Is Megève A Good Ski Resort?
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Elegance in the French Alps: the Charm and Excitement of Skiing Megève
Megève, nestled in the French Alps, is a charming ski village renowned for its upscale ambiance. Established in the early 20th century as a winter sports destination, Megève has evolved into a luxurious retreat attracting international jet-setters. The village exudes Alpine splendor with its picturesque chalets, cobblestone streets, and medieval church.
The entrance to Megève’s pedestrian-only town center
Part of the expansive Mont Blanc massif, Megève offers over 400 kilometers of interconnected slopes to skiers and snowboarders. Beyond winter sports, the village entices visitors with high-end boutiques, Michelin-starred restaurants, and a vibrant après-ski scene. This gem of the Savoy Alps seamlessly combines natural beauty with cosmopolitan sophistication, making it a sought-after destination for both winter enthusiasts and those seeking a refined mountain getaway.
Quick Guide to Megève
Book your hotel or private chalet at least six months to a year in advance. We stayed at a private chalet outside of town - more on that later.
Lift passes cost about 60 EUR per day. They cover 225 slopes across the main Megève ski areas, Saint Gervais, Saint Nicolas de Véroce, Combloux, and Les Contamines.
Megève has a lively and diverse dining, après-ski, and nightlife scene. From Michelin-starred dining rooms to slopeside chalets, the food in Megève is incredible, and the après-ski and nightlife options are diverse.
Megève can be reached by Geneva Airport (GVA) in Switzerland. A rental car or hired transfer will complete the journey in a little under an hour and a half.
Ski season in Megève typically opens in early December and closes in mid-April, though these dates can vary depending on weather conditions and snowfall. Americans can take advantage of the long holiday weekends of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President’s Day to jet over to Europe for a quick ski break.
How We Decided on Megève
After a successful first ski holiday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, we were determined to turn our American ski holiday into an annual tradition. If you read my travel diary from that trip, you’ll recall that we didn’t love how Cortina’s slope access was located outside of the heart of the town; this shaped a key criteria for this trip - we wanted to find a ski resort situated in a charming Alpine village, with the convenience of in-town lift access to boot.
We also expanded the group of friends joining the trip, most flying in from New York City, which made close access to an international airport another important criteria. And somehow, in the way that decisions are made today, not explicitly, but rather through the flurry of back and forth text messages, each repeated option another vote in its favor, we had decided on the French Alps.
Traditional horse-drawn carriages abound throughout Megève
This combined criteria - the French Alps, close proximity to an international airport, and a quaint mountain village with in-town lift access - helped us to assemble a short list of potential destinations. They included Courcheval, Chamonix, and Mègeve. In the end, Courcheval was a little too far from Geneva Airport, while Chamonix was a little lacking in slopes for beginner skiers, leaving Megève as our final choice.
Where to Stay in Megève
Megève is home to an incredible concentration of luxury boutique hotels, as well as private ski chalet rentals further up the mountain. The best accommodations will depend upon the experience you’re seeking. Are you a solo-traveler, couple, or small group that’s happy to savor the town’s dining options each evening? Looking to be the first one on the in-town ski lifts in the morning? A hotel in the town center might be your best bet. Will you be traveling with a larger group, and you don’t mind taking a shuttle bus down to town each morning to catch the ski lift? Then a ski chalet further up the mountain might be your best option.
Hotels in Megève
Situated on the Place du Clocher in the center of Megève, Hôtel Mont-Blanc is an iconic four-star hotel frequented by avant-garde poet Jean Cocteau, who declared Megève the “21 arrondissement of Paris” due to its lively, mid-century social scene. Its decor is a scintillating mix of blonde Alpine wood, mid-century furniture, and bespoke ceramics. In addition to its restaurant, the property offers a tea room, champagne bar, and spa.
Offering a contemporary take on rustic chalet style decor, the hotel Cœur de Megève is located in the heart of the town’s pedestrian district, a stone’s throw from ski lifts. The property provides two exception après-ski spots, in its fireplace lounge or the outdoor covered terrace. Its spa offers an impressive menu of face and body rituals enhanced with Tata Harper’s exclusive organic treatments.
