Samoëns

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In the heart of the Haut-Giffre valley, Samoëns combines Savoyard charm with big-mountain skiing. Classed as a “town of art and history”, this village is alive year-round between heritage, nature and sporting activities. In winter, it offers direct access to the Grand Massif and its 265km of slopes via a cable car. In summer, Samoëns becomes an ideal base camp for exploring the mountains on foot, by bike or by paraglider. Here, there’s no snow front, but a genuine lively town, with paved squares, craftspeople, a botanical garden and a lively atmosphere at 700m altitude. A four-season resort, Samoëns appeals to families, hikers and lovers of alpine heritage.

📌 Northern French Alps – Haute-Savoie

Samoëns

📏 Altitude: 700 m

🎿 Alpine skiing: 265 km

⛷️ Cross-country skiing: 42 km

🌟 Resort style: Village resort

💰 From 58.5 €/day (2026-2027)

25 green

67 blue

48 red

12 black

📅 Open 19 December 2026 to 11 April 2027

Overview of Samoëns

Samoens is one of the rare mountain villages classified for the richness of its architecture. The village, lively all year round, is organised around the Place du Gros Tilleul, the market halls, the church and the old houses. The influence of the stonemasons, the famous Frahans, can be seen in the sculpted facades. The resort centre is pedestrian and linked to the Saix plateau by the Grand Massif Express gondola. The residential districts spread out discreetly, between chalets, recent residences and traditional hamlets. Here, history is everywhere — but quietly integrated into daily life.

Our review — Samoëns

★★★★☆ 4.8/5

Ski area — key figures — Samoëns

🌟 Village resort (Haute-Savoie)
📏 700 m Village altitude (2480 m Top altitude)
🏨 23.452 tourist beds
🎿 152 runs

16.4%

44.1%

31.6%

7.9%

🚠 14 ski lifts

Power moment^*: 6284 km.sk/h (Large resort)

Average lift age: 17 years

Get directions to Samoëns

When to visit

Samoëns in summer

In summer, Samoens reveals itself in all its gentleness. Walkers explore trails to the Cirque du Fer-a-Cheval, the Rouget waterfall or the Lac de Gers. The alpine botanical garden of the Jaysinia, founded in 1906, is a hillside gem. Road cycling, mountain biking and white-water activities on the Giffre complete the offering. The village lives to the rhythm of markets, concerts and village fetes. A leisure base, paragliding, high pastures and mountain refuges make Samoens a genuine, accessible mountain destination — far from the crowds of the large resorts.

Samoëns in winter

In winter, Samoens gives access to the Grand Massif — one of the largest ski areas in the Alps. The Grand Massif Express links the centre to the Saix plateau in 8 minutes, where the runs begin. Skiers can then head to Morillon, Les Carroz, Flaine or Sixt. Cross-country skiers enjoy a 30 km trail network in the valley between Samoens and Morillon. Non-skiers are equally well catered for: snowshoeing, walking, an ice rink, dog sledding, concerts and wellness activities are all part of daily life. Samoens preserves a gentle winter animation — lively yet restful.

Skiing

Below are the 2 ski areas accessible from Samoëns: Le Grand Massif (alpin), Villages du Grand-Massif (Vill4ges) (alpin).

Ski area — Le Grand Massif

⛰️ Altitudes: 680 m – 2480 m
🎿 Alpine skiing: 265 km
💰 Day pass: 63 €

The Grand Massif is one of the largest linked ski areas in France, offering an immense 265 km of runs served by over 60 ski lifts. It connects five resorts with distinct characters: the modern and high-altitude Flaine, the family villages of Les Carroz d’Araches and Morillon, the authentic Samoens and the preserved Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval. Extending from 700 to 2,500 metres altitude, the ski area benefits from excellent snowfall, favoured by a predominantly north-facing aspect (80% of runs). It is also renowned for its exceptional panoramas, particularly the unbeatable view of Mont Blanc from the Flaine summits. The strength of the Grand Massif lies in the diversity of its sectors: Flaine is the highest point, offering wide blue runs, technical sectors and well-regarded freeride zones such as Corbalanche. Morillon and Les Carroz particularly appeal to families and progressing skiers, with forest runs like the long green Marvel run at Morillon and numerous fun areas. Samoens, linked via the Saix plateau (1,600 m) which serves as a hub, offers quick access to the entire ski area from a traditional village. The ski area’s iconic experience is the Cascades run — a 14 km blue run allowing a memorable descent from the summit of Flaine to the village of Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval through a magnificent nature reserve setting. Note that while this descent is ski-in ski-out, the return from Sixt to the rest of the Grand Massif is by shuttle.

Our full guide to Le Grand Massif

Ski area — Villages du Grand-Massif (Vill4ges)

⛰️ Altitudes: 680 m – 2480 m
🎿 Alpine skiing: 145 km
💰 Day pass: 58.5 €

If you wish to ski locally at a lower lift pass price, you can also choose the Villages pass — a pass allowing skiing in the lower sectors of the ski area, excluding Flaine: Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoens and Sixt.

Our full guide to Villages du Grand-Massif (Vill4ges)

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