Haute-Savoie: Ski or Ride The Mighty Mont Blanc - The Haute-Savoie borders Switzerland to the north and Italy to the east. The region is home to two world-famous landmarks: Mont Blanc and Lake Annecy. Scattered throughout the Haute-Savoie are 43 ski resorts, most notably Chamonix, Avoriaz, Morzine, Les Gets, Morillon, Flaine, Samoens,...
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Haute-Savoie: Ski or Ride The Mighty Mont Blanc -
The Haute-Savoie borders Switzerland to the north and Italy to the east. The region is home to two world-famous landmarks: Mont Blanc and Lake Annecy. Scattered throughout the Haute-Savoie are 43 ski resorts, most notably Chamonix, Avoriaz, Morzine, Les Gets, Morillon, Flaine, Samoens, Megeve, and Saint-Gervais.
The lively alpine town of Chamonix lies at the foot of Mont Blanc - the highest mountain in the Alps. The town's cable cars and cog railways transport skiers up to a wide variety of terrain with gentle family runs, cross-country pistes, extreme snowparks, and glacier freeriding. Chamonix is a large mountain resort with attractive boutiques, an Olympic-sized ice-rink, fitness and spa, indoor climbing wall, and cinema complex.
The resorts of Morzine, Avoriaz, and Les Gets belong to the Portes du Soleil - the largest interlinked ski area in the world - with its 650 kilometres of slopes. Morzine is known for its panoramic views, modern lifts, and good variety of hotels and restaurants. The car-free Avoriaz is a purpose-built resort surrounded by many slopes ranging from green to black. Les Gets' local area mainly consists of blue and red runs and there is an area known as ‘The Bowl' to which numerous runs and lifts feed into. Its town centre offers plenty of après ski and children's entertainment.
The Grand Massif ski area lies in the heart of the Haute-Savoie, featuring the resorts of Morillon, Flaine, and Samoens. While Morillon and Samoens are charming Alpine villages, Flaine is a more contemporary resort. Le Grand Massif is home to 265 kilometres of downhill skiing and two snowparks. Other winter activities on offer here include snow trekking, ice climbing, and dogsledding.
Megeve and Saint Gervais belong to the Domaine Evasion Mont Blanc ski area, which offers 445 kilometres of interlinked slopes and 111 lifts. Skiers and snowboarders of all levels are well catered for here, with 219 slopes in total: 34 black, 82 red, 65 blue, and 38 green. The region reaches a skiable height of 2350 metres and there is also 95 kilometres of cross-country skiing trails. Both Megeve and Saint Gervais are pretty towns with traditional rustic buildings and a rich heritage.
The Haute-Savoie is home to a huge number of outstanding buildings, towns, villages, and sights of interest. The countryside ranges from mountain peaks and passes to lakes, waterfalls, and valleys. The area is scattered with typical Savoyard villages and ancient abbeys. A visit to the Haute-Savoie is not complete without tasting one or more of its delicious cheese dishes - Savoyard fondue, raclette, and tartiflette.
Most of the resorts in the region offer a wide choice of accommodation, with bed and breakfasts, residences, self-catering chalets, mountain huts, and hotels. The nearest major airports to the Haute-Savoie are Lyon and Geneva. Smaller airports include Grenoble and Chambery. The area is also easily accessible by train; the stations of Annecy and Annemasse are serviced by the TGV. From Lyon, driving on the express way takes approximately two hours to Annecy.
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