Ski holidays Megève – lifestyle capital in the mountains!

Megève

Back in the 1920's there was a baron and his lady wife who were responsible for turning Megève into a tourism hotspot. The baron Maurice de Rothschild and his wife Noémi initiated the building of the first luxury hotel right in front of the legendary Mont Blanc. The idea behind that was to create a new French ski resort which could match up to its mundane Swiss predecessors. St. Moritz was seemingly not what this pair was looking for. Together with the lead architect Henri-Jacques Le Même they created an elegant ski resort which turned into a first-class meeting point for the rich and the famous in the 1950's. Until today Megève has maintained this idea of luxury and extravagance and surely is the most elegant ski resort in the Savoyard Alps. Even ex-president Nicolas Sarcozy spent his holiday here with Carla Bruni.

However the resort has also kept a lot of its village charm with its beautiful wooden chalets. Especially the resort centre with the small alley and squares, numerous wells and fountains and the quaint old houses is worth a stroll. A walk across the monastery grounds with the many little chapels is a unique experience, especially in winter. And all this in front of the impressive mountain Mont Blanc. This famous mountain, together with many more 4,000 metre peaks, forms an incredible backdrop which rises to all sides of the high Alpine valley of Megève.

Mont Blanc

It is called "the roof of Europe", it is the highest mountain in the Alps and one of the most-visited nature sights. Since the first British explorers published their fascinating experiences back in the 18th century, many tourists have been attracted to this place. The 4,810 m high mountain is located directly between France and Italy, exactly on the border line, and the countries have been fighting the right of possession for many years. In the north lies the French valley Arve with its popular resort Chamonix, which is the most important base station for the ascent on the Mont Blanc. From here a cableway takes you up to the second highest point of Europe at 3,777 m, bridging a 3 km distance, which the the world's longest without any support towers in between. The high alpine resort is known as an international centre for mountaineers and winter sports fans. In the south-eastern part of the mountain lays the Italian resort Courmayeur, in the Aosta Valley.

Round about this massive rock formation of the Mont Blanc and the neighbouring peaks a fascinating ski area has been created. But not only that: if you are not so winter sports enthusiastic you can also take the cable car "Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi" from Chamonix up to 3,842 m altitude to enjoy one magnificent view of "roof of Europe". Just as magnificent is a ride with the "Télécabine Panoramique" from Aiguille du Midi to Pointe Helbronner. The cable car stops at various points during its 50-minute ride so you have the chance to take some wonderful photos along the way.

Travel Megève

• By train: Sallanches (15 km)
• By plane: Geneva (approx. 85 km), Chambéry (approx. 95 km)