Cœur de Megève
A rustic-chic hotel centrally located in the center of town, Cœur de Megève boasts a cozy lounge, restaurant, and cocktail bar, as well as a hotel spa.
The five-star Grand Hôtel Soleil d'Or is a gourmand’s dream, with an in-house chocolaterie and restaurant, as well as a rooftop bar offering unrivaled views of the valley and surrounding mountains. Its decor sparingly borrows from the traditions of Alpine chic, with minimal nods to blonde pine wood in exposed beams or wall details. Moreover, its three in-town chalets combine the privacy of a mountainside rental with the convenience of an in-town location and on-call service.
Those who prefer a ski-in, ski-out experience will gravitate towards the Four Seasons Hotel Megève, located at the base of the Mont d’Arbois mountain, with access to more than a hundred groomed pistes. The property also has an on-site ski concierge to answer questions and offer local insights to guests planning their ski days, while their ski valet transports skis and equipment directly to the lift. Their spa is also a highlight - I skipped out on our third day of skiing and instead had a spa day at the Four Seasons since it was close to our chalet. Everything was top, from the service, to the food, and of course the massage.
Ski Chalets in Megève
Opting for accommodations in private ski chalets is very popular in France, but the experience can differ drastically depending on the level of catering or service required. Catered ski chalets include staff that will prepare breakfast, afternoon tea and snacks, and dinner, and are a fantastic option for groups focused on maximizing their ski time and not terribly excited by the prospect of dining in town each evening.
Our ski chalet in Megève, France
Catered Ski Chalets in Megève
Catered ski chalets are especially popular where chalets have ski-in, ski-out access. While this isn’t the norm in Megève, several providers still offer catered ski chalets. Online directories like Chalet Owners offers catered and self-catered ski chalet listings, while the local hospitality group behind Les Fermes de Marie and Hôtel Mont-Blanc offers a selection of catered ski chalets via Les Chalet des Fermes.
Self-Catered Ski Chalets in Megève
When our confirmed group size reached six people, we began to look into renting a private ski chalet so that the whole group could lodge together. It was cost-effective for the group and provided us with a communal space to foster a more intimate and flexible experience. This also made it easier to add or subtract participants as the departure date approached.
We booked our chalet through Airbnb, which meant that we would be self-catering. On our first afternoon in town, we made a pilgrimage to the Carrefour grocery store in town to buy paper products for the kitchen and bathrooms, as well as wine, liquor and food. We had dinner reservations in town each night of our stay, and most of us ate lunch on the slopes or in town, so the only meal we prepared at the chalet was breakfast. We also bought snack food like cheese and crackers to accompany evenings after dinner sipping wine by the fire.
Charcuterie and wine in front of the fire
Overall, I really loved the communal aspect of staying in a ski chalet. Staying up late, sipping on wine in front of the fire and trading stories about our days - this was one of the most magical parts of the trip. In the end, we were a group of eight, and our chalet had plenty of room to accommodate everyone.
How to Get Around Megève
If your Megève lodgings are decided by the type of experience you want to have, then how your navigation method will depend largely on your lodgings. Those staying at a hotel in town will not have much need for a car since lift access is located in the center of town, as are most restaurants and shops. The only transport necessary would be a hired car to and from the airport. Those staying in a ski chalet, however, will certainly benefit from a rental car.
Waiting on taxis was the only downside to our time in Megève
Yes, Megève provides a free bus to shuttle guests up and down the mountain, and there are taxi services in town, but our experience relying on these two forms of transportation left something to be desired. Our visit was during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in mid-January, technically off-season for Megève, and we felt as though we were playing roulette every time we phoned a taxi service. Even in town, it was difficult to hail a taxi as most were already en route to their next fare. The lack of ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft exacerbated the problem. If you’re going to rely on taxis or car services, book them in advance for planned outings like dinners and spa visits.
Where to Ski in Megève
Megève has three main ski areas, Le Jaillet, Rochebrune, and Mont d'Arbois. Le Jaillet sits north of town and is accessed via a gondola on the outskirts of town. This one is not quite in walking distance with skis, so a quick ride on the town’s shuttle is required. It’s a mix of beginner blue runs and a few intermediate red runs.
