Portes du Soleil

The Portes du Soleil is one of the largest ski areas in the world and the only one where you can ski between two countries before lunch and be back for dinner. Twelve linked resorts sit either side of the French and Swiss border, connected by a single circuit and a single pass, and the closest of them is around an hour and a half from Geneva. That proximity is the area's quiet advantage: it makes a long weekend genuinely worth doing, and it is why the luxury ski chalets in the Portes du Soleil fill so reliably at half term and Christmas.

The Resorts of the Portes du Soleil

Four French resorts carry the chalets, and they are more different from one another than the shared lift pass suggests.

Morzine

Morzine is the heart of it: a working Haute Savoie market town at 1,000m with slate roofs, a river running through it and more genuine life than most purpose built resorts manage in a season. It is the largest of the four and the most versatile, with lifts up to Avoriaz on one side and Les Gets on the other, which makes it the natural base for skiing the whole area.

Avoriaz

Avoriaz sits at 1,800m on a shelf above Morzine and is car free by design, with its distinctive timber clad architecture and horse drawn sleighs in place of taxis. It has the best snow record of the four and is ski in ski out almost by definition, since the whole resort is built into the piste. Families and confident skiers both do well here.

Les Gets

Les Gets is a picture perfect, family friendly village at 1,172m, with traditional charm and a gentler pace than Morzine. Its Mont Chéry side stays quiet even in peak weeks, which regulars treat as the resort's best kept secret.

Châtel

Châtel is the most authentic of the four, a farming village at 1,200m near Lake Geneva that has kept its character while sitting directly on the international circuit. It is the closest base to the Swiss side and suits guests who want the mileage without the crowds.

The other Portes du Soleil resorts sit across the Swiss border and on the French side towards Lake Geneva. You will ski through them on the tour, and they are a large part of why a week here never repeats itself, but the four above are where our chalets are.

Luxury Ski Chalets in the Portes du Soleil

Accommodation in the Portes du Soleil has moved a long way in a decade. Morzine and Les Gets hold the classic chalet stock, generously sized and often with the saunas and hot tubs that guests now expect as standard; Avoriaz is where the ski in ski out apartments are, many of them recently built and sharply finished; Châtel offers converted farm buildings with more character than square metres. Catered chalets are well represented across all four, and the area's proximity to Geneva means staff, chefs and deliveries all arrive easily, which is not true everywhere in the Alps. Browse our luxury catered chalets and ski in ski out chalets, view every property in the area using the button below, or widen the search to our full collection of luxury ski chalets in France.

Skiing the Portes du Soleil

The Portes du Soleil offers 600km of piste, 45km of cross country skiing and 10 snow parks served by around 200 lifts, with the highest at 2,350m. It is not a high area by Tarentaise standards, which shapes the skiing in useful ways: much of it runs through trees, so it stays skiable in poor visibility when higher resorts are a whiteout, and the tree lined runs above Morzine and Les Gets are some of the best in France for a snowy day. Beginners have gentle, well grouped nursery areas in every village; intermediates have the international circuit itself, a full day's tour of the whole area that is the reason most people come; experts have the terrain above Avoriaz and the Swiss Wall at Chavanette, one of the most photographed mogul fields in the Alps and rather less alarming than its reputation once you are on it. The snow parks are among the best in Europe and worth knowing about if you are travelling with teenagers.

Getting to the Portes du Soleil

Geneva is the gateway and the transfer is around an hour and a half, less to Morzine and Les Gets, a little more to Châtel and Avoriaz. That is among the shortest transfers to any major ski area in the Alps, and it is what makes a four day trip here practical when it would not be further into the Tarentaise. Avoriaz itself is reached by cable car or road to the edge of the resort, with onward transport by sleigh or snowcat, so tell us your arrival plans and our Ski Specialists will arrange the last stretch.

Portes du Soleil Ski Holidays: Your Questions Answered

Which Portes du Soleil resort has the best luxury chalets?

Morzine has the widest choice and the strongest catered chalet stock, Les Gets the prettiest village setting, and Avoriaz the best ski in ski out apartments. Châtel suits those who want somewhere quieter and more traditional. Our Ski Specialists will talk through which fits your group.

Can I book a catered chalet in the Portes du Soleil?

Yes, and the area is unusually well served for it, helped by short transfers that make staffing and supply straightforward. Expect a private chef and host, and a driver in many properties. See our luxury catered chalets for the current collection.

Is one lift pass valid across the whole Portes du Soleil?

Yes. The full area pass covers all 12 resorts on both sides of the border and the entire circuit. Smaller passes covering just Morzine and Les Gets, or just Châtel, exist and suit beginners staying local, but the international pass is the point of coming here.

How big is the Portes du Soleil ski area?

600km of piste across 12 linked resorts in France and Switzerland, served by around 200 lifts, which puts it among the largest ski areas in the world. Unusually, the scale is genuinely usable: the circuit is designed to be skied in a day, so you can cross the whole thing and get home for dinner.

Is the Portes du Soleil good for families?

Very. Les Gets and Morzine are the classic family choices, with excellent ski schools and villages that work in the evening as well as on the hill, while Avoriaz removes cars from the equation entirely. Many of our family ski chalets here have the space and the pools that make a week with children easy.