Located on the western slope of the Aravis mountain range not far from Mont Blanc, Annecy Lake and Switzerland, Le Grand-Bornand is a summer and winter resort which developed around an old village.

The hamlet of Chinaillon to the north east of Le Grand-Bornand is the main ski centre.

Nearby villages include Manigod, Thônes, La Clusaz, Saint-Jean-de-Sixt and the larger Chamonix and Annecy.

Researcher toponymist and Ph.D. graduate of the Sorbonne, Jérémie Delorme, has listed, photographed and described, about 3 000 place names in the commune.

Le Grand-Bornand has been the start town for three stages of the Tour de France, in 1995, 1999 and 2007.