Er, where?
Megève is in the south-east of France, near the Italian and Swiss borders, and emerged as a popular ski destination for the rich and famous in the 1920s. While the resort is still favoured by the affluent – it even has its own airport – a holiday here isn’t prohibitively expensive. Despite the relative size of both the town and the skiable area, it retains an old-fashioned charm and “hidden gem” status. The journey by car from Geneva airport takes a little over an hour: Ouibus regular transfers cost around €50.
Why try it?
For those who hate crowded pistes and lift-queue scrums, this is the place. On sunny weekends there’s an influx from Geneva, and school holidays can see the place packed out, but at all other times Megève is incredibly quiet. Most of the lifts could do with an upgrade, but there’s still no bottlenecking to speak of, and there’s bags of space on the pistes. Skiers with the patience to deal with slow, awkward connections have a wide immense range of runs to try. There are stunning views of Mont Blanc to enjoy from the slopes before heading back to the cobbled streets of the resort’s medieval centre.
Mountain lowdown
The area is suitable for all levels of skier or snowboarder. The Portes du Mont Blanc pass (two days from €67) provides access to roughly 100km of pistes, and an upgrade to the Evasion Mont Blanc pass (one day from €46) increases this to over 400km. Those who like exploring can head to a different zone each day and find something new: just be aware that some can only be accessed via drag lifts. Serious freeriders head to nearby Chamonix after a snowfall, leaving quieter slopes more for the rest of us in Megève.
On a powder day, fresh tracks can be found late into the afternoon without too much difficulty. Sadly, that has not been an option yet this winter – there has been only one major snowfall in the past few weeks – but at least the pistes are always well-groomed. The freestyle options are skewed towards beginners and intermediates, so it’s a great place to master the basics. There’s also a halfpipe, as well as an air-bag jump for consequence-free fun.
And apart from skiing?
Plenty to choose from: off-hill options include ice skating, tennis, climbing, swimming and bowling. The town’s multitude of shops are worth a look, although most cater to those with expensive tastes. One-off events include the Megève International Jazz Festival, which runs from 30 March to 2 April and lists Macy Gray among the confirmed acts. Then, from 8-9 April, the town will play host to an international dance festival, the DanceSport Open.
Après any good?
Megève has historically shunned the kind of post-skiing knees-ups enjoyed by other resorts, but there are plenty of good places in town to stop for a drink on the way back from the pistes. For those in need of immediate libation, the area now has La Folie Douce at the top of the Mont Joux lift, hosting après ski parties every afternoon, although those have never been to everyone’s taste. In Megève itself, the casino and the famous Cinq Rues jazz bar are popular late-night attractions.
Where do I eat?
The area has several fine restaurants. A good option is to ski the secluded Cote 2000 area in the morning, then have lunch in the eponymous restaurant at the foot of the Radaz lift. The fondue is excellent, as is the blueberry tart (a local speciality). Down in the town, good eating is easy to come by; both Flocons de Sel and 1920 have been awarded multiple Michelin stars. For something more affordable and family-friendly, try Deli’s Corner for pizza and pasta, or the Sel au Sucre takeaway.
Where do I stay?
As with the food, if money’s no object, Megève has plenty of options, but it’s not all five-star hotels and luxury chalets. The larger tour operators don’t have much of a presence, but Megève specialist Stanford Skiing runs several chalets and self-catered apartments at reasonable prices. The resort covers a large area, so check how far away the lifts are before booking.
The nitty gritty
445km of pistes, 2 cable cars, 7 gondolas, 27 chair lifts, 39 draglifts. Highest point 2,353m
Good for Quiet pistes; food; jazz
Limitations Slow lifts; lowish mountains
Costs Lift pass adult £231, child £185, for six days
Beer €6
• Green runs 35 | • Blue runs 53 | • Red runs 71 | • Black runs 24
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