A chic alpine paradise on Earth, Morzine, nestled in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, is the perfect place to get back to nature. With powdered snow, green pine trees at every turn and more fresh air than your polluted lungs are used to, you’ll never want to leave.
The terrain varies from the long, wide, tree-lined slopes of Morzine, to a snowpark in Les Gets, to the more challenging slopes of Mont Cherry and Chamossiere. Whilst many may consider the slopes of Avoriaz superior to Morzine, this doesn't make Morzine the poorer choice. Quite the opposite.
Morzine is a long-established alpine town, surrounded on all sides by tall mountains, and sitting directly below the popular resort of Avoriaz. Unlike Avoriaz, and many purpose-built French resorts, Morzine still holds an alpine charm. It has been operating as a ski resort since the first hotel was built in the 1920’s.
It provides access to the largest connected ski area in Europe, covering an amazing 650km of slopes catering for all skiing levels which can be accessed via one ski-pass.
In 1181, Morzine was a grange of Aulps Abbey, a Cistercian monastery 7 km away. In the Middle Ages, granges were agricultural centres from which the monks exploited their landscape and co-ordinated farming and industrial work. Today, Morzine retains much of it’s charm from origins as an authentic Chablais farming village.
It's a great town with great accommodation options, and heading up to Avoriaz everyday, if that's what you want to do, is no problem. If you’re not the active type, relax at the hotel beside a crackling fire with that book you’ve been meaning to get into for the last two years.
Morzine has hosted Tour de France stage finishes on several occasions, thanks in part to the proximity of the notoriously steep Col de Joux-Plane climb.
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