The other two areas, Rochebrune and Mont d'Arbois, are accessible via the Chamois gondola (“Télécabine du Chamois”) in the heart of Megève. This deposits you at the Caboche ski lift, a meeting point from which you can head southwest, toward Rochebrune, or northeast, toward Mont d’Abrois. This was our group’s daily point of departure, though Rochebrune and Mont d’Arbois are also accessible by shuttle bus for those not staying in town.
Atop Rochebrune sits the Cote 2000, its highest point at 2,000 meters and one of the most reliable snow sectors in the entire resort. The frequency of challenging intermediate red and advancded black runs increases farther up Rochebrune towards the Cote 2,000 apex.
Top of a run on Mont d’Arbois
Mont d’Arbois can be reached from the Caboche ski lift via a horizontal cable car that also connects to Rochebrune. Its ski area is the largest and comprised mostly of picturesque, tree-lined runs that are easy to navigate. Farther up the mountain sits the legendary La Folie Douce, an exuberant après-ski spot famed for its DJ sets and bottle sparklers. A couple members of our group explored that far up the mountain, but alas, the snowstorm that pummeled Megève during our second day also shut down La Folie Douce. This section of Mont d’Arbois has longer intermediate red runs, with its highest point, Mont Jolly, sitting at 2,350 meters.
Where to Dine and Après-Ski in Megève
On our first day of skiing we enjoyed lunch on the slopes at Chalet Le Forestier de Rochebrune. Brainchild of chef Emmanuel Renaut, the chalet served croûte au fromage, venison bolognese, and chestnut-sweet Mont Blancs for dessert. Renaut’s in town ode to Savoyard cuisine, Flocons de Sel, has three Michelin stars and is considered the vanguard of culinary excellence in Megève.
Truffle fondue and French onion soup at Le Hibou Blanc
Coming down the mountain after a day of skiing, we warmed up with truffle fondue and vert chaud on the covered patio of Le Hibou Blanc. The vert chaud is one of those European après-ski cocktails that are a must-try, a combination of hot chocolate and green chartreuse, hints of herbaceous mint and chocolate under a whipped cream dome.
Faux fur and neon for everyone!
Our first dinner in town was at La Ferme Saint-Amour, a notorious restaurant-bar-club that slowly transforms from its first dinner seating from a stylish eatery with background music and live singers into a more boisterous bar and club atmosphere. The service left something to be desired (‘What is a, uh, dirty martini?”) but we enjoyed our meal and the neon-hued kitsch.
Yes, I will go bowling and yes, I will take it a little too seriously
The next night, we went to Cosa Papa for pizza and wine, followed by a game of bowling in their adjacent, in-house bowling alley. This was probably my favorite dinner, a simple but delicious meal and a great after-dinner event. It was a Sunday night, so we weren’t expecting to get too wild beyond the champagne we sipped while throwing strikes and spares, but when we piled into the street to catch our taxis, the club across the street caught our eye. (Well, it caught half of our group’s attention. The other half dutifully piled into the taxis and called it a night.)
Serendipity will sometime lead you places proper planning can’t. That’s the only way to describe our night at Chacha. It was well past ten o’clock in the evening when we arrived, and any vestiges of bar snack or après-ski were already gone. The DJ had us in the palm of his hand - this man simply did. not. miss. We danced for hours, and it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had on a ski trip.
A rustic lil’ mirror selfie at Indie Mountain
I’ll pause here and shout-out our other nightlife standby, Indie Mountain, which we frequented multiple times during our stay. The downstairs bar offered a chill after-dinner experience with good music and strong cocktails. A couple of us temporarily dipped out to try the neighboring Cocoon Club, but it was recalling college dive bar flashbacks, so we quickly returned to the warm embrace of Indie Mountain.
I’m a sucker for a good neon sign.
On our last night in town, we dined at Le Tigrr, an Asian fusion restaurant in the center of town. The decor was striking, with black walls and colorful paper lanterns, but throughout the meal I felt as though the magic of the restaurant began and ended with its presentation. All style, no substance. The food and cocktails were fine. The peking duck gave us a good laugh. But it wasn’t an experience I would recommend as Megève has plenty of other dining options.