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Summer in the French Alps

How to spend summer in the French Alps

Finlay and Wendy Hunter have lived in Morzine since 2016. After years of running high-end safari camps in Africa (check out The Safari Edit), they moved to Morzine to start Hunter Chalets and bring up a family. The French Alps are one of the best places for a summer holiday in Europe, so we dig deeper to find out why…

What is summer like in the French Alps?

Beautiful! You can go hiking in the mountains, swim in Lac de Montriond, have a demi beer on a sunny restaurant terrace and just soak up the fresh air and the scenery. In the summer, there is nowhere better to be. So many people miss out, as they overlook the French Alps for beach resorts in Europe. The Alps, especially Morzine and Les Gets, have so much going on and so many things to do. Swapping the ocean for views of Lac de Montriond is highly recommended. You can also stay in a luxury chalet or apartment for a fraction of the price of a winter ski stay, and it works out as far more affordable compared to a five-star beach holiday in Europe.

Where is the best place to go in the French Alps during summer?

Morzine and Les Gets in France, two mountain villages that sit close to the Switzerland border. There is so much to do in the area, you’d have to come back multiple times to even scratch the surface of everything on offer.

There’s tennis, golf, padel courts, crazy golf courses, an indoor ice-skating rink, paddleboarding, ziplining, high rope courses, a luge, incredible hikes, waterfalls, a glass lookout point, and so much more. I’d highly recommend the mountain rollercoaster in Les Gets – it’s fast! There’s also the chance to see the French Alps from above in a helicopter ride or during a paragliding flight. I’d also suggest heading up Nyon to Le Pas de l’Aigle, a 10-metre-long platform with a glass floor that juts out over the valley. On a good day, you can see Lake Geneva.

Locals often say they came to Morzine and Les Gets for the winters, but ended up staying long-term for the summers.

What makes the French Alps a great summer destination for families?

Morzine and Les Gets are both really family-friendly. The restaurants around here welcome kids, and there is so much for families to do, including teens who may want to go mountain biking, try white-water rafting or something called hydrospeeding with our friends at Frog’s Rafting, riding the rapids with a powered floaty.

Children love a trip to the nearby ‘goat village’ at Lindarets. You can have lunch in one of the restaurants and watch the goats freely wandering around the main street. The Morzine tourist board also puts on dedicated weeks for kids in the summer, with games and activities in the main square. Morzine has a sports complex, which has indoor and outdoor pools with slides, splash play areas and swimming lanes. The complex also has an indoor ice-skating rink, which is open during peak summer. 

Closer to Les Gets, the WIBIT inflatable assault course at Lac des Ecoles is great for families. I’d also really recommend booking tickets for Alta Lumina if your kids can stay up late enough. It’s a nighttime walk through the woods, where you will follow the story of the music maker. This light show will definitely be remembered!

What is the atmosphere like during summer?

In Morzine and Les Gets, some weeks are very quiet and chilled, then suddenly an event pops up and you’ve got live music stages being set up or media stands for the filming of big events like Le Tour de France or the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. You can check out all our summer events in Morzine and Les Gets to time your stay with an event if you’d like to. Some of my favourite events include the Spartan Challenge and the Mont-Blanc Rallye at the end of the summer.

Morzine and Les Gets are really popular for triathlons and some of the best places in the world for mountain biking, so you’ll see plenty of mountain bikers navigating down the mountain on marked trails.

Can you recommend some hikes?

For incredible views of the valley and mountains, take the lifts to the Pléney and Super Morzine Ridges and follow the sign-posted routes. Lac de Montriond is also close by and you can enjoy a three-kilometre loop around this stunning lake, which has a landscape similar to the Canadian Rockies.

Try Col de Ratti for amazing views over Mt Blanc. This can be followed with lunch at one of the mountain restaurants near Col de l’Encrenaz or Mt Caly.

Just east of Lac des Mines d’Or is Col de Cou where you can hike over into Switzerland.

What is the weather like in summer in the French Alps?

Online stats will tell you it’s around 17°C in mid-summer, but in my experience, summer days in August can hit nearer the late 20s. You’re in the mountains, so one morning you could be sunbathing by the lake, and a thunderstorm will roll in during the afternoon. It’s best to pack for all occasions, so swimwear, jumper, light rain jacket… you might need them all during a week-long stay.

Where’s the best place to stay in the French Alps during summer?

Hunter Chalets & Apartments, of course! We offer luxury chalets and apartments in both Morzine and Les Gets to cater for all family or group sizes, from a family of four to a party of 20+. Many of our chalets have hot tubs and a terrace; and a few, like The Bungo, have a heated pool and garden. All properties are self-catered during summer and are a great choice for a summer holiday in Europe. If you need any advice on the best place to stay for your group, simply give us a call.

Once you’ve booked, the Hunter Chalets concierge team is happy to book restaurants, bakery deliveries and activities for you, and answer your questions about the resorts. Hunter Chalets also has little luxuries, such as The White Company toiletries, so you can pack light.

Is it easy to reach the French Alps?

Morzine and Les Gets are easy to get to! You can fly into Geneva Airport in Switzerland, and then we can arrange for an airport transfer to pick you up and cross the border into France and up into the mountains. The transfer to Morzine is about one hour and 10 minutes, so it is very easy to reach compared to other mountain resorts.

Alternatively, you can drive to the villages. Here is our handy guide to getting to Morzine and Les Gets if you are travelling from the UK. We welcome dogs in many of our chalets, so you can also take a look at our guide to travelling to France with a dog.

We hope you will consider Morzine and Les Gets for your next summer holiday. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call or join the team on a LiveChat. We look forward to welcoming you soon!

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