Morzine – a real alpine town with lifts to Avoriaz and Les Gets

Morzine is unusual among the big French ski resorts: it is a real village. While many resorts were built for skiing in the 1960s, Morzine has existed for centuries, with old Savoyard wooden houses, a church in the middle of the village and the river Dranse flowing through the valley. People live here all year round, and you notice it in the restaurants, the shops and the atmosphere in the evening.

At the same time, Morzine lies in the middle of Portes du Soleil, one of the largest ski areas in the world. Gondolas go from the village in two directions – towards Les Gets and towards Avoriaz – so you can stay in town and still have hundreds of kilometres of pistes within reach.

How does Morzine connect?

• The Pleney gondola goes from the centre up towards the Les Gets side, with pistes around Pleney, Nyon and Chamossière.
• The Super Morzine gondola takes you towards Avoriaz and on towards Switzerland.
• The cable car from Les Prodains a little outside the village goes straight up to Avoriaz.

Everything is part of Portes du Soleil, with 580 kilometres of slopes and 163 lifts:

Difficulty	Kilometres	Share
Blue	310 km	54 %
Red	210 km	36 %
Black	60 km	10 %

For a family week, the area between Morzine and Les Gets is usually enough. There are cheaper lift passes for just that part.

The snow – why you head upwards

Morzine sits at around 1,000 metres, and that is the village's weak point. In a mild winter there can be bare ground down in the valley while the skiing is good higher up. Then it is smart to take the gondola towards Avoriaz, which sits at 1,800 metres and has much more reliable snow. If you want your skis right outside the door all week, Avoriaz is the better choice for accommodation – but if you want village atmosphere, Morzine is hard to beat.

Morzine with kids

• Beginner areas up the mountain, reached by gondola – plan for the whole family to go up in the morning.
• Shuttle buses run between the parts of the village and the lifts.
• Ice rink in the village – a good afternoon when legs are tired.
• Lift passes: the pass for the whole Portes du Soleil costs more than the one for Morzine–Les Gets only, and the child pass costs less than the adult pass.

We go through how to plan the week with ski school and rest days in ski trips with children.

The rest day

• Ice skating on the village ice rink.
• The Aquariaz water park in Avoriaz, a gondola ride away.
• Walks in the village along the Dranse, with cafés and Savoyard restaurants. Fondue and tartiflette are part of it.
• Cook for yourselves: if you have your own kitchen, there is our weekly menu for the ski trip.

Getting to Morzine

• By air: land in Geneva – the drive takes about an hour and a quarter.
• By train: take the train to Thonon-les-Bains or Cluses and a bus or taxi up to Morzine. How to travel by train from Sweden is explained in train to the Alps.
• By car: the road from Geneva goes via Cluses and Les Gets. Winter tyres and snow chains are required.

Morzine, Les Gets or Avoriaz?

	Morzine	Les Gets	Avoriaz
Village altitude	1,000 m	1,170 m	1,800 m
Type of village	lively alpine town	compact family village	village without cars
Accommodation by the slopes	partly, mostly by bus	often near the lift	almost always
Best for	village atmosphere and evening life	young children and beginners	reliable snow and simplicity

We compare more French options – from Chamonix beneath Mont Blanc to the villages of La Clusaz – in France's ski trips, and tips for keeping costs down are in the budget guide.