the Sardinian Mazzone.

The Château de Bellegarde and its square tower are still standing as Thonon’s ancient ring-walls. They protected the Porte des Lombards and entry to Thonon itself.

Thonon’s 19th Century hillside railway, Constructed in 1888, ‘Le Funiculaire’ was moved by a counter-weighting system using 11 tons of water. Today, it still links the port to the town centre, but since 1990, it has been powered by electricity.