Ski holidays in Morzine, France

Morzine is a charming, traditional alpine village in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, 1,000 metres above sea level in Haute-Savoie. Unlike many French resorts that were built as purpose-built ski stations, Morzine is a living village with genuine Savoyard heritage, shops, restaurants and a warm atmosphere. A ski holiday in Morzine suits families and anyone looking for an authentic French alpine experience.

From Morzine you can easily reach the vast Portes du Soleil system with 650 km of pistes across France and Switzerland. A gondola from the village takes you straight up to Avoriaz at 1,800 metres, and from there you have access to the whole cross-border system. Morzine also shares its lift system with neighbouring Les Gets, which offers further pistes at a gentler pace.

The village is known for its genuine Savoyard architecture with timber houses, stone roofs and flower-decked balconies. The centre has a lively market, local cheese shops and bakeries selling traditional specialities. It is a place where you can experience real French alpine life beyond the large-scale ski resorts.

Morzine is hugely popular with British visitors and has a wide range of English-speaking ski schools, childcare and guided tours. The atmosphere is relaxed and family-friendly, and the resort holds the Famille Plus label for its child-friendly facilities.

5 tips about Morzine

1. Beginners at Le Pleney The beginner area at Le Pleney is large and well groomed, perfect for your first turns before heading out into the wider Portes du Soleil system.
2. Make the most of the area pass A Portes du Soleil lift pass gives access to a full 650 km of pistes, so take the gondola from the village up to Avoriaz at 1,800 metres and explore the Swiss side too.
3. Family-friendly throughout Morzine holds the Famille Plus label for its child-friendly facilities, which makes it a safe choice for families with children of different ages.
4. Head higher for better snow As the village sits at 1,000 metres, snow cover can vary lower down, so ride up to the higher parts of the system, up to 2,466 metres, for more reliable conditions.
5. Travel outside the school holidays Book weeks outside February half-term and Christmas for better prices on accommodation with lift pass included, while still enjoying the same 120 km of local pistes and 49 lifts.

Pistes and lifts in Morzine

Morzine offers 120 km of local pistes and 49 lifts with direct access to the Portes du Soleil's total of 650 km. The gondola to Avoriaz (1,800 m) opens up the higher sections. The Morzine-Les Gets side offers family-friendly, tree-lined pistes with varied terrain. The piste mix is well balanced with plenty of green and blue runs. The beginner area at Le Pleney is large and well groomed.

Piste map for Morzine

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Snow reliability in Morzine

Morzine sits at 1,000 metres, which is relatively low for an alpine destination and means snow cover in the village itself cannot be guaranteed all season. The local pistes cover 120 km with 49 lifts, but conditions on the lower sections can vary with the weather.

For more reliable snow it is worth heading up to the higher parts of the system, where the altitude reaches up to 2,466 metres. Via the gondola to Avoriaz at 1,800 metres, visitors get access to higher pistes with generally better snow conditions than in Morzine itself.

Best time to travel to Morzine

January to March offer the best conditions. The relatively low altitude of 1,000 metres can mean mild weather and rain early and late in the season. February is peak season with the best snow.

In mild weather you can take the gondola to Avoriaz at 1,800 metres for better conditions.

Will there be lift queues in Morzine?

Morzine is part of Les Portes du Soleil, and the lift system there carries 252,976 people an hour across 164 lifts. 55 of the 164 lifts are gondolas or high-speed chairlifts and 13 are drag lifts, which take longer to get through when it is busy. The fastest lifts carry up to 4,200 people an hour, for example La Rosta. Per kilometre of piste there is more lift capacity than at an average resort on this site, and you notice it: queues clear quickly. The queue you actually notice is almost always down in the valley between eight and half past nine. If you are on the lift before nine you avoid it.

When is Morzine busiest?

How busy the slopes get is not decided by the English half term but by when the local families and the neighbouring countries are on holiday. These are the weeks that fill Morzine in the 2026/2027 season.

• France: The French winter holidays roll through three zones and together cover 6 February to 8 March. All three zones head for the same valleys, so the whole period is busy.
  6 to 22 February: zone C, including Paris and Toulouse
  13 February to 1 March: zone A, including Lyon and Bordeaux
  20 February to 8 March: zone B, including Marseille and Strasbourg
• England: The English February half term is 15 to 19 February 2027 for most councils, with a few areas breaking up a week earlier. The Easter holidays run from 26 March to 9 April.
  8 to 12 February: half term in a few council areas, for example Hull
  15 to 19 February: half term in most of England, including London, the Midlands and the North
  26 March to 9 April: Easter holidays for most English schools
• Easter holidays: Easter 2027 is early, on 28 March. Austria and Germany take their holidays around the weekend, while the French holidays fall after Easter, in April.
  20 to 29 March: the whole of Austria, all states at the same time
  22 March to 3 April: most German states, including Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia
  3 April to 3 May: the French zones, which fall after Easter 2027 and only affect the highest resorts
• Long weekends: Long weekends fill the slopes with day visitors from the nearest cities, even when no schools are on holiday.
  26 December to 3 January: Christmas and New Year, the most expensive period of the year
  6 January: Epiphany, a public holiday in Austria, Italy and parts of Switzerland
  27 to 29 March: the Easter weekend. Easter Monday is a public holiday across the Alps, but Good Friday is a working day in Austria, Italy and France
  1 to 2 May: May Day, a public holiday across the Alps

The weeks before 6 February and after 8 March are noticeably quieter and cheaper. January is the best time for anyone who wants the pistes to themselves.

Morzine is suitable for

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Frequently asked questions about Morzine