NOT SKIING? NO PROBLEM...

Whilst skiing and snowboarding are the winter month's main attraction, we appreciate that it may just not be for you! Or maybe you are a skier or snowboarder who has just had enough and want something a bit different! Whatever your reason though, the important thing is that Morzine and the Portes du Soleil offers a great choice. So give the below section a read - you never know, maybe your hunger for adrenaline can be filled elsewhere…

About the Town

There is no shortage of interesting shops around Morzine, which could allow you to pass a good day or two trooping around, whether you are buying in them or just happily looking about!

Whatever your taste or fancy, Morzine will probably offer up something to tempt you, with:

  • Numerous sports shops, all very fashionable!
  • Lots of luxurious boutiques
  • Perfumeries
  • Jewellers
  • Toy shops, selling beautiful hand crafted toys
  • Beautiful homeware shops
  • Handmade pottery, slate and wooden sculptures
  • Plenty of fine delis and boulangeries to tempt your taste buds!
  • Local Market every Wednesday morning, selling lots of local food produce, clothes and gifts. Well worth taking a morning off the slopes for!

That is only a very short list of what there is to offer - we recommend you have a bit of a look around, whether it be to make a day of it and treat yourself, or to relax after a day's skiing, as all the shops in the town are open until 7pm! 
And if you do all of that then why not visit the neighbouring town of Les Gets? It's only 4km away and easy to get to. 

High Altitude Eating and Stunning Views

There are some great restaurants high up in the slopes - though they aren't restricted to those who are on the slopes! 

Take the Télécabine du Pleney, Télépherique des Prodains, Téléphérique de Nyon or Télécabine du Mont Chery in Les Gets and you will find a whole host of restaurants at the top. The free Navette buses all around the town will bring you to the lifts - just pay for a single lift pass at the lift station and off you go!

Here are some of our favourite spots in the Mountains:

  • Vaffieu Restaurant - take the Télécabine du Pleney and it is at the top.
  • For a whole host of restaurants, including Pomme de Pin, La Cremailliere and La Terrasse, take the Ardent Cable Car.
  • Chez Flo and Le Trappeur - take the Télépherique des Prodains Cable Car to the top.
  • There are also picnic spots at the top of the Télécabine du Pleney and the Téléphérique de Nyon.

Forest Walks

Why not take the bus to the Ardent Cable Car, get off at the Lake and you will find a lovely hour walk around Lake Montriond, complete with spectacular views and a nice gentle gradient. There are also 3 small restaurants around the lake, so why not call in and enjoy a coffee or hot chocolate to warm yourself a little further?

Alternatively, visiting a waterfall may not be the first thing that crosses your mind when visiting a ski resort - so why not put it on your mind and go to one! The Nyon Waterfall and River Danske, situated just out of the town, is beautiful and close. The best way to visit them is to walk and take in the fresh air and surrounding views. 

Swimming…Indoors Thankfully

Thankfully indeed! The Aquatic centre is the perfect place to ease out the sore muscles after a hard day's work on the slopes. 

Complete with a new 25 metre swimming pool that has a restaurant over the top of it, learner pool, and baby pool, as well as 3 sauna rooms and 2 Hammans, or Steam Baths. Plus the swimming pool provides spectacular views from the large glass wall that part houses it, allowing you to float back and take in the sights.

Relaxation

Going to a ski resort doesn't all have to be about high speed action and extreme heart racing exercise - there is a more relaxed side to life in Morzine!

And when we say relaxed, we mean it, as there are many Spas and Beauty Centre's around the town offering the finest services and treatments, making sure you will leave fully rejuvenated and ready for anything!

Or why not treat yourself to a massage? We recommend Little Wild or La Dahu Spa or if you dont mind hopping on a bus or a short drive away is Les Sources du Chery in Les Gets. 

However, you could really take the relaxation to the next level and use one of the number of mobile massage and beauty services which will come to your chalet or apartment and pamper you - after all, this is your time of. Just contact us and we will arrange everything for you.

Please note that these mobile services aren't just for self-indulgence though, as they also include qualified physiotherapists who can travel to your location and take away the days pains for you, leaving you ready for another slog on the slopes - so now there's no excuse for a bit of a lie in in the mornings!

ACTIVITIES

Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides

What better a way to discover a rustic old town such as Morzine than by horse drawn sleigh! So whether it be a romantic trip or a magical winter adventure for your kids, these tours are available from the square by the tourist office and vary in distance and price. However you can also quite often stop them if they are free and use them as a rather unique alternative to a taxi!

Not Skiing and Living it Up...

Ice Diving

Ah, the joy of diving into the frozen Montriond lake in the middle of the Alps. Quite clearly the thought of this puts most off, yet once over the initial jolt of cold it is well worth a try, as it is rather beautiful unique and certainly not many can say they have tried it! Why not try it after a late night and see if it wakes you up…

Ice Skating and the Morzine Pinguins

Ice skating is definitely an old favourite, as everyone can do it and is perfect for families. The rink is located at the Palais du Sport and open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays until 11pm - so if you didn't work your leg muscles enough during the day then feel free to completely work them into overdrive with a session on the ice!

There is also the local ice hockey team who play in the National French league, the Morzine Pingouins, who play regular ice hockey matches at the Palais du Sport. If you have not been to an ice hockey match we urge you to go as they are fantastic to watch - just as long as you don't mind a little bit of sporting violence!

Snowshoe Treks

This is something that anybody can do. All you need are a pair of light plastic snowshoes, which can be rented or bought from most sports shops, and a fairly strong pair of legs! That is it, you are ready to walk the deep snows of the Alps!

You can either take a map and set out on your own or go with one of the many companies who offer guided snowshoe tours. The tours are probably a better bet as you have the safety of a guide with expert knowledge, as well as meeting likeminded people on your treks, making these quite social events!

Snowmobiles

Skiers and snowboarders may argue which is faster, though it is without doubt that neither are as fast as this for getting round the slopes!

You have the choice of riding solo or with a passenger on the back - either way you will get instruction and safety tuition before. Once ready, you follow your guide for the excursion, which can be 30mins to an hour depending how long you choose. A lot of fun and something different; just don't expect to be acting like John McClean in Diehard first time round!!

Day trips & Culture

Day Trips to Les Gets and Avoriaz

The Telepherique des Prodains is a large cable car that runs from Morzine to the unique car free resort of Avoriaz. On the way you can expect some beautiful views, so bring your camera! 
The lift operates from 07.00 to 21.00 on Monday to Thursday and 07.00 to 24.00 Friday to Sunday and will cost (Euro) 7.20 single and (Euro) 12 return. Under 5s travel for free and under 16s receive discount.

Take a day trip to Les Gets and explore what this interesting little village has to offer, where you can visit the Musee de la Musique Mecanique - yes, Mechanical Music…To get there, take a journey down to the Morzine Bus Station (Gare Routier). There you can take buses to either Cluses or Thonon which are both great towns to visit down the valley. 


There is also the Balad'Aulps Bus which departs from the Télécabine du Super Morzine and will bring you to Les Gets.

A Bit of Culture

Being an old rural market town, Morzine inhabitants used to live off agriculture and slate mining. This would explain the local cultural attractions - tours of the cheese making pastures and 200 year old slate works.

The Slate Workshop and Cowshed and Cheese Dairy are both very interesting and provide a good history of these industries, coupled of course with the amazing views.

However, for museums and galleries, one could take the short journey to Les Gets and discover the Museum of Mechanical Music (which includes interactive sessions where you can try some of the weird and wonderful musical devices for yourself!) or go further afield and take the 1 hour journey to Geneva, where there is more than you could begin to cover in a day.