The village of Megeve offers an original and exemplary alpine destination vibe with a particular touch of luxury. In the Haute Savoie, this village centers around the old church that dates back to 1085. The village was significant in the development of skiing with the resort’s first skiing tournament organized in 1914. The maiden cable car built for skiers was built in 1933. Now, Megeve makes up the Evasion Mont-Blanc ski area and gives access to more than 400 km of ski runs in a breathtaking mountain setting that features neighboring villages of Combloux, Les Contamines, and Saint-Gervais.

The village has been overly restored and now has an attractive pedestrian village center with high-end shops and quiet streets. Megeve is not cheap. Cafes, bars, and restaurants fill up from the afternoon onwards in the village, and they do not close until morning. The après-ski is trendy and friendly as you will expect from the village’s resort.

The resort is popular among snowboarders and skiers, especially families with kids, who come to have a nice time and enjoy the sunny ski slopes. The village of Megeve is beautifully snuggled in the center of the Mont Blanc area in France, about an 8-hour drive from Calais or 60 minutes’ drive from Chambéry Airport.

Does Megeve Have an Expensive Resort?  

Yes, it does. Given its high prices that off-puts many younger riders and skiers, the village does not attract an incredible number of snowboarders. Another big disincentive is the draglifts. In Megeve’s resort, the terrain is best suited for beginners and intermediates even though the more experienced ones can go to Mont Joly and Côte 2000, where there are steeper pitches.

The freestyle facilities are decent, and Mont Joux has the best snow park where there are music and a half-pipe, and at Rochebrune is a ski cross course. With 4 circuits of up to 70 km, including a long picturesque track from the Mont d’Arbois cable-car to St-Nicolas-de-Veroce and Le Bettex, Megeve is quite a well-known destination for cross-country skiers.

Hotels, Restaurants, and Shops in Megeve

You will quickly know that Megeve is an upscale destination when you arrive in the village. Its resort is chic and has great shops, hotels, and restaurants, so there is all you need except that items are pricey. The resort is glamorous and good for skiing in a stunning setting. Every holiday, Megeve gets busy and looks the shadow of itself in off-peak seasons.

Today, Megeve hardly rival Courchevel 1850 for France’s swishiest resort and has been bested on the global skiing scene by the likes of Lech Zurs (Austria), Verbier (Switzerland), and Zermatt (Switzerland). However, it is still recommended for several things.

The ski area is massive. Its pistes are unbelievable; its closeness to Mont Blanc has a harmless influence on its climate, surprising more than its decent share of snow out of short-lived storms. Also, its location, just a 60 minutes’ drive from Geneva airport, makes a perfect destination for families and weekenders. Still, it is home to several amazing restaurants and hotels.

The village is adorable, with a central square by the church where the horses are reserved for the horse-drawn cart rides and many upscale designer clothes ships, but worth checking out after descending the mountain.

An Astonishing Town Center

Megeve’s main point is a central square encircled by a fine medieval church, nice 1700s buildings, and the Aallard de Megève department store where the first ski trousers in the world were tailored. Visitors can hire brightly painted sleighs to access hotels and lift stations. While they are costly, they are more fun than the free ski buses and regular services to Chamonix and other resorts in the region serviced by the expansive regional lift pass. At the town center are also spots where fun meets jazz and food. The music scene there is lively, but it is an expensive area.

Megeve Lift Ticket Prices

Having an idea of lift ticket prices will help you plan your Megeve travel budget. The lift system is an integral part of your travel experience in a ski area. With good planning, you should have an uninterrupted wonderful time out there. In Megeve, the maximum and minimum lift pass prices straddle from 198 to 231 euros for 6-day access to the village’s ski lift system. You can get a day ticket pass for 46 euros as well.

Guide To The Mountain 

The expansive ski area extends from St-Gervais, the spa town, and the village of St-Nicolas-de-Veroce through Megeve and on to the small resort of La Giettaz where wooded slopes guide to Val d’Arly at Praz-sir-Arly. Another lift pass that also allows visitors to ski the 120 km of pistes in the nearby resort of Les Contamines is the ‘Evasion Mont Blanc’.

A Big Accessible Ski Area

At Megeve, skiing is undoubtedly good. There are great free bus services that run every 20 minutes from the village to the major areas of Rochebrune, Mt d’Arbois, and Le Jaillet. Therefore, the area is entirely accessible. One would expect that the village of Megeve joins the 73-lift Espace Diamant circuit that features Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, Flumet, Crest-Voland, and Les Saisies to super connect it to other areas. For now, the village’s skiing is divided into 3 sections; with two of them Rochebrune and Mont d’Arbois, linked by cableways.

The Calmer Rochebrune Area Begins From the Town’s Edge

A cable-car from the outskirts or a gondola from the town center takes visitors up to Rochebrune. In the resort, the area provides the most charming runs and is often less crowded than Mont d’Arbois. A sequence of further pistes and lifts guides to Côte 2000 from the gondola’s top- it has some of the region’s most challenging runs and some of the best snow. This is mainly because much of it is north-facing, and it gets less sun.

Mont d’Arbois is the Major Beginner Area

The major beginner and intermediate area of Mont d’Arbois are accessible by cable-car from the town’s other side. A network of blue and green pistes offers easy skiing back towards the village, or visitors can walk further into the field.

At Mont Joux from 195 m, visitors can venture into wood-fringed pastures to St-Gervais (good for families) and Le Bettex, or they can face higher and more challenging terrain at 2359 m on Mont Joly. Some slopes have 35 t- 50 degrees pitches, so it can be steep here, and it is in this section.

Fantastic Scenery in Le Jaillet Area

Megeve’s third and least-popular area is Le Jaillet. It has several good runs and beautiful scenery and can be accessed by gondola from the town’s edge. Leading back to the resort, the front face has a decent variety of mostly red runs and often remains uncrowded even if peak season. Taking visitors to the 1853m Christomet peak is a six-seater chair from where you can ski down to La Giettaz. There are some incredible off-piste on the wooded slopes under the Tete de Bonjournal and leads into the Val d’Arly from La Torraz.

Where to Stay

In Megeve, accommodation is not cheap. But there is a range of options that includes few affordable chalets and some highly upscale ones. This place is not particularly pocket-friendly for the budget traveler. Still, for those who want a chic place to stay, the village boasts of some of the Alps’ loveliest accommodation.

Where to Eat

In Megeve, there are over 35 mountain restaurants, including some of the finest in the Alps. In fact, visitors will have some unmatchable dining experience on the mountain than in any other resort in the country. However, it does not come free. Many mountain restaurants are quite great with several deck space to dine outside and enjoy Mont Blanc’s views.

Flocons de Sel is one of the most important destinations for food lovers. From the village, the Michelin-starred establishment was moved up to Rochebrune. Also, it has a few bedrooms and even hosts after-skiing cuisine lessons.

Is Megeve Expensive? – Summary

With its attractive medieval center and vibrant town ambiance, French ski resorts hardly get better than this. The expansive 35 km of pistes meet all levels of skier and are fitted to leisurely intermediates as well who love cruising around on different wooded terrain- savoring the great scenery or halting at one of the several top-tier mountain restaurants. The village of Megeve is a brilliant choice for non-skiers as well, with a huge array of off-slope activities and an unending winter-walking in the encircling forests. Megeve is pretty expensive but very accessible and never short of beautiful views.