Megeve or Chamonix

A snowHead

Hi All, coming up to the annual ski trip booking. We (my 21yo daughter) and I have been skiing the past 15 years, we drive from the UK (have all our own gear) and stay in apartments (AirBnB style) to save money.. Previous has been Les Men 3 Valleys *4, Alpe D'huez *3, Tignes, and we done a few all inc to Austria, Davos/Klosters last year..

This year we are looking for somewhere new, will be 2nd week of March.. Megeve has some affordable apartments and looks nice, but Chamonix also has decent places to stay. Chamonix looks a bit too spread out though, Busses needed etc.. although we don't mind a 15-20min bus journey if the bus stops are close by.

Any thoughts on both places for a self catering family? We can ski anything but prefer to stick to Reds and the odd Black..

ps if we did Chamonix we would look at a few days extra tuition and a guide for the Vallee Blanch..

A snowHead

eating out in Megeve probably pricier...

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Can I suggest you look at Saint Gervais, same ski area as Megeve , easy access to the slopes and a more realistic town to be in.

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@Jonny996, +1.

I love Chamonix, but it is spread out. The linked skiing across Megève and St Gervais is excellent - and still worth hiring a guide there to show you awesome offpiste.

And St Gervais is a nice little town, with plenty of food and drink options too.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Saint Gervais - thank you, taking a look..

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@kenloen whether you stay in Megève or St Gervais, definitely check out both Cote 2000, and Mont Joly, for excellent reds and blacks - and a good stretch of legs getting to either and back snowHead

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Well, they are somewhat different resorts despite being so close. As you say Chamonix is made up of several unconnected areas, and you need to try skiing there to see how much of a pain you find that. The biggest enthusiasts for Chamonix tend to be those targetting off-piste rather than red runs - but if you have a dream of doing the Vallee Blanche that is where to be.

Megeve is more of a standard ski resort, though again there are some separate areas. The majority is on the Rochebrune and Mont d'Arbois ridges, the two being linked by a cable car across the valley. There is also the Combloux area for which the gondola is separate from the other areas, but navette buses provide pretty easy links. The only thing is that Les Contamines (part of the same lift pass) is a pain to access from Megeve though with your own car you could plan to do so, it is well worth a day.

Those of us in St Gervais tend to think we have a better location than Megeve to access the same slopes, though to get to Combloux you need to ski down on the Megeve side to reach the navette stop. Les Contamines is a short drive up the road, or a bus ride. And the food is better priced (not that we have eaten out in Megeve town, but there is a clear difference in lunch on the mountain depending on whether you are on the StG or Megeve side of the Mont d'Arbois ridge).

After all it is free

@kenloen, I’d echo other comments about St Gervais (not really comparing oranges with oranges re Chamonix and Megeve). St G is a compact ‘proper’ town with some very nice bars and restaurants, a couple of supermarkets, local food shops etc., Easily reached from the motorway too. The skiing is excellent and varied, with stunning scenery. I wouldn’t hesitate to go again, summer or winter.

I can’t remember what they’re called, but there are some apartments at the base of the main gondola, but still less than 10 minutes flat walk into town. Somebody might be along soon, who can advise the name.

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Chamonix could be a lot of fun if you do like skiing off piste and can afford a bit of guiding.

Seems odd you have been to 3V and ADH multiple times, Tignes but never Paradiski.

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As you say the skiing in Chamonix is a bit strung out, but the town itself is fantastic and the skiing can be very good, albeit in smallish unlinked areas.

On balance I'd probably choose to stay in Megeve (or area) for the bulk of the trip as it is a bit more connected for when you just want to get on the slopes, but as you have a car you can have a day and evening or two in Chamonix if you get the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass, and a day at Les Contamines - one of my favourite spots in the area and rarely gets busy.

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@kenloen it sounds like Chamonix will suit your skiing tastes better, especially if you're looking for some guided off piste too. Megeve has lots of excellent skiing but doesn't particularly excel in its red / black runs (obviously there are some).

As mentioned above, you could consider staying in St Gervais, which usually has plenty of reasonably-priced accommodation. That would give you direct access to St Gervais / Megeve slopes, but also put you in easy reach of Chamonix / Les Contamines.

Have you not been to Italy? What about the Aosta Valley?

You know it makes sense.

I think once we found somewhere we like, we tend to go there repeated till were bored of the areas.. ADH and 3V was this.. but we now covered all runs multi times.. we would go back to Tignes but apartments have shot up in price this year (or we got lucky the year we visited)..

I guess that's why I'm here, to find recommended areas we not already been..

not so much off piste, in fact hardly ever, but if in Chamonix we would have to try the VB. We just complete as many red's, as much of the resorts we can, top to bottom, hardly any waiting around..

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

@kenloen, not sure I would go to Cham just to do the VB - iconic and fun as it is.

Not sure why Tignes apartment prices would have gone up more than anywhere else Puzzled

A snowHead

If you were in St Gervais it would be an easy day trip to do the VB if conditions were conducive. A fair bit of the accommodation in both St Gervais and Megeve is some way from "ski in/out". As much if it is, indeed, in Chamonix.

Second week in March would be a good week for any of them, because the French hols finish the end of the previous week. But for that reason it's not exactly a cheap week!

If you want plenty of piste skiing and quiet slopes - and markedly cheaper - you could head a few miles further up the valley past Megeve and go to Praz sur Arly.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Having spent the last three holidays in st G and returning again this year I would say its a no brainer to stay there, especially as you have your own car, its easy to drive to megeve if you dont want to ski over, also combloux and les contamines and if the conditions are right a short drive to do the VB, its only worth doing when the conditions are good and the last few years they havent been that often and if you are there for only a week you might get lucky but you might not, we have skied chamonix and its other areas further down the valley but unless you want to do the same runs many many times I wouldnt consider stay in Chamonix, the town is great but you can always visit for a day .
Accomdation will be much cheaper in StG that Megeve .

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Chamonix town would be much more fun, especially for a 21 year old, than Megeve, which is...fine, but I appreciate it more as a historic center of French skiing rather than a destination for a week long holiday. Although the pool/spa complex is great to soothe sore muscles.

I much prefer Les Contaminés and the St. Gervais side. And do not eat lunch on the mountain in Megeve without checking prices first...

Espace Mont-Blanc can easily occupy you for a week, especially if you add a tour of the VB. If you choose St. Gervais, with a car you can stay anywhere. There is plenty of parking at the main gondola (as well as at the far gondola in Les C.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I would be careful about saying that there is lots of parking at StG gondola.
They are building a new gondola house to accommodate the new gondola coming up from La fayet train station and for this season I think the parking will be reduced, hopefully it will be back by 2025

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@Jonny996, Thanks, good to know! I'll keep that in mind as we go to St. Gervais pretty regularly, depending on snow conditions.

I am looking forward to the Le Fayet gondola. I absolutely hate the road from Le Fayet to St. Gervais -- winter, summer, doesn't matter. It's the perfect recipe for car sickness for my wife/kids.

Our neighbor in Nancy-sur-Cluses just bought a small apartment in Le Fayet, anticipating the gondola will have a positive impact on prices there. He's much smarter than I am regarding real estate investing!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

If you buy the mont blanc unlimited pass you can ski it all with a car stay in cham more going on

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@j b, excellent news. I was frustrated that the magland gondola never got off the ground, as it were. GM and Flaine would have benefited, as would I, as we're just across the valley in Romme, but it's a PITA to drive up there...

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As somone who has skied 20+ seasons in Chamonix and now works in Megeve. You are much better off in Megeve or rather St Gervais

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@Idris, I do know some of the alternate routes, Domancy and through Sallanches (and a few tiny roads with a very high pucker factor...

Information on the new lift being built here: https://www.ski-saintgervais.com/en/ascenseur-valleen-et-eco-mobilite?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=Bons%20plans%20Hiver%2023-24_Saison%20acheteurs_EN&utm_medium=email&utm_id=92

The English translation leaves a lot to be desired though!

You know it makes sense.

Verbier.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

have been looking at ST-G Apartments for booking, so I guess this is aimed at the people more familiar with Saint Gervais.

There seems to be quite a few apartments clustered near Le Bettex Gondola which is great in the morning for access, is it possible to ski back to close to here also? if not where do you return or do you have to get a lift back, and are there busses. Are there many bars restaurants, supermarkets in this location, don't need anything crazy, just a few apres beers, pizza, local places to eat...

If we chose to stay more in the town, it looks like a 15 min walk to the Gondola, are there shuttle busses to and from?

A snowHead

@kenloen, it sounds like what you like are French mega resorts. Les Arcs and La Plagne are the obvious big ones missing from the places that you have already been and they will probably give you the experience that you are after. I like chamonix, but I wouldn't go with the intention of a week of piste skiing (and even then I think that the off piste is overrated for those who aren't operating at a very high level). I don't know Megeve but on paper it looks better suited to your needs than Chamonix, but probably not as well suited as Les Arcs/La Plagne

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@kenloen, I'm not quite clear which gondola you are referring to: St Gervais to Bettex or Bettex to Arbois?

If the latter, then yes, multiple pistes down (suggest looking at a piste map).

If the former, there is one red down to the bottom, again as shown on the piste map. It has snowmaking but is low, so usually isn't open early or late in the season. It's a fun piste, but also has a few road crossings where you may need to unclip if snow hasn't been pushed across the crossing points. To all the facilities questions - the area around the gondola base has a few eateries but not much else. The rest of the facilities are in the town part. It's an easy enough walk between the two without ski gear; there are also shuttle buses.

We stayed near the town centre. I think we took the shuttle bus to the gondola one day, drove another day and walked on another - so it's all doable.

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There are heated lockers under the gondola with a heating changing room, 10euro per night but they do hold 5 pairs of skis and boots.

Makes walking to gondola easier.
In normal shoes takes you 10 minutes.

Just make sure you are talking about apartments at bottom of gondola in StG and not the ones at bottom of gondola in bettix

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@kenloen, assuming you are talking about the gondola up to Bettex, then there are quite a lot of apartment blocks but only a few shops etc (e.g. there is a pizza place and a bakery). But from the gondola to the town centre isn't far, it takes us about 10 minutes in ski boots so less without.

As @denfinella says the one run down is graded red, and it isn't an easy red although that is partly because it is rarely in good condition all the way down and has some narrow sections as well as the road crossings.

In terms of staying in town, yes there are shuttle buses. The main one loops along the main shopping street and the back of the square; other than peak hours when there is a separate bus it also does a loop round by the Tramway du Mont Blanc station (access to Les Houches skiing). Another serves the residential area further from the centre along the road to Les Contamines.

Help!!

Megeve or Chamonix

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