Château de Menthon-St-Bernard

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Twenty-three generations of the De Menthon family have lived within 1000-year-old Château de Menthon-St-Bernard. The birthplace of St Bernard in 1008 – and supposedly one of the inspirations for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle – the château clings to a forested hillside, 12km south of Annecy. Tours of the medieval interior take in tapestry-adorned salons and a magnificent library, stacked with more than 12,000 volumes dating to before the Revolution. But it’s the sparkling Lac d'Annecy panorama that leaves many visitors speechless.

At weekends, tour guides in costume add atmosphere (and entertain the kids).

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