Morzine

Panorama of the Morzine Valley

Morzine is a traditional French alpine village of almost 3,000 inhabitants in Portes du Soleil, 90 km from Geneva international airport in Switzerland.

Get in

As there is no main rail link to Morzine from Geneva or Paris the most efficient way to travel is by road.

By plane

The nearest major airport is at Geneva (GVA ^IATA). Many low cost and European airline offer regular well priced flights from major EU hubs. You can continue either by hire car or an airport transfer service.

Car Hire: Many of the larger companies are based in and around Geneva Airport on both the French and Swiss sides. Be aware of Swiss road taxation badges (compulsory for all vehicle travelling on Swiss motorways). The Swiss car hire companies will have these included in the price but the French may not. Check before you reserve.

By train

The nearest train station is in Cluses, a 30 min drive away, around 35 km. Cluses Station is served by a TGV line and connections to France, Switzerland, the Eurostar and the rest of Europe are available here. A bus service runs from Cluses train station to Morzine.

There are also trains to Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva, with bus services to Morzine.

By car

The main access road is the A40 or ‘white motorway’.

Get around

By bus

There are free shuttle buses between the major ski-lifts at least in the winter and connections to nearby resorts. See Morznet.com

See

The local tourist office in the centre of the town has details of lots of things to see and do from cheese making to slate cutting to an adventure playground to the local ice hockey arena.

Most bars carry copies of the local magazine, Yodel, which publishes details of events in the area.

Do

Summer

A view of Morzine with the Pointe de Nyon in the background

Morzine and the surrounding region, including Les Gets, is an excellent place to go mountain biking, with loads of great trails, both easy ones and some scary downhill courses and, of course, ski lifts to take the effort out of getting to the top. Of particular interest is the Kona Bike Park in the nearby town of Les Gets. This is a custom constructed area with drops, berms and jump including plenty to challenge all but the bravest of cyclists.

• Morzine-mtb, 1100 Route de la Plagne, ☏ +33 661 61 29 88. Biking holiday services, offering bike rental, bike accessories, transportation and accommodation. (updated Nov 2017)
• Ride the Alps, ☏ +44 113 225 9946. (updated Nov 2017)

Winter

There are a number of places to hire skis, boards and other equipment. Skiset has a couple of branches close to the town centre.

There is an extensive ski lift system that enable an experienced skier to spend a good part of the day visiting new slopes. The beginners slopes are also excellent for children and adult learners.

Buy

• Local slate and pottery.
• Toy marmottes.
• Honey – but make sure you can import it to your home country.
• Chocolate.
• Local alcoholic speciality Génépi in fancy bottles.

Eat

There are lots of places to eat in the town centre, from pizza at Beanie's, bar food at Rhodos and gourmet meals at L'Etale.

If you stay in a hotel or catered chalet food will probably be provided. Traditional local food such as Tartiflette and Reblechon are well worth trying and will help fuel active days.

There is also a Supermarket in the town centre and a weekly market as well as a charcuterie, a patisserie and a specialist cheese stop which are all great if self-catering.

A local speciality is the Croix de Savoie patisserie, available from La Bonbonniere which also sells blackberry tarts and a range of chocolates.

An Alternative to eating out:

• Chalet Kitchen, ☏ +33 634382229, jana@chaletkitchen.com. 0600 to 1700. This company does home cooked food delivered direct to chalets around Morzine and Les Gets. (updated Aug 2018)

Drink

Being a skiing village, there are several places to get a drink at here are two safe bets where this author had his fill.

First, Bar Robinson. You will find the selection a little slim and the owners slightly perturbed by all of the Anglos, but they have Mützig – also the only beer on draught. Some locals claim that the beer has similar affects to hallucinogenic mushrooms, but this has neither been proven or disproven. The crowd varies in age. Be sure to get there early, because last orders are at 19:30 and they shut at 20:00.

For some action a little later into the evening and a generally younger crowd, heads to the Tibetan Café. Here you will find a relaxed atmosphere and the small space completely filled to the rafters with treasures from Asia. It is amazing to see some of the carved items that have, presumably, been brought to France, including entire doors with framing and all. Music will suit most, from Dolly Parton to U2 to Rocky Horror Picture Show, etc. There is no dance floor but plenty of seats if your legs are done from skiing or biking all day. If you must dance, there is a dance club adjacent to the Buddha.

Sleep

Like all ski resorts, Morzine is packed with chalets and other small units to rent. Prices can be very reasonable and present specially good value when shared with members of a group.

• Heyday Chalet, 458 Route de L'Élé, Montriond (on the Montriond side of Morzine), ☏ +33 786 209670, hello@heydaychalet.com. A four-storey property. (updated Dec 2021)
• The Lodge Morzine (The Lodge Morzine), 1100 Route de la Plagne, ☏ +33 450 79 47 34. Aparthotel in central Morzine offering half board and self catering accommodation.