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Chamonix, Mont Blanc, Megeve Area

After just 30 minutes of driving from Geneva airport along the famous Autoroute Blanche towards Mont Blanc, you’ll pass the “supply town” of Bonneville (great little Asian food market by the way!), then Cluses, arriving at St Gervais, part of the mighty Domaine Evasion Mont Blanc, linking it with Megeve, Les Contamines, St Nicolas de Veroce, Combloux and La Giettaz. They should more accurately call it Evasion “next to Mont Blanc”, but with 420 km of pistes we’ll let them off the neighbourly name drop. More family orientated and lower in altitude than the extremes of the Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix and Grand Montets above Argentiere, this is a beautiful area with magnificent views in summer and winter alike. None of these villages do concrete, least of all the old village of Megeve, traditional hang out for the French elite with it’s cobblestoned streets, fine jewelers and restaurants. This area has literally hundreds of luxury chalets, properties and the odd old farmhouse and building terrain is still available (but not too easy!) to find.

After St Gervais, the autoroute turns into an impressive viaduct winding over the toes of Mont Blanc and the village of Les Houches, a smaller family resort, but a stones throw from the action. This is where the off-piste junkies and mountain climbers know they’ve come home. Les Houches has probably the best all round family pistes compared to Grand Montets, so if your with the young ones, this is the town for you.

Chamonix is considered the unofficial capital of the Alps, and is full of life nearly all year round. With a thriving town centre full of great bars and restaurants, the town comes to life at night, and the mountains high above take over in the day. If you are a serious off piste skier, paraglider, mountaineer, walker, or just love the outdoors, and you are looking for something all year round, then you can’t get much better than Cham and the surrounding villages of Les Houches and Argentiere.