Samoëns – the stonemasons' village where the gondola takes the children up to the snow

Samoëns is not a ski station built for tourists. It's a real village with a church, a market hall and a square called Place du Gros Tilleul after the old lime tree in the middle. Here you stay down in the valley among stone houses and old farmsteads, and the snow is 900 metres higher up. A gondola runs between the two, and it sets the rhythm for the whole week.

For a family who wants a village feel, a bakery on the corner and an evening stroll, Samoëns is one of the obvious candidates in the French Alps. If you want to step out onto the piste from your door, it's the wrong resort.

The stonemasons' village

Samoëns is known for its stonemasons, Frahans, who quarried limestone in the valley and travelled far to build. In 1659 they formed their own brotherhood, which cared for the sick and trained apprentices in a drawing school. They even had their own dialect, le mourmé, which outsiders couldn't understand. Their traces can be seen in the houses of the village and the surrounding hamlets, and in the church's choir windows, which feature the brotherhood's four patron saints.

For children the most tangible part is the square: the lime tree, the fountain and the La Grenette market hall, and a walk away to the Jaÿsinia botanical garden. It's a village to stroll around in the evening, when legs are tired and everyone wants something warm to drink.

Grand Massif Express – ten minutes to the snow

The Grand Massif Express gondola opened in 2003 and runs from the edge of the village at just under 700 metres up to Plateau des Saix, in other words Samoëns 1600. It's almost three kilometres long, climbs almost 900 metres and has eight-person cabins. The ride takes about ten minutes, and there are no stairs to climb on the way.

This is the children's route to ski school every morning, so plan your mornings around it:

• Stay near the station or near a bus stop. The free Giffre buses run in the valley, but with small children, ski boots and skis, every change is an ordeal.
• Vercland is for experienced skiers. The other gondola is a few kilometres up the valley and has ten-seater cabins. It's a good way to avoid the queues, but works best for skiers who can get down on their own.
• A pedestrian ticket for non-skiers. A parent who is only going up to sledge with a sibling buys a pedestrian ticket.

Samoëns 1600 – the children's home ground

Up on the plateau, everything the youngest need is in one place. The beginner area has a free magic carpet at Oratoire, where children who have never been on skis can start without a button lift. Once they've mastered that, four button lifts await – Pendant, Château, Babuches and Plateau – followed by the Damoiseaux and Demoiselles chairlifts.

On a green piste there's Septi Snake, a winding slalom course for children who have started to turn, and next to it are three small jumps for anyone who wants to try freestyle. There's also a dedicated beginner pass, Samoëns Débutant, valid on the easy lifts, which is plenty for the first few days.

Up on the plateau there are restaurants, toilets and free wifi, so you can stay all day without going down.

ESF and age limits

The ESF children's club Club Piou-Piou is at Samoëns 1600, fifty metres from the gondola's top station and right by the meeting point for group lessons. It has a covered magic carpet and big figures in the snow.

Age	Ski school	Lift passes
Under 3	No lessons and no drop-in childcare in the village	Free day pass at the ticket office
aged 3–5	Club Piou-Piou, for beginners or children with their first badges	Free day pass at the ticket office
6–7 years	Regular ESF group lessons by level	Free day pass at the ticket office
8–14 years	Group lessons, freeski for older children too	Reduced price

A session in the Piou-Piou club lasts two to two and a half hours, and part of the time is play and rest – especially for three-year-olds and on a cold day. Once the children can snowplough, they move out to the beginner area.

The most important thing to know: Samoëns has no drop-in childcare for small children, neither in the village nor at the ski schools. The tourist office has a list of babysitters. With a child under three, the parents will have to take turns on the slopes. Tips for making the week work anyway are in the first ski trip with children.

Lift passes – free for under-eights

Children under eight ski free in the Grand Massif, which is generous compared with most French resorts. But there's a catch: the free pass is valid one day at a time and is collected from the lift ticket office on showing ID. It can't be bought online in advance. Bring passports or ID cards every morning. Children aged eight to fourteen get a reduced price.

You choose between two areas. The pass for four villages covers about 145 kilometres, which is enough for families whose children ski blues. The pass for the whole Grand Massif gives you 265 kilometres and takes you up to Flaine, where the snow is often better late in the season. More ways to keep costs down are in the budget guide.

Sledging and days off skis

Samoëns is one of the few French resorts where a rest day doesn't feel like a lost day:

• Sledging at Samoëns 1600 – at the snow front, up by gondola on a pedestrian ticket.
• Col de Joux Plane at 1,700 metres – sledging with views of Mont Blanc, and the free ski bus goes there.
• Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval at 900 metres – a huge valley basin surrounded by cliffs, also with a free bus.
• Snowshoes and dog sledding – guided snowshoe tours and dog-sled rides can be booked in the village.
• Cross-country trails in the Haut-Giffre and up towards Joux Plane.

More ideas for days off the slopes are gathered in ski holiday without skiing.

How to get to Samoëns from Geneva

• By car: Samoëns is about 70 kilometres from Geneva airport, just over an hour. Take the A40 to the Cluses-Scionzier exit and follow the signs 20 kilometres up the valley. Winter rules apply in Haute-Savoie from 1 November to 31 March: the car must have four approved winter tyres, or carry snow chains or snow socks.
• Train and bus: take the train from the airport to Genève Cornavin and Léman Express line 3 towards Saint-Gervais. Get off in Cluses and take bus Y94 to Samoëns. There's also bus Y02 from Annemasse.
• Transfer: private transfers from Geneva go all the way to the door and save the most energy with small children.

If you want to go by train all the way, you'll find the plan in train to the Alps. If you're still choosing between car, train and plane, get help from getting to the ski resort.

Samoëns or Flaine?

Both are in the Grand Massif, but they're opposites. Flaine is a purpose-built ski station high up in a bowl, with accommodation by the slopes and more snow-sure skiing. Samoëns is the village down in the valley, with a church square and everyday life, where the slopes start with a gondola ride. Choose Flaine if skiing is everything. Choose Samoëns if you want the week to feel like a trip to France, not just to a piste.

Other family resorts near Geneva are Les Gets and Châtel in the Portes du Soleil. If you want to compare Samoëns with more family resorts, start with ski holiday in the Alps with children. When it's time to pack, keep the ski trip packing list handy.