GVA

Avoriaz

All About Avoriaz: A Paradise for R&R

Located in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, Avoriaz is a charming winter holiday destination in the French Alps. Now, while it may be a renowned ski resort, this picturesque snow-covered wonderland offers visitors so much more than just slopes to glide down. From soothing wellness centres and heated swimming pools to horse-drawn sleigh rides and Michelin-acclaimed restaurants, this mountain village boasts an array of non-skiing activities that are perfect for a relaxing winter break. Get Pampered at the Deep Nature Spa Located in the La Falaise district of Avoriaz, you will find this luxury spa in the Amara

Great Budget Ski Resorts – Morillon 1100

Ski holidays are perfect for adventure-seeking families, but they can also cost a pretty penny. This does not have to be the case, however, and I think that Morillon 1100 is a great choice for families seeking a quality ski break that won’t cost the earth. This charming Savoyard village in the Grand Massif region has everything that you need for a memorable family holiday, including a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, superb skiing, good food and plenty more. Read up on the Grand Massif region here! Skiing Options Located in the world-famous Grand Massif and Praz de Lys, you have

Argentière

Up There and Out There: Argentière for Advanced Thrillseekers

Argentière might not seem up to much, huddling below a mighty glacier. But this French ski resort is really hallowed turf. It’s a few miles north of Chamonix, boasts a daunting array of plus-2500m pistes and has a reputation for being the playground of expert skiers. If you’re a beginner, then Argentière’s slopes are probably not places to tread lightly, but any extreme sports fans or powder hounds with a penchant for black pistes should read on… Skiing and Snowboarding The Grand Montets sector of the resort has ample opportunities for dedicated skiers to hone their skills and challenge themselves

Fine Dining at Your Fingertips in Tignes

Nestled between the French and Italian border, Tignes is a picturesque collection of five villages in the Alps: Tignes les Brévières, Tignes le Lac, Tignes les Boisses, Val Claret and Le Lavachet. In conjunction with Val-d’Isère, it forms part of the famous Espace Killy ski region and caters to all skiing abilities. As a lesser known area, Tignes tends not to attract large groups of rowdy teens, but instead caters to a more refined demographic. The collection of villages boasts charming little boutiques and cafés, but its biggest selling point is its wide range of fine-dining restaurants. La Table en

Chilly, Crazy, Cool: Hair-Raising Family Fun in Les Contamines

Picking the right ski resort for a fun family ski holiday can be tricky. Ideally, it will be somewhere that caters to families, has a friendly atmosphere and plenty of facilities and activities so that you can all have a fun-filled trip and create many happy memories together. My recommendation? The Les Contamines ski area at the base of Mont Blanc. Les Contamines is a family-friendly place where you will find a real sense of community in the charming village (which dates back to 1758!). This means that it is a great place for a leisurely stroll with kids –

Frosty Family Fun in Val Thorens

There are so many reasons to choose Val Thorens for a family ski holiday that it’s hardly surprising that the resort is so popular with French and English skiers alike. When I decided to visit, the choice was driven by a slightly obsessive hankering for the very best snow. After all, Val Thorens is the highest resort not just in France, but in the whole of Europe, with guaranteed snow from November through to May. What’s more, I was pleasantly surprised by all of the other things that the resort has to offer. Here’s my guide to this snowy spot!

Lausanne

Eccentric Fun in Lausanne

When you think of the beautiful medieval city of Lausanne, situated on Lake Geneva, you probably don’t think of counter-culture art, avant-garde architecture or of trendy international cuisine. But Lake Geneva’s second largest city has much more to it than just historic charm: in fact, it has contemporary cool by the bucket-load. Thanks to its new exhibition spaces, bars and restaurants, the city is beginning to become a hub for hip culture. And what better time than the present to discover the edgy, contemporary charm of Switzerland’s most historic city? Even in the old parts of Lausanne, which feature cobbled

Geneva

Beyond the Big Ones: Alternative Galleries of Geneva

Geneva airport is one of the busiest in Europe with a constant flow of European business travellers, seasonal skiers and outdoor sports enthusiasts. But many of the people who travel through the transport hub each year are so busy trying to get to their final destination that they miss the unique, quirky experience of the city itself. Switzerland’s second most populated city may be famous as the headquarters for such illustrious international organisations as the Red Cross and the World Health Organisation, but it is the unique Swiss hospitality and sense of humour which makes the more curious visitors fall

Courmayeur

A Touch of Class in the Italian Alps: Fine Dining in Courmayeur

Courmayeur in the Italian Alps is quite unlike any other ski resort I have ever visited. That’s because, while it has more than its fair share of excellent, challenging skiing, wintersports is only one small part of this Alpine village’s special appeal. The fact is, Courmayeur is much more than a ski resort; it is an exclusive, elegant holiday destination which knows full well that satisfying its elite Italian and international clientele requires more than just great skiing. That is why, despite being a small Alpine village, it boasts an extraordinary concentration of some of the region’s best restaurants, which

Samöens

Grand Adventure in the Grand Massif: Family Fun in Samoëns

While most families are drawn to the beautiful, historic resort of Samoëns because of its position in France’s Grand Massif ski area, you’ll discover there is plenty more than skiing and snowboarding to challenge adventurous kids (and their parents!) here. The Grand Massif – with its resorts including Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Sixt Fer à Cheval and, of course, Samoëns – sits at the heart of the Alps at 2,500 metres. With access to 256km of runs, Samoëns lies opposite the more famous Flaine in a north-facing position, meaning that snow (when it falls) tends to last pretty well here.

ski

Let’s Get Active in Les Gets

Les Gets is a brilliant Savoyard skiing resort in the Alps. With a terrific atmosphere, great skiing slopes for people of all levels and a buzzing après-ski scene, it is the perfect holiday destination for a group of friends looking for a good time and some great memories. Winter Sport Activities for You and Your Mates Skiing Les Gets has pistes for skiers of all levels, reached by gondola and chair or draglift. If you’re not very confident, you might want to stay within the Chavannes area which has easy blue and green runs. If you fancy something a bit

Annecy

Three Unique Ways to Enjoy Lake Annecy’s Views

Blessed with such beauty it’s described as the “Venice of the Savoie“, the lovely lakeside city of Annecy (capital of the Haute-Savoie region) is one of the most delightful surprises in the Alps. For those lucky enough to visit this magnificent place, it really is like stepping out of your life and into a picture postcard for a few days. The city’s charming cobbled streets and idyllic setting on the tranquil shores of Lake Annecy provide a veritable smorgasbord of views – each seemingly more picturesque than the last. But while simply strolling around the Old Town, past the canals

Aix-les-Bains: A Spa Town Worthy of Royalty

ix-les-Bains, nestled on the shores of France’s biggest freshwater lake in the foothills of the Alps, offers an entirely unique, elegant lakeside retreat.

Bursting with grand Belle Epoch architecture, reflecting its heyday during the late 19th and early 20th century, it is one of the grande dames of French spa towns. Amongst its famous historic visitors, it can lay claim to having been Queen Victoria’s favourite holiday destination and, still today, seems to carry its Victorian-era fame with something of a refined pride.

Like its neighbour Annecy, Aix-les-Bains combines a rich cultural history, dating back to the Roman times, with a quiet, tranquil Alpine charm which makes it a wonderful place to visit for a relaxing spa break or a captivating, cultural lakeside holiday.

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