The ski resort of Megeve is located in the French Alps, in the Haute Savoie department of the Rhone-Alpes region, near Switzerland and Italy. With the Mont Blanc in full view, at an altitude of 4807 meters, the medieval town of Megève offers charm and elegance to match even the most prestigious of resorts. Its narrow cobbled streets, boutiques and fine architecture give Megeve a very picturesque look. When snow falls in this fairly low lying resort it is transformed into a fairy tale town with horse drawn sleighs running through the streets. Ever since its creation in the early twentieth century, Megeve has been an upmarket resort attracting numerous skiers and celebrities every ski season.
The ski domain in Megève
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Location
Access
By plane: Megeve is one hour’s drive (70km) from Geneva airport. Public shuttle Geneva-Megeve by Aeroski Bus in winter 3 times a day. Megeve is surrounded by numerous other airports:
- 180 km from Lyon St Exupery airport
- 120 km from Grenoble airport
- 90 km from Chambéry airport
Skiing in Megeve
Megève’s own ski area has an extensive terrain of 300 km of marked trails and 81 integrated lifts accommodating skiers and boarders of all levels. The resort lies at an altitude of 1000 metres with the highest slopes reaching 2300 metres. What’s more, it links the slopes of neighbouring towns such as Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Combloux, Les Contamines, St. Nicolas de Véroce and la Giettaz. Megeve is also a great place for beginners to develop their skills; there are sunny nursery slopes set aside for beginners and many gentle green slopes around the resort. In addition, there is a ski school that offers excellent tuition with English speaking instructors. Intermediate skiers will thrive in Megeve with a wide range of ski pistes and tree-lined slopes offering stunning views on the beautiful alpine scenery. The ‘Mont d’Arbois’ area is famous for its challenging reds withthe ‘Mont Joly’ perfect for higher runs. The ‘Mont Joux’ provides advanced skiers with the steepest runs in Megeve, as well as some excellent off piste. For skiers that fancy a change of scenery, Chamonix offers some of the best advanced skiing in the Alps and is only a half hours drive away from Megeve. In terms of snowboarding, Megeve provides first time boarders easy beginner trails. The more experienced will find the ‘Mont Joux’ terrain park and boarder cross at Rochebrune very challenging, and can also experience the free ride terrain in the ‘Mont Joux’ area.
Megeve in summer
Thereare plenty of things to do in and around Megeve in the summer time such as visiting the man-made beach and swimming in the lake at Combloux or hitting the water slides in the town’s outdoor pool (or the indoor pool if the weather doesn’t permit it). Other activities include following the paths and trails in the foothills and mountains or trying out the Summer Luge (great for kids and adults alike) at Jaillet. For those who fancy a day trip, a scenic drive round to Chamonix would be ideal, and it is well worth getting the cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi to enjoy breathtaking views. There’s also mountain biking, white water rafting, fishing, golfing, tennis, horse riding, hot air ballooning and even a flight over the Mont Blanc.
Other activities in Megeve
Holidays in Megeve are enjoyable for both skiers and those who avoid the slopes as there is much to keep them entertained. The ski resort offers activities such as walking trails, an indoor and an outdoor skating rink, a sport and fitness centre, an indoor climbing wall, a bowling alley and a swimming pool. In terms of rates to access the Sports Center, adults are charged €4.60 for skating and swimming. For children, the entrance fee is €3.60. Tennis courts can be reserved and cost €13 per court/hour or €60 for six coupons which represent six hours of court time. Other recreational activities include dog sledging, snowshoeing and paragliding. The last two are available through the ‘Compagnie des Guides’, paragliding for instance costs €65. For even more thrills, Megeve offers sightseeing airplane flights over the Mont Blanc for about €29 per person for a 10-minute flight and €116 for a 40-minute flight. There are also many fine shops in town that should satisfy keen shoppers and nightlife is lively with bars, discos and clubs.
Restaurants
Megeve has more than its fair share of fine restaurants, eight of which have Michelin stars. They all serve a wide variety of food from the traditional Savoyard raclette to international cuisine. An unusual restaurant serves superb food in a farmhouse atmosphere where diners enjoy their Michelin starred food while observing farm animals through a glass floor. It is, as expected, an expensive night out. Megeve also has excellent cafés and restaurants in the mountains above the town. Among the wide variety on offer in Megeve, ‘La Cintra’ is well worth a visit with its menu varying between 18-37 euros. For those who love gastronomy, ‘Flocons de Sel’ is a must as all Megeve agree that this one Michelin-starred restaurant is the best in town. The €65 lunch menu changes daily depending on the fresh produce available, and might include a millefeuille of green vegetables with chestnuts and wild mushrooms, warm crayfish from Lake Geneva, and chicken poached in hazelnut milk. If you fancy a Savoyard ‘fondue’, the ‘Brasserie Centrale’ won’t disappoint as it serves a mean fondue as well as pizzas.
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Megève. We have a large network of agents in the French Alps. All of them are registered French real estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: flat, chalet, gite or B&B we will do our best to find a property in the French Alps matching your requirements. To find out more about our selection of properties for sale in Megève do not hesitate to contact